Specialist NPQ Suite

Our specialist NPQ programmes ensure that participants focus their attention on the things that matter the most and have the greatest impact on behaviour, culture and student outcomes - ensuring there is an excellent teacher in every classroom.

The research on effective school leadership is compelling and our programmes draw upon the best available evidence to ensure leaders develop the essential knowledge and practice to raise outcomes, empower their staff and reduce workload.

All our NPQs begin with an introduction to our approach to capacity development and managing improvement through implementation. This approach is then embedded throughout the duration of the programme. From this starting point our specialist NPQs guide participants through modules that will focus on developing mastery of relevant expertise, gaining the knowledge and tools to develop others, and extending your influence across a school, phase or department.

NPQ programmes are underpinned by design principles that fulfil all the recommendations of the EEF Effective Professional Development guidance report. 

DfE Targeted Support Funding:

The DfE has updated the Targeted Support and Delivery Fund offer from the next academic year to encourage and support leaders and teachers working in small state-funded settings to participate in NPQs.

For each teacher or leader a state-funded school or state-funded 16-19 organisation employs, who takes an NPQ in 2023/24 academic year, will receive a grant payment of:

• £200 for state-funded primary schools regardless of size
• £800 for state-funded primary schools with one to 150 pupils (£600 in addition to the £200 grant payment)
• £200 for state-funded secondary schools and state-funded 16-19 educational settings with one to 600 pupils.

Summative Assessment: At the end of the programme, participants are required to complete a 1500-word, open book, non-invigilated response to a school improvement case study. Participants need to have achieved 90% of activity credits to be eligible for assessment. Those that do not achieve this automatically defer to the next assessment window. We provide full support and preparation to participants including pre-assessment tutoring, optional webinars to model a response and suggested writing frames to structure your summative assessment. Participants are given 10 calendar days to formulate and submit their response and are able to liaise with other programme members during this time. Pass or fail judgement sure shared with participants by the lead provider within 3 months following marking, lead provider moderation and external moderation by DfE associates.

Teachers who have, or aspire to have, responsibilities for leading literacy across a school, year group, key stage or phase.

Duration: 12 months (plus 3 months for summative assessment process) 
Hours of study: 55 hours
Cost: Free to those who meet the scholarship eligibility criteria. The cost for school or self-funded participants outside of the criteria is £901 

Scholarship eligibility criteria: 

• have, or aspire to have, responsibilities for leading literacy across a school, year group, key stage or phase 

• work in a state-funded school or a state-funded organisation that offers 16-19 places in England 

Blended learning overview:

All our NPQs begin with an introduction to our approach to capacity development and managing improvement through implementation. This approach is then embedded throughout the duration of the programme. You will focus on developing mastery of relevant expertise, gaining the knowledge and tools to develop others, and extending your influence across a school, phase or department. 

Delivery of synchronous live training:

Synchronous Training	Frequency	Duration
Face-to-face conferences	2	1 day
Live webinar*	3	2 hours

*Following participants feedback, Vantage TSH provides an option to deliver one or more webinar sessions as 2 hour face-to-face seminars. Webinar/seminars are scheduled to avoid impact on participants teaching commitments

Pre-Block Diagnostic Self-Assessment – to identify existing knowledge and areas for development, ensuring time-poor teachers can efficiently focus on what they need to know and be able to do  

Introduction Video - to understand ‘why this and why now’ 

Self-directed study – using the intuitive learning platform, participants engage in study when it suits their schedule for pre-learning prior to live training or to deepen their knowledge following an event 

Recorded webinars – short recorded webinars that can be viewed when you choose 

Optional Micro-implementation tasks - to apply theory to low-stakes, high-impact deliberate leadership practice

Block overview:

Block 1 – Leading improvement 

Participants will learn about leading improvement which will include self-study units detailed below:

Unit	Content overview
A	The Importance of Teacher Quality in Raising Pupil Outcomes
B	Supportive Environments
C	Developing a Culture that Supports Effective Implementation
D	Theories of Change
E	Coaching and Mentoring Colleagues
F	Understanding and Making Use of Existing Frameworks

Block 2 – Underpinning Principles

Participants will learn about effective teaching of literacy across the school, including the self-study units details below: 

Unit	Content overview
A	The Importance of High Expectations
B	How Pupils Learn
C	Subject and Curriculum
D	Classroom Practice
E	Adaptive Teaching
F	Using Assessment Effectively
G	Managing Behaviour
H	Professional Standards
I	Developing Language Essential Knowledge for all Teachers

