A statement from Ambition Institute on Ofsted’s inspection of our NPQ provision

The National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are a suite of leadership programmes which aim to support teachers and school leaders to develop their skills and expertise in different aspects of education – including the early years, behaviour and culture, executive leadership, and teacher development.

We are lucky to work with 38 delivery partners up and down the country to deliver these programmes: together, we have supported more than 34,000 leaders from nearly 10,000 schools on one of the NPQ programmes over the last three years.

Thanks to the hard work and support of our partners and Ambition staff, the report says that:

“Participants benefit from exceptional training from Ambition Institute. Experienced, knowledgeable facilitators deliver the high-quality curriculum with skill and precision. Participants are overwhelmingly positive about their experience on the NPQ programmes.”

We know that teachers and school leaders are busy professionals, with full and often challenging roles. Working with our partners, we try very hard to balance rigour with the realities of school life. We were therefore particularly pleased to see the report acknowledge this:

“Participant experience is extremely important to the lead provider. Inclusive practices sit as core principles guiding the design and structure of the NPQ programmes. Leaders have gone to great lengths to ensure that materials and other resources are fully accessible by all participants. Bespoke adaptations are made where necessary to meet individual participant need. The NPQ programmes are demanding. However, participants say that their workload is well considered. They value the flexibility of the programmes to fit around their professional commitments.”

Across the country, over 10% of the teaching workforce have now completed or started an NPQ.  This reflects the desire of our teachers and leaders to keep learning, and to make time for professional development, so that they can best meet the needs of the children in their care.

As a charity, we have one core purpose: to help educators serving children from disadvantaged backgrounds to keep getting better. We and our partners have a strong shared vision:

“The lead provider’s mission of ‘keep getting better’ runs as a core thread through its work with delivery partners and programme participants.”

We know that supporting and investing in our teachers and school leaders is pivotal to improving children’s life chances, and we are hugely pleased that our NPQ provision is having such a positive impact.

Ofsted’s full report can be found on their website here.