National Professional Qualification in Leading Literacy (NPQLL)

This course is for teachers who lead, or aspiring to lead, on literacy in any phase of education. This includes teachers, heads of departments, teaching development leads and senior leaders.

You’ll become an expert leader of literacy and learn its importance in enabling young people to reach their full potential.

Registrations are now open for November 2025. No other NPQ cohorts will be available in the 2025/26 academic year.

Eligibility: Designed for teachers who lead, or aspiring to lead, on literacy in any phase of education. This includes teachers, heads of departments, teaching development leads and senior leaders.

Duration: A 12 month specialist qualification 

Curriculum:

Our NPQ for Leading Literacy course follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification: Leading Literacy Framework.

On this programme, you will learn how:

• to support staff, of all subject specialisms, to develop pupils’ language and literacy skills
• pupils develop aspects of literacy, including how children learn to talk, how effective spoken language supports literacy development at every age, how children learn to become fluent readers and how teachers can support this across every stage, and explore the importance of subject-specific vocabulary and different strategies to teaching this
• to support pupils’ writing – whether learning to write in primary school, through to writing academically at key stage five
• support, develop and teach pupils literacy using evidence-informed approaches
• lead literacy through curriculum, culture and motivation
• effective literacy education can support your school
• to contribute to effective professional development for literacy, linking it to teaching, the curriculum and assessment across the school.

How you will learn:

The programme is delivered with a mixture of face-to-face and virtual sessions. The programme starts with a full-day Conference to introduce you to the structure and content of the course, allowing you to meet your Visiting Fellow and the wider NPQ cohort.  

Each of the six courses within the programme is taught through a combination of self-study modules, a mixture of virtual and in-person Clinics, and peer-led Community sessions. You will also be allocated a study partner to complete online learning with and discuss reflections. 

The North-West London Teaching School Hub team will be supporting you throughout your learning journey on the programme, tracking your progress and acting as your point of contact. 

Assessment:

You’ll sit an ‘open book’ style assessment in which you respond to a short case study.

The assessment window starts at the end of the 12-month programme and runs for up to four months (subject to change by the DfE).

During this time:

• We will offer a live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you.
• You’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.
• Participants can sit the assessment twice, if they need to.
• You need to complete 90% of the programme and pass the assessment to gain the qualification.

Cost:

Funding for autumn 2025 is targeted for those teachers and leaders who work in the top 50% of England’s most disadvantaged schools, according to pupil premium percentage.

For the NPQ for Leading Literacy, funded scholarships are available for those who meet the following criteria:

• Work in the 50% of schools with the highest proportion of students who attract pupil premium funding and 16 to 19 educational settings identified as having high disadvantage in England.
• Have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key stage, or phase.

If you’re unsure whether you will qualify for this ‘pupil premium’ based on funding, please use the Ambition Institute online eligibility check tool, and/or contact us at npq@northwestlondontsh.org.uk and we will advice.

If you do not work in an eligible school, or all fully-funded spaces have been filled, the cost of the NPQLL is £899 + VAT.

Self-funded payment options
If you are unable to access a DfE funded scholarship, you can pay for your NPQ.

Ambition Institute will invoice the school/trust contact you provide in your registration directly. Depending on your school type, they maybe be able to reclaim VAT.

If you are unable to come to an arrangement with your school, Ambition Institute can invoice you directly, but you will not be able to reclaim VAT.

Unfortunately, Ambition Institute do not offer payment plans for NPQ programmes.

The cost of your programme must be paid in full before the start of your programme. Ambition Institute are unable to offer refunds once you start the programme.

DfE funding restrictions
Due to limited DfE funding, eligibility for a scholarship does not guarantee a funded place.

If no funded places are available, you can:

• Join a waiting list with your chosen provider
• Pay for your place yourself
• Approach another NPQ provider

Facilitators:

Emily Walker-Nolan

Middlesex Learning Trust

Jennifer Afghan

Middlesex Learning Trust

Further Info:

Only in exceptional circumstances may a participant request either a deferral or withdrawal from their programme. Participants should be aware that there is a process to follow which is outlined in Ambition’s Institute’s Deferral and Withdrawal Policy.

A participant considering withdrawal from an NPQ Programme should be aware that it is Department for Education Policy to only fund an NPQ course for a participant once. This means that a participant who starts a Department for Education funded NPQ course, and then withdraws from that course, will not be funded again for the same programme.