National Professional Qualification
for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD)

For teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading the development of other teachers in their school.

Lead the Development of Teachers at your School


Awards 40 Master's Credits

Oversee Staff Development & Improve Outcomes for All


Apply Now for Spring 2025



National Professional Qualification (NPQ): Leading Teacher Development 

NPQLTD gives participants all of the essential knowledge, skills and concepts that underpin successful leadership of teacher development.

 

What are the benefits?

The fully blended learning approach combined with performance coaching and enrichment activities make this an exciting and valuable opportunity for those who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading the development of other teachers in their school.

The NPQLTD qualification is aligned to Masters credits and can act as a springboard on to Liverpool Hope University’s MA in Leading in Education or the MBA in Educational Leadership.

Benefits for Participants

  • Become adept in supporting initial teacher training, early career teachers as well as the wider development of all colleagues across the school
  • Develop expertise across a number of specialist areas related to their role (e.g. designing professional development)
  • Purpose-built virtual learning environment enabled for mobiles and tablets
  • Support to pass the final assessment
  • Content contextualised for your locality and updated to reflect national developments and legislation
  • Facilitation and support from serving school leaders in outstanding schools and delivery at local venues

Benefits for Schools

      • A leader with the ability to plan the effective delivery of in-house professional development activities targeted specifically at the school’s identified needs thus securing greater impact on staff, potential cost savings and better value for money.
      • Regular progress updates for mentors and headteachers
    • Support succession of school leaders and build a cohesive, impact-focused school leadership team
    • A professionally aware and informed leader who can make evidence-based decisions and approach leading teacher development in an effective and efficient manner
    • The ability to review and evaluate practice in order to bring about change and get the best outcomes for young people and staff within the organisation 

How is NPQLTD delivered?

A Blended Learning Model

NPQLTD makes use of a blended delivery model consisting of face-to-face events, online study, webinars and coaching.


NPQLTD participants will attend 3 face-to-face events. Our nationwide delivery partnership network allows us to bring face-to-face training to a school near you, facilitated by local school leaders.

Participants access online learning and support via our virtual learning environment (VLE) Canvas. Through Canvas, participants are able to engage with learning communities of peers and access multimedia content. They can also access research and expert school-led practice aligned to the curriculum content for the qualification and receive high-quality feedback from experienced online leadership mentors and in-school coaches.

 

Leadership Mentor

The leadership mentor is a participant’s main point of contact for the duration of the NPQLTD. Their role is to support a participant's progress and development through the programme. They will respond to practice task activities completed for each online course and provide challenge and feedback on each of the formative assessment tasks following their completion. At the end of the programme, in conjunction with their mentor and in-school performance coach, participants will evaluate the impact of the programme on their leadership development and the benefits to their school.

In-school Performance Coach

The in-school performance coach, nominated by the participant’s school, will offer support, guidance and challenge to a participant through six planned coaching sessions. They will provide feedback following their completion of formative assessment tasks and monitor and support participant progress through the programme.

At the end of the programme, in conjunction with their mentor and in-school performance coach, participants will evaluate the impact of the programme on their leadership development and the benefits to their school. See the In-School Performance Coach guide for more information.

NPQLTD Qualification Structure

NPQLTD Framework

The DfE’s NPQLTD framework is based on a robust method of design and development, building on the evidence base and expert guidance already established in the ECF and the ITT Core Content Framework. The NPQ frameworks reflect the Teachers’ Standards and Headteachers' Standards to ensure coherency with the requirements already used by the teaching profession.

Please see the NPQLTD Framework below. If your computer or device does not support the Adobe plugin you can download the framework pdf here.

Who is this for?

The National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD)  is suitable for teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading the development of other teachers in their school.  They may have responsibilities for the development of all teachers across a school or specifically trainees or teachers who are in the first two years of their career. 

Leading the development of other teachers is complex. Although the role varies, many of those leading teacher development who will take this qualification are considered to be part of the middle leadership team. They may indirectly manage a team of mentors or coaches and their work is focussed on supporting initial teacher training, early career teachers as well as the wider development of all colleagues across the school.

Requirements

Applicants must have full support from their school/organisation. A head teacher, member of the SLT, line manager or Chair of Governors (or similar authoritative role) must confirm their support and that all information submitted is true and correct. This is a Department for Education mandatory requirement.

To apply for NPQLTD, applicants must have the following:

  • Teacher reference number
  • 2 years teaching experience
  • Leadership aspiration/experience

If you are unsure if you meet the above requirements or have other relevant experience then please contact our team who will be able to support your application.


What does it cost?

The National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD) costs £895 plus VAT if applicable.
VAT will not be applied to DfE funded candidates or state-funded schools.

Candidates from international schools should visit our NPQLTD International page for international prices.

Scholarships

NPQ scholarships for the Spring 2025 Cohort are extremely limited, so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

The limited funding will target those teachers and leaders who work in the most challenging schools or educational settings, serving more disadvantaged communities. The limited scholarships will cover the full NPQ course cost and will be available to teachers and leaders from:

  • The 50% of schools with the highest proportion of students who attract pupil premium funding
  • 16 to 19 educational settings identified as having high disadvantage
  • All scholarships are subject to availability - apply now for the best chance of receiving a scholarship!

Next Steps

We are now accepting applications for the Spring 2025 Cohort. Click below to apply.

Apply Now