National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL)

Our carefully sequenced and evidence informed NPQ for Executive Leadership is designed to equip you with the skills for leading across multiple schools.

• Length: 18 months.
• Delivery: Blended learning, that includes 'little and often' online and face to face learning.
• Qualification: Sector recognised qualification.
• Curriculum: Carefully sequenced and evidence informed.

National cohort location
Conference one for the Autumn 25 NPQEL cohort will take place Friday 21 November and will be held Burleigh at Court Conference Centre, Loughborough University.

For previous cohorts, Department for Education (DfE) funding targeted those teachers and leaders who work in the top 50% of England's most disadvantaged schools, according to pupil premium percentage.

The DfE has yet to announce funding for future cohorts, but we expect this will be made nearer to the beginning of next cohort.

Without funding, the NPQ for Executive Leadership costs £4,050 plus VAT.

Choose our NPQ for Executive Leadership and you’ll be joining over 35,000 teachers and school leaders (as of May 2025), who have decided on Ambition to complete their NPQ since they were launched in 2021.

Evidence-informed curriculum
You’ll benefit from our evidence-informed curriculum to help you put evidence-based leadership methods into practice and drive change in your schools or multi-academy trust.

Access the latest research
Throughout the NPQEL course, you’ll get access to the key research on areas including curriculum, assessment and governance across multiple schools and the importance of a positive culture to improve outcomes. Rather than spending your time sourcing the latest insights, you’ll instead focus on putting your learning into practice.

Train to your timetable
Our ‘little and often’ approach means you’ll need on average just one hour per week to engage in our NPQs, helping you to fit your NPQEL around your timetable.

No large project
On our NPQs, there’s no large project at the end. Instead, you’ll sit an ‘open book’ assessment with support via a live webinar and clinics available to help you get the most from your NPQ.

Join our charitable mission
We support teachers and school leaders at every stage of their careers, helping them to keep getting better. We are a charity providing training and professional development based on the most rigorous research and evidence about what really works.

To be eligible for this programme, you must be a school leader who is, or is aspiring to be, an executive headteacher or have a school trust CEO role with responsibility for leading several schools.

NPQs are not suitable for active Early Career Teachers.

If you have any questions, email [email protected] and a member of our team will be in touch with next steps.

You’ll sit an ‘open book’ style assessment in which you respond to a short case study.

The assessment window starts at the end of the 18-month programme and your outcome is usually available within four months (subject to change by the DfE).

During this time:

• You’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.
• You have two submission attempts. If you fail on the first submission, you will have one further opportunity to resit the assessment. You will submit the assessment in the next available assessment window.
• You need to complete 90% of the programme and pass the assessment to gain the qualification.
• We will offer a live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you.

Applications are currently closed. Enquire now to be kept updated about future cohorts.

When applications are open, to apply you must be:

• NPQs are not suitable for active Early Career Teachers.
• To apply, you must be a school leader who is, or is aspiring to be, an executive headteacher or have a school trust CEO role with responsibility for leading several schools.
  

DfE Registration: Until you've completed the DfE registration, available from 8 September 2025, your application and funding will not be confirmed. You can register here.

Our application process in seven simple steps:

Step 1: On the programme page
Click ‘Apply now’.

Step 2: Set up your MyAmbition account
Create an account with your name, email address and password. Confirm your email to activate your account.

Step 3: Complete your application
Log in to MyAmbition, fill in your personal and professional details, and answer the application questions. Attach any required documents.

Step 4: Submit your application
Review your answers and click ‘Submit’.

Step 5: Application in review
You’re application will be reviewed and you will be contacted if more information is needed.

Step 6: Place offered
If your application is successful, we will send you an offer by email.

Step 7: Place accepted
Accept your offer on MyAmbition to secure your place.

If you have any questions, email [email protected] and a member of our team will be in touch with next steps.