FULLY FUNDED (see COST)
We’re pleased to announce that we are partnering with education charity Ambition Institute to deliver the NPQ for Headship.
This is course designed for headteachers, or those aspiring to be one. It begins in autumn 2026 and is fully funded.
You will develop the knowledge the knowledge that underpins expert school leadership and apply it to become an outstanding headteacher.
- A new 18-month leadership qualification
- Combine insight and practice to drive change
- Flexible learning to suit your timetable
- Fully funded for autumn 2026 cohorts
Choose our NPQ for Headship and you’ll be joining over 37,000 teachers and school leaders (as of July 2025), who have decided on Ambition to complete their NPQ since they were launched in 2021.
Evidence informed curriculum
Our carefully sequenced and evidence informed NPQ is designed around the key problems you face. You’ll learn to implement your learning into practice in your school setting.
Access the latest research
Develop your knowledge and skills to lead school improvement at headship level. this programme aims to develop expertise that is flexible and allows participants to respond to the challenges they will encounter in a range of contexts.
Train to your timetable
Our ‘little and often’ approach means you’ll need on average just one hour per week to engage in our NPQs, helping you to fit your NPQH around your timetable.
No large project
On our NPQs, there’s no large project at the end. Instead, you’ll sit an ‘open book’ assessment with support via a live webinar and clinics available to help you get the most from your NPQ.
Benefits for you
Learn crucial skills and sector knowledge
All the knowledge you’ll learn on this programme is drawn from a single, evidence-based framework shared by other educators across England.
Learning that sticks
Training is delivered little and often, in regular bite-sized chunks, so there are no long days of training that take you away from your day job. Learning in short, sharp bursts also helps you to retain knowledge.
Thrive in your school setting
Develop the knowledge and skills to work to the best of your ability and tackle the complexities and challenges of your daily role.
Drive habit change
Embedding new habits can be tricky. Our dual modules help you to apply what you learn, connecting theory to practice, to help those habits stick. Insight modules capture the very best the sector has to contribute on a given topic. Application modules help you to use the ideas in context, with support from peers.
Build your network
You’ll connect with other senior leaders, sharing your experiences and building a strong support network that lasts long after you finish the course.
Drive habit change
Embedding new habits can be tricky. Our dual modules help you to apply what you learn, connecting theory to practice, to help those habits stick. Insight modules capture the very best the sector has to contribute on a given topic. Application modules help you to use the ideas in context, with support from peers.
Benefits for your school or trust
Create confident school leaders
Headteachers are equipped with school-focused leadership knowledge, which they can use to establish a culture and conditions where staff and pupils can thrive.
Underpinned by the latest evidence
The framework for the new NPQ for Headship was developed using the latest evidence on effective professional development for teachers and leaders, approved by the Education Endowment Fund (EFF).
Shared learning
Participants learn alongside colleagues whose context is similar, facilitated by delivery partners who know and understand your needs.
Create a common knowledge base
All our NPQs are aligned, meaning teachers and leaders share a common language and framework to drive improvement in their school.
Transform pupil outcomes
Education Policy Institute research shows that high quality professional development can improve pupil outcomes almost as effectively as having a teacher with 10 years’ experience in the classroom.
What you will learn
This programme follows the Department for Educations’ National Professional Qualification(NPQ): Headship Framework.
Create confident school leaders
Headteachers are equipped with school-focused leadership knowledge, which they can use to establish a culture and conditions where staff and pupils can thrive.
Underpinned by the latest evidence
The framework for the new NPQ for Headship was developed using the latest evidence on effective professional development for teachers and leaders, approved by the Education Endowment Fund (EFF).
Shared learning
Participants learn alongside colleagues whose context is similar, facilitated by delivery partners who know and understand your needs.
Create a common knowledge base
All our NPQs are aligned, meaning teachers and leaders share a common language and framework to drive improvement in their school.
Transform pupil outcomes
Education Policy Institute research shows that high quality professional development can improve pupil outcomes almost as effectively as having a teacher with 10 years’ experience in the classroom.*
How you’ll learn
Our NPQH is designed so you can engage in live, facilitated sessions alongside modules you can complete at any time.
Over 18 months, our NPQH includes:
- A school visit.
- Two full day conferences (6hrs each).
- Nine courses (each course lasts six weeks and loosely aligned to a school half term).
- Each course includes six modules.
- Seven two-hour clinics (facilitated sessions).
- One two-hour assessment clinic.
- Five communities (1hr15mins group sessions).
The content is delivered through blended learning. This includes 12 hours of in-person delivery (via 2 full day conferences and in-person twilight sessions), a mix of real-time, interactive online sessions and self-guided modules you complete in your own time.
The programme includes facilitator-led sessions with your peer group that focus on decision making. The programme starts with a one-day live conference.
Note: programme content is subject to change.
Our NPQ courses no longer include a large project at the end. Instead, 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 18-month programme and runs for three months. During this time, you’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.
There are two assessment windows every year, and participants can sit the assessment two times, if they need to.
You need to complete the course to qualify for the NPQ accreditation.
We will offer a webinar and live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you.
Webinars and live clinics are offered in advance of the assessment window to support participants.
Scholarship funding for Autumn 2026
Scholarship funding is available for teachers and leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school, in publicly-funded schools (including maintained nursery schools) and 16 to 19 educational settings in England.
Funding for this course is also available to:
- hospital schools
- young offender institutions
- local authority virtual school headteachers, staff in a defined deputy headteacher role and staff in direct teaching roles
- other local authority staff in direct teaching roles – for example, local authority supply or peripatetic teachers
If you do not work in an eligible school, or are unable to access a funded place, the NPQ in Headship costs £1,949 plus VAT.
