National Professional Qualification in Leading Teaching (NPQLT)

This course is designed for teachers, current or aspiring middle leaders in a phase, key stage or subject and senior leaders.

Learn what outstanding teaching looks like and use this knowledge to become a high performing leader of teaching.

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 have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key stage or phase.

NPQs are not suitable for active Early Career Teachers.

Duration: 12 months

Curriculum:

This programme follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification (NPQ): Leading Teaching Framework.

• Explain important ideas about the science of learning
• Understand what good teaching practice is and how to implement it
•  Support colleagues to design a broad and coherent curriculum
•  Plan effective lessons and stimulate your pupils’ thinking
• Help colleagues adapt their teaching to different needs
• Contribute to the design of school assessment systems
•  Align your professional development with wider school improvement priorities.

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, you’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.

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 at teachers and leaders working in the top 50% of England’s most disadvantaged schools, based on pupil premium data.

For the NPQ in Leading Teaching, funded scholarships are available if you:

• Have, or are aspiring to have, responsibility for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key stage, or phase.
• Work in one of the 50% of schools with the highest proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding, or in a 16–19 setting identified as high disadvantage.
• Work in a school eligible for RISE (targeted regional improvement for standards and excellence) intervention.

Check if you’re eligible for funding! 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.

*Currently nurseries are not available yet on the tool. If you work in a nursery, please directly contact directly at npqadmissions@ambition.org.uk

If you do not work in an eligible school, the NPQ in Leading Teaching costs £899 plus 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:

David Nash

Wren Academy, Finchley

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.