National College for Teaching & Leadership

(NCTL) LeadershipCurriculum

Level 1: National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership (NPQML)

Level 2: National Professional Qualification forSenior Leadership (NPQSL)

Information for prospective applicants

The National College for Teaching & Leadership’s new range of national qualifications and flexible study modules are designed to give you more choice in your professional development. They’re part of a new leadership curriculum, which is an exciting and innovative approach to leadership development designed to support leaders at every stage of their career.

NPQML and NPQSL are new qualifications that provide national recognition of your leadership development and professional achievement as a middle or senior leader.

Level 1: National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership (NPQML)

This programme is for middle leaders in schools. It is expected that applicants have responsibility for leading a team within the school and isaimed at middle leaders including key stage, subject and curriculum leaders.To achieve the qualification, you’ll need to complete two essential modules and one elective module, with a focus on driving successful team performance and improving classroom practice.

Download the fact sheet on NPQML from NCTLHERE

If you are a new middle leader or planning to apply for a middle leader role in the near future, then you may be interested in our access course “Early Leadership” read more....

Level 2: National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL)

This programmeis for senior leaders in schools. It is expected that the applicants not only have responsibility for leading a team, but that they are alsoinvolved in a range of activities that affect the whole school organisation. It is aimed at senior leaders including deputy heads and assistant head who are not aspiring to headship at this stage of their career.

Download the fact sheet on NPQSL from NCTLHERE

Modular delivery

These qualifications have a flexible, modular structure that combines core (compulsory) modules with the freedom to specialise or develop your own professional areas of interest through the choice of elective (optional)modules.There is adiagram on the fact sheet (see above for the link to download this)that illustrates the title of each module and the assigned level, and shows how each level progresses to the next.

Each module requires up to 50 hours of blended learning. This typically consists of workplace learning (about 20 hours) and practice activities, face-to-face activity, including peer and facilitated learning and reading, reflection and online learning.Each module has an online source of material including many examples of practice and activities to pursue. The face-to-face facilitated learning (about 10 hours) will be offered at a flexible range of times and venues including weekdays, Saturdays and twilights, in either 5 hour daytime blocks or 2½ hour twilight blocks.

Free standing elective modules

Ourelective modules (see the diagram on page 4) can be studied on their own as stand-alone courses – ideal if you just want to fill a skills gap, pursue a particular interest or support current priorities in your school or organisation. For modules at levels 1 and 2, the applicants for single modules should satisfy the application criteria of that level. However, for modules at level 3, it is possible for applicants to be a senior leader who is not quite at readiness for NPQH, or an existing deputy who does not wish to continue on to headship, or they may be a serving head who wishes to extend and continue their learning.Individual modules may be credited to the full qualification at a later stage should you choose to continue in that level of study.

The cost of undertaking a free standing elective module on any of the programmes is £350 per module. However, there are special prices for groups of leaders – see the costs section for further information.If you wish to undertake a free standing elective module, or to organise a group, please email your request to .

Completion, assessment and award of the qualification

Completion of either NPQML or NPQSL can take from six to eighteen months and will be assessed, and the qualifications awarded, by NCTL, with assessment focusing on tasks linked to school improvement activities undertaken in the workplace. You will need to:

  • demonstrate the impact that your work has had on your own leadership and school outcomes
  • demonstrate how you have drawn on learning from both essential and elective modules for your school improvement work

Full details of the assessment will be available once you start on the programme.

Applications for both NPQML and NPQSL

If you wish to make an application with the Institute of Education: Leadership Colab (IOE and their partner schools) for either programme, please complete the appropriate application form available (there are separate application forms for each programme), and return it to .

There may be local groups (or ‘clusters’) in your area that will deliver the sessions - if you believe you could be part of a local group or have been told that a particular school in your local area is running a group, then please tell us on the application form (question 1: Cluster Grouping).It may be that if a local school is organising a cluster, there is likely to be a discounted price.

The deadline for receipt of applications to start in Spring 2014 depends on whether you are part of a local cluster group and when that group is starting.You should submit your form as soon as possible, and the very latest date for receipt of applications is Friday 7th February.

