We’re pleased to announce that we are partnering with education charity Ambition Institute to deliver the new NPQ in Leading Literacy.

Poor literacy skills are a significant barrier for young people in progressing in all aspects of their education.

In 12 months, participants will become an expert in literacy and leadership and enable young people to benefit from the curriculum to improve their chances of success.

Those doing the training will learn:

  • Gain a National Profession Qualification (NPQ) in Leading Literacy.
  • Access the latest evidence-based learning in literacy development.
  • Support colleagues to champion literacy.
  • At a time and pace that suits their existing timetable.

Ambition Institute has designed this ground-breaking new NPQ to help you learn the essential knowledge and skills to successfully lead high quality, literacy development and teaching in your school.

Ambition’s approach uses the latest research to help you put your learning into practice. You’ll train alongside other literacy leaders with similar responsibilities.

This is a new National Professional Qualification (NPQ) developed by the Department for Education (DfE). Each of the new NPQs share the same common language and framework to help drive improvement across schools and other educational settings.

With no project work and minimal time out of school, this NPQ is designed to fit around your busy timetable.

Benefits for you

Make a real difference
This programme will help you to offer all children in your school access to high-quality literacy in their education.

Excel at literacy leadership
Become a true champion of literacy. You’ll develop a thorough understanding of how you can improve literacy in your subject, phase and school, using the latest evidence-based research.

Build a network
You’ll have the opportunity to connect with other literacy leaders, sharing your experiences and building a strong support network.

Learn at your own pace
This programme is designed to fit with your busy teaching role and can be completed in bite-size chunks around your existing schedule.

Tailor your training
The programme allows you to apply theory to your school context.

Benefits for your school

Build brighter futures
By expertly championing literacy leadership in your school, you can make sure that every young person has the literacy skills to succeed across all curriculum areas.

Improve literacy at all levels
Participants will work on applying learning and improving literacy across your school and different subject areas –and support colleagues to do this too.

Create a ‘golden thread’
The new NPQs are all aligned. Your literacy leaders will benefit from an evidence-based framework with a common language which they can pass on to their colleagues.

Put knowledge into practice
This programme gives literacy leaders a comprehensive and accessible evidence base. This allows them to bridge the gap between what they know and how to apply it effectively in your school, to improve literacy and outcomes for pupils.

Invest in your leaders
By aligning staff professional development with wider school improvement priorities, you can make sure all pupils have access to high quality literacy support in their education.

What you will learn

This programme follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification: Leading Literacy Framework.

You will:

  • Learn how to support staff, of all subject specialisms, to develop pupils’ language and literacy skills.
  • Learn how pupils develop aspects of literacy, including:
    • understanding how children learn to talk, and how developing effective spoken language supports literacy development at every age and stage.
    • understanding how children learn to become fluent readers and how teachers can help with this, from primary all the way through to secondary.
    • exploring the importance of subject-specific vocabulary and different strategies to teaching this.
    • knowing how to support pupils’ writing –whether learning to write in primary school, through to writing academically at key stage five.
  • Learn how to support, develop and teach pupils literacy using evidence-informed approaches.
  • Learn how to lead literacy through curriculum, culture and motivation.
  • Understand how effective literacy education can support your school.
  • Contribute to effective professional development for literacy, linking it to teaching, the curriculum and assessment across the school.

Note: programme content is subject to change.

How you’ll learn

Each of the six courses within the programme is taught through a combination of independent self-study modules, a facilitated live clinic, and a peer-led community session. The programme starts with a one-day live conference.

The assessment window starts at the end of the 12-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.

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.

Ambition Institute will offer a webinar and live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support participants.

NEW: The Department for Education has extended scholarship funding eligibility to all state schools and state funded organisations that offer 16-19 places in England.

DfE-funded scholarships are available for this NPQ for all those who meet the following criteria:

  • Have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading literacy in their school.
  • Work in a state-funded school or organisations that offer 16-19 places in England.

If you do not work in an eligible school, the NPQ in Leading Literacy costs £899 plus VAT.

Funding

As part of the government’s long-term education recovery plan, it was announced in May 2022 that funding for fully funded NPQ training scholarships will be available in academic years 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024.

Eligibility

From autumn 2022, the organisations eligible to access scholarships are:

  • state-funded schools
  • state-funded 16 to 19 organisations
  • independent special schools
  • virtual schools (local-authority-run organisations that support the education of children in care)
  • hospital schools not already included in other categories of eligible organisations
  • young offender institutions

Practising teachers employed by local authorities, such as supply teachers, will also be able to access scholarships.

Teachers and leaders who are employed as above are eligible for training scholarships for all 8 NPQs.

Support fund for small schools – Targeted support funding

The Department has updated the Targeted Support Fund offer for the 2023 to 2024 academic year to further incentivise state-funded schools and state-funded 16 to 19 educational settings in England to participate in NPQs.

For each teacher or leader they employ who takes an NPQ in the 2023 to 2024 academic year:

  • state-funded primary schools with one to 150 pupils will receive a grant payment of £800
  • state-funded primary schools with more than 150 pupils will receive a grant payment of £200
  • state-funded secondary schools and state-funded 16 to 19 educational settings with one to 600 pupils will receive a grant payment of £200

Apply

To apply, you must be leading, or aspiring to lead, literacy in any phase of education. For example, you might be a head of literacy or literacy coordinator at your school or multi academy trust.

Accreditation NPQLL
Course length 12 months
Application deadline Friday 22nd December 2023
Programme start February 2024