Guidance

Leading teacher development national professional qualification

A course to help teachers learn how to become a teacher educator and successfully support teachers in their school to expand their skills.

From:
Department for Education
Published
20 September 2023
Last updated
16 December 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

Who this course is for

This course is for staff who have, or want to have, responsibility for:

  • leading the development of other teachers in their school
  • mentoring trainees or early career teachers

Overview

This one-year course will help you gain confidence and develop skills in:

  • implementing evidence-based professional development programmes focused on improving classroom teaching
  • promoting a strong professional development culture across their school

This course will:

  • take 12 months to complete
  • involve an average of 1 to 2 hours of study each week
  • be a mix of self-study and group sessions
  • involve a written assessment

Funding 

Teachers and schools leaders in many state funded settings in England will be eligible for funding to cover their NPQ course fees, subject to eligibility criteria.

Eligibility for funding does not guarantee a place on a funded NPQ course.

Course content 

This course covers: 

  • designing and delivering effective professional development 
  • how to make informed evidence-based professional development decisions 
  • techniques for tailoring and adapting support based on individual development needs 

Benefits for you and your school 

Increased professional development culture 

Build expertise around creating a culture of professional learning and continuous improvement in your school. Staff feel supported if their school invests in their development. This can then filter down to the classroom, resulting in happier, more motivated pupils. 

Improved pupil outcomes 

You’ll learn how to ensure professional development in your school is focused on a shared responsibility for improving outcomes for all pupils. 

More effective support for colleagues 

Develop the skills to help colleagues plan effective lessons, meet individual pupil needs and provide opportunities for all pupils to succeed without creating unnecessary workload. 

Undisruptive to existing workload 

You can complete much of the work in bite-sized chunks around your existing schedule. 

Course structure 

The course covers 4 topics, outlined in the course framework. Providers use this framework to design their course. 

The course includes: 

  • independent study 
  • group coaching 
  • face-to-face sessions with other participants 

You’ll need to spend 1 to 2 hours a week working on this NPQ. 

Providers 

The following providers offer this NPQ: 

They work with delivery partners, such as teaching school hubs, to provide training.

Assessment

To get your NPQ accreditation, you’ll need to complete the course and pass a written assessment (1,500 words).

Apply

Learn how to apply for an NPQ.

Updates to this page

Published 20 September 2023
Last updated 16 December 2024 + show all updates

  1. Updated information about funding and removed one provider.

  2. Removed 'Education Development Trust' from the list of providers.

  3. Updated the funding section and the course start date, to autumn 2024.

  4. The NPQ start date has been updated to February 2024.

  5. First published.

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