We’re pleased to announce that we are partnering with education charity Ambition Institute to deliver the NQP in Executive Leadership.
In 18 months, you will develop the expertise you need to become an outstanding executive leader, leading change and improvement across your group of schools or multi academy trust.
- Learn from experts in executive leadership
- Excel as an executive school leader
- Flexible learning to suit your timetable
- Gain an NPQEL accreditation
Ambition Institute has designed this new, fully-funded NPQ to help you put evidence-based leadership methods into practice and drive change in our schools or multi academy trust.
Ambition’s ‘little and often’ approach uses the latest evidence to help you put your learning into practice in your school setting. You will train alongside other teachers with similar responsibilities, with content focusing on the key challenges you face in your role.
With no project work and minimal time out of school, the new NPQs are designed to fit around your busy timetable.
Benefits for you
Excel as an executive leader
Set an ambitious vision for your schools or trust and create the conditions and culture needed for staff and pupils to thrive.
Learn from experts
Join expert-led coaching sessions where you’ll get advice from experts and tailored feedback on your performance.
Train to your timetable
This programme is designed to be completed alongside your daily role. It is delivered in short, bite-sized chunks, which is proven to be useful for knowledge retention, and will fit around your existing commitments.
Form a strong support network
Connect with other school leaders, share your collective expertise and build a tight-knit network with people who face the same challenges as you.
Benefits for your school or trust
Focus on your specific needs
Traditionally, professional development in leadership has focussed on personal traits, such as the qualities of dynamic and charismatic leadership. The new and reformed NPQs pay more attention to the knowledge leaders need to tackle the persistent problems of their daily roles.
Share a common knowledge base
National Professional Qualifications are aligned, so all educators will be working to the same framework and be able to share common language for developing a school or trust.
Learn from the best
Ambition Institute has a proven track record in delivering continuous professional development. Your leaders will benefit from the latest evidence-based learning and develop expert knowledge in all areas of school leadership.
Gain expert knowledge
This programme is led by experts, giving your executive leaders the chance to connect with a network of talented educators and put what they learn into practice at your organisation.
What you will learn
The programme follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification (NPQ): Executive Leadership Framework.
On this programme, you will learn how to:
- create a positive and effective culture across your schools or trust
- support school leaders and your senior team to put in place an evidence-informed approach to designing the curriculum
- give clear feedback to teachers and make sure they are supported with guidance and training to do their jobs effectively
- create and sustain a positive, safe and predictable environment for all pupils across your schools or trust
- work with school leaders and your senior team to make sure professional development priorities are aligned with plans to improve your school or trust
- work effectively in partnership with parents, the community and other schools and trusts
- participate in governance and be fully transparent and accountable
Note: programme content is subject to change.
How you will learn
The content is delivered through a mix of real-time, interactive online clinics and self-guided modules you complete in your own time. You will put what you learn into practice across your schools or trust, tracking your progress and getting feedback as you go. You will also benefit from coaching sessions led by experts and peer-based learning.
The assessment window starts at the end of the 18-month programme and runs for three months. During this time, participants will be given an eight-day window to sit an ‘open book’ style assessment in which they respond to a short case study.
You have two submission attempts. If you fail on the first submission, you will have one further opportunity to resit the assessment. You will submit the assessment at the next available assessment window.
You need to complete 90% of the programme and pass the assessment to gain the qualification.
Webinars and live clinics are offered in advance of the assessment window to support participants.
Funding
Scholarship funding for Autumn 2026 is yet to be announced. We will provide funding information as soon as it is confirmed.
Previously, eligibility for scholarship has been available for those teachers and leaders who work in the most challenging schools or educational settings, serving more disadvantaged communities.
For the NPQ in Executive Leadership, funded scholarships were available for those who met the following criteria:
- Are, or are aspiring to be, an executive headteacher or have a school trust CEO role with responsibility for leading several schools.
- 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.
We expect more eligibility information and including which schools and settings will be able to access this funding, to be provided by the Department for Education in the summer term.
If you do not work in an eligible school, the NPQ in Executive Leadership costs £4,050 plus VAT.