Criteria for acceptance to the programme

Applications will be judged according to applicants demonstrating a readiness to pursue training at that the nominated level. The selection criteria will be judged by:

  • the suitability of the role of the applicant
  • evidence of leadership activity at the appropriate level
  • support of the referee – your line manager or headteacher

Please note that this is an individual qualification and applications are judged on an individual basis. There can be no substitutions of participants as each person must be judged on their own merits.

Scholarships

There are a limited number of scholarships available from NCTL, to support school leaders from the English state maintained sector who have successfully applied for one of the national qualifications.A list of qualifying organisations in the English state maintained sector is listed below the costs.

Accessing a scholarship

To access a scholarship you must first apply for NPQSL through Leadership CoLab, as one of NCTL’s licensee, and we have a set number of scholarships to award to successful applicants, and you will be informed by us whether or not you have been awarded a scholarship.These will be allocated to thosewhose applications are judged suitable based on the criteria,and based on the date of the receipt of their application. The scholarship is paid to Leadership Colab directly by NCTL, and the remainder of the fees will be payable by the participant or their school, or a combination of both. You do not need to apply for a scholarship yourself, as the process will be automatic, but you will have to complete successful registration to the first module – more details when you join the programme. Scholarships are awarded to named individuals and cannot be swapped to another participant.

Middle Leaders: Costs for NPQMLfor Spring 2014

A discount of £210 may be applied if attending sessions and working in your local area with a cluster group.

Full Scholarship: Participants in an English state maintained* primary school 100 or fewer on roll, or an English state maintained secondary school with 500 or fewer on roll are eligible for a full scholarship:

  • Full Scholarship £1050
  • School/Participant payment £NIL

Half Scholarship: Participants in an English state maintained*primary school with 101–250 pupils on roll are eligible for half scholarship:

  • Half Scholarship £525
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions at IOE£525
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions locally with a cluster group £315

Part Scholarship: Participants in an English state maintained*primary school with over 251pupils on rollor an English state maintained* secondary school with over 501 pupils on roll are eligible for part scholarship:

  • Part Scholarship £158
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions at IOE£892
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions locally with a cluster group £682

No Scholarship: Participants not employed in a school, or those employed in non-maintained schools, independent schools (apart from special) or schools from outside England

  • School/Participant payment £1,050 (plus £225 invoiced by NCTL for final assessment)

Senior Leaders: Costs for NPQSLfor Spring 2014

A discount of £280 may be applied if attending sessions and working in your local area with a cluster group.

Targeted Scholarship: You may have already made anapplication for a targeted scholarship for those individuals who wish to accelerate their career development and who have ambitions to be a headteacher within 3 years. You will be informed by NCTL if you have been successful:

  • NCTL Targeted Scholarship £1,000
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions at IOE £400
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions locally with a cluster group £120

Full Scholarship: Participants in an English state maintained* primary school with 100 or fewer on roll, or an English state maintained secondary school with 500 or fewer on roll are eligible for a full scholarship:

  • NCTL Full Scholarship£1,400
  • School/Participant payment £NIL

Half Scholarship: Participants in an English state maintained*primaryschool with 101–250 pupils on roll are eligible for half scholarship:

  • NCTL Half Scholarship £700
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions at IOE £700
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions locally with a cluster group £420

Part Scholarship: Participants in an English state maintained*primary school with over 251pupils on rollor an English state maintained* secondary school with over 501 pupils on roll are eligible for part scholarship:

  • NCTL Part Scholarship £210
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions at IOE £1,190
  • School/Participant payment attend sessions locally with a cluster group £910

No Scholarship

  • Fee of £1,400 (plus £440invoiced by NCTL for final assessment)

List of scholarship qualifying organisations

  • Community schools and colleges
  • Foundation schools and colleges
  • Voluntary-aided schools and colleges
  • Voluntary-controlled schools and colleges
  • Local authority nursery schools
  • Employed in a non-maintained special school
  • Pupil referral units
  • Secure units
  • Academies
  • Free schools
  • Advisers or consultants employed by local authorities or diocesan authorities

Additional costs for both programmes

If participants choose to take an additional or free standing elective modules for any programme, the following fee will be charged:

  • Fee of £350 for each additional module

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