Gain an understanding of the core principles behind developing language, reading and writing, get practical tools and guidance to lead your school’s approach to literacy, and collaborate with other leaders in similar roles.
Build the expertise to effectively develop others and lead a powerful whole school literacy strategy.
Develop the skills to help colleagues develop literacy across the curriculum – without creating unnecessary workload.
If you work in a school serving disadvantaged communities, you can apply for our free one-to-one support which runs alongside the NPQ in Leading Literacy (NPQLL). This free support comes in the form of an experienced former school leader who will coach and guide you throughout the programme. You can apply for this additional support in your application.
Share experiences with other school leaders, learn how they’ve faced similar challenges and build a professional network that will support you throughout your career.
This programme is for teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading literacy across a school, year group, key stage or phase.
This 15-month programme (12 months’ delivery and three months for assessment) consists of a series of modules based on the DfE’s NPQ frameworks. Each module cycle features:
This cycle repeats throughout the programme, with implementation a consideration in every module. Towards the end of the programme, you’ll also take a module focused specifically on effective implementation. This provides an opportunity to plan a strategic improvement, focused on your context and pupils. There will be ongoing support through a seminar group and discussion forum.
During the Practical Implementation cycle, programme members will be required to put learning into practice and implement an improvement, or plan the implementation of an improvement, in their setting based on the NPQ programme they are working towards. The focus will be identified by the programme member and must be level appropriate.
This improvement should be a stretching professional development target within the programme member’s existing role. For aspiring specialist and leadership programme members, the school/employer should support them to implement an improvement at the aspiring level. The allocation of learning time is five hours so any implementation focus should be feasible within the timeframe.
You’ll develop the knowledge, skills and expertise to lead effective approaches to developing literacy and supporting children’s reading and writing at all stages. This will include leading and developing others to improve children’s literacy.
Our content is informed by the best and most recent evidence and developed with input from school leaders and subject matter experts.
Our programmes have a practical focus. You’ll be supported to make small but important changes to your and others’ practice throughout the programme. This will conclude with the implementation module and practical implementation cycle of the programme.
Find out more about the DfE’s NPQLL content framework:
The programme is designed to fit around your teaching and other school commitments. Over the course of the whole programme (spread over three terms), you’ll undertake approximately 55 hours of learning. This includes a combination of seminars, online learning modules, conferences and a practical implementation cycle.
Assessment takes place within three months of you completing your NPQLL. Detailed dates will be shared with you before the start of the programme.
The assessment process for all NPQs has been refreshed to reduce the workload burden on teachers while still providing an opportunity to apply their knowledge. To pass the programme, you’ll need to engage with at least 90% of the course and pass one summative assessment.
Throughout the programme, you will participate in formative assessment tasks, so you can track your progress and understanding. This will also support you to demonstrate 90% engagement with the course.
At the start of your training, we’ll also provide you with the dates of the Summative Assessment so you can plan for this with your school. This will take the form of a case study which is a minimum of 2,000 words in length and will cover content referred to in the relevant NPQ Content Framework. It will represent a likely situation to be faced by a teacher at the relevant NPQ qualification level or role and will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the relevant NPQ Content Framework and offer you an opportunity to demonstrate that you can successfully apply this.
You will have an eight-day window to provide a written response of a maximum of 1500 words for the case study (unless adjustments are required on an individual basis) in an ‘open book’ setting. You will receive the unseen case study question at the start of the eight-day window; and submit your response by midnight of the eighth day.
DfE Funded for all eligible schools.
In June 2021, £184 million of new funding was announced to provide scholarship funding to enable colleagues in eligible schools to train at no cost. Please see slide 5 for more information on this.
Applications for February 2024 are now closed. The application form will re-open in the summer term for an autumn 2024 start.
If you have any further questions please contact Tina Beddoe at beddoet@onecumbria.education