Block 3 – Developing others

Participants will learn about how to contribute to the development of CPD for teaching, curriculum and assessment across a school which will include self-study units detailed below:   

Unit	Content overview
A	Good Practice in Teacher Professional Development
B	Developing Reading Essential Knowledge on Word Reading
C	Essential Knowledge on Reading Comprehension
D	Championing Reading Across the School

Block 4 – Furthering your specialism

Participants will learn about how to support colleagues to develop language, reading and writing including the self-study units detailed below: 

Unit	Content overview
A	Developing writing: essential knowledge on written transcription
B	Developing writing: essential knowledge on teaching spelling
C	Developing writing: essential knowledge on planning and practising

Block 5 – Furthering your specialism

Participants will learn about how to work effectively with colleagues to deliver change using effective implementation which will include self-study units detailed below:  

Unit	Content overview
A	Overview of effective implementation
B	The explore phase
C	Preparing for implementation
D	Delivering implementation
E	Sustaining and scaling implementation

 

Teachers who have, or aspire to have, responsibilities for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key stage or phase.

Duration: 12 months (plus 3 months for summative assessment process) 
Hours of study: 55 hours
Cost: Free to those who meet the scholarship eligibility criteria. The cost for school or self-funded participants outside of the criteria is £901 

Scholarship eligibility criteria: 

• have, or aspire to have, responsibilities for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key stage or phase.

• work in a state-funded school or a state-funded organisation that offers 16-19 places in England 

Blended learning overview:

All our NPQs begin with an introduction to our approach to capacity development and managing improvement through implementation. This approach is then embedded throughout the duration of the programme. You will focus on developing mastery of relevant expertise, gaining the knowledge and tools to develop others, and extending your influence across a school, phase or department. 

Delivery of synchronous live training:

Synchronous Training	Frequency	Duration
Face-to-face conferences	2	1 day
Live webinar*	3	2 hours

*Following participants feedback, Vantage TSH provides an option to deliver one or more webinar sessions as 2 hour face-to-face seminars. Webinar/seminars are scheduled to avoid impact on participants teaching commitments

Pre-Block Diagnostic Self-Assessment – to identify existing knowledge and areas for development, ensuring time-poor teachers can efficiently focus on what they need to know and be able to do  

Introduction Video - to understand ‘why this and why now’ 

Self-directed study – using the intuitive learning platform, participants engage in study when it suits their schedule for pre-learning prior to live training or to deepen their knowledge following an event 

Recorded webinars – short recorded webinars that can be viewed when you choose 

Optional Micro-implementation tasks - to apply theory to low-stakes, high-impact deliberate leadership practice

Block overview:

Block 1 – Leading improvement 

Participants will learn about leading improvement which will include self-study units detailed below:

Unit	Content overview
A	The Importance of Teacher Quality in Raising Pupil Outcomes
B	Supporting Case Studies - theory in practice
C	Understanding and Applying Best Evidence on Teacher Professional Development
D	Developing a Supportive Environment
E	Developing a Theory of Change
F	Using Assessment Information and Data
G	Understanding and Making Use of Existing Frameworks

Block 2 – Underpinning Principles

Participants will learn about the principles of effective teaching which will include self-study units detailed below:  

Unit	Content overview
A	The Importance of High Expectations
B	How Pupils Learn
C	Subject and Curriculum
D	Classroom Practice
E	Adaptive Teaching
F	Using Assessment Effectively
G	Managing Behaviour
H	Professional Standards

Block 3 – Developing others

Participants will learn how to design effective professional development which will include self-study units detailed below:    

Unit	Content overview
A	Drawing on the right expertise
B	Expert-led conversations
C	Effective delivery of professional development

Block 4 – Furthering your specialism

Participants will learn about effective adaptive teaching and how to implement this effectively which will include self-study units detailed below:  

Unit	Content overview
A	Introduction to implementation
B	Choosing the right initiatives
C	Preparing for change

Block 5 – Furthering your specialism

Participants will learn how to effectively evaluate for continuous improvement which will include self-study units detailed below:  

Unit	Content overview
A	Implementation in motion: the ‘deliver’ phase
B	The importance of monitoring and adaptation of implementation
C	Involving the staff body in implementation
D	Sustaining and scaling change

 

We are awaiting further announcements from the DfE regarding the release date of the NPQ Mathematics content framework and timeline for implementation.