Course overview

Our NPQ for Senior Leadership is purposely designed to help you build the skills for stepping up in responsibility and leading at a school-wide level.

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.
Cost: Limited funding for all state schools in England. Self-funded places available.

What you'll learn

Our NPQ in Senior Leadership course follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification: Senior Leadership.

You will learn how to:

Set clear goals and communicate shared values that improve the culture in your classrooms and school
Establish a safe and positive environment for pupils
Support colleagues to meet individual needs and make sure all pupils have access to a rich curriculum
Lead school-wide professional development for staff
Make and act on evidence-informed decisions
Work well with parents, carers, other schools and the wider community
Lead by example, be accountable for decisions and make sure colleagues know their responsibilities.

Note: programme content is subject to change.

How you'll learn

Our NPQSL is designed so you can engage in live, facilitated sessions alongside modules you can complete at any time.

Over 18 months, our NPQSL includes:

Two full day conferences (6hrs each).
Nine courses (each course lasts six weeks and is loosely aligned to a school half term).
Each course includes six modules.
Six two-hour clinics (facilitated sessions).
One two-hour assessment clinic.
Five communities (1hr15mins group sessions).

The content is delivered through blended learning. This includes 12 hours of in-person delivery (via two full-day conferences and in-person twilight sessions), a mix of real-time, interactive online sessions and self-guided modules you complete in your own time.

The programme includes facilitator-led sessions with your peer group that focus on decision making. The programme starts with a one-day live conference.

Note: programme content is subject to change.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for this programme, you must be, or are aspiring to be, a senior leader with cross-school responsibilities.

For example, you might be an assistant or deputy headteacher, or a head of department or faculty.

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.

How much does it cost?

New for autumn 2026. The NPQ for Senior Leadership is fully funded for state schools in England.

There are a limited number of funded places, which are available to those who:

Are, or are aspiring to be, a senior leader with cross-school responsibilities.
Work in a state school in England.

Without funding, the NPQ for Senior Leadership costs £1,139 plus VAT.

RISE intervention schools
You may be eligible for funding if you work in a school that is eligible for targeted regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) intervention. Find out more about RISE eligibility here.

Check if you're eligible! To see whether you are eligible for funding, you can use our eligibility checker tool. Or if you have further questions, get in touch to find out more here.

Self-funded payment options
If you are unable to access a DfE funded scholarship, you can pay for your NPQ.

We will invoice the school/trust contact you provide in your application directly. Depending on your school type, they maybe be able to reclaim VAT.

If you are unable to come to an arrangement with your school, we can invoice you directly, but you will not be able to reclaim VAT.

Unfortunately, we do not offer payment plans for our NPQ programmes.

The cost of your programme must be paid in full before the start of your programme. We are unable to offer refunds once you start the programme.

DfE funding restrictions
Due to DfE funding being limited, being eligible for an NPQ scholarship does not guarantee either suitability for the course or that a funded course place is available.

If funded places are not available, you can:

Approach a different NPQ provider to enquire about the availability of funded course places
Choose to join your chosen providers waiting list
Choose to pay for a course place

Why should I train with Ambition?

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

Evidence-informed curriculum
Benefit from our evidence-informed curriculum to help you put your learning into practice in your school or trust.

Develop skills on school improvement
Throughout the course, you’ll develop your knowledge and skills on school improvement at the senior leadership level. This programme aims to develop expertise that is flexible and allows participants to respond to the challenges they will encounter in a range of contexts.

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 NPQSL 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.

Benefits for you

Build your confidence
Learn how to excel as a leader and get the support you need to take the next step in your career.

Access the latest research
Benefit from the latest evidence-based learning and approaches to great teaching and leadership. See how it can improve schools and change lives.

Enact positive change
Translate what you’ve learned on this programme to your own school context. We'll help you do this by providing models and examples that seek to make the link between theory and practice concrete.

Build your network
You’ll connect with other senior leaders, sharing your experiences and building a strong support network that lasts long after you finish the course.

Benefits for your school or trust

Create a common knowledge base
NPQ qualifications are aligned, so you can have confidence that all your educators will share a common language and framework to develop your school or trust.

Support your leaders
Senior leaders will be given the tools to drill down into specific areas of leadership to improve their knowledge, make evidence-informed decisions and action positive change.

Learn from evidence
Senior Leaders will be introduced to evidence-informed practices straight away. This will help them develop strategies to improve teaching and pupil performance at your school.

Make a leadership pipeline
The programme will help to identify future leaders and create a positive culture where teachers can develop and thrive.

Boost attainment
Studies show that high-quality continuous professional development can improve pupil outcomes almost as effectively as having a teacher with 10 years’ experience in the classroom.

How am I assessed?

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.

Where can I train?

Join a local cohort with one of our regional delivery partners and benefit from our expert curriculum design along with a tailored experience linked to your local context.

If there isn't currently a delivery partner in your area, you can join Ambition’s national cohort. Either way, we work to give you the best possible experience.

To look for your local delivery partner, use our interactive map tool.

Our delivery partners cover the majority of England's major regions, including:

North of England: Country Durham, Cumbria, Gateshead, Middlesborough, Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar and Cleveland, Tyneside, and more.
Lancashire and Yorkshire: Lancashire, Cheshire, North Yorkshire, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Bradford, Kirklees and more.
East Midlands and the Humber: Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes and more.
West Midlands: Birmingham, Sandwell, Shropshire, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall, Stoke-on-Trent, Warwickshire and more.
East of England and North East London: Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Havering, Newham, Barking and Dagenham, King's Lynn and more.
South Central England and North West London: City of London, Barnet, Brent, Enfield, Westminster, Reading, Slough, Camden, Islington, Berkshire, Basingstoke and more.
South East and South West: Kent, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Bristol, Swindon, Bath and more.

What our partners can do for you

Ambition Institute provides high-quality content and materials, built on our experience in schools and other learning environments, and our deep knowledge of evidence and practice.

Our partner in your region will put this knowledge into context and manage your experience on the programme, from facilitation to day-to-day support.

The timings and methods of activity, sizes of cohorts and the cost of the programme may vary across delivery partners.

How do I apply?

Applications are currently closed. Enquire now to be kept updated about the November 2026 cohorts.

DfE registration: Until you've completed the DfE registration, available from 23 June 2026, your registration and funding will not be confirmed. You will be able to register here.

What do our participants say?

We’re proud to be the largest provider of NPQs in England.

As an education charity, this helps our mission to support more teachers and school leaders serving children from disadvantaged backgrounds to keep getting better.

From our recent participant survey, we heard that:

94% of participants agreed that their Ambition NPQ had helped them to develop their expertise as a school leader.
92% of participants agreed that as a result of their Ambition NPQ, they felt better equipped to carry out their current role.
95% of leaders agreed that staff completing an Ambition NPQ had supported their school to improve.

You can read more about what our NPQ participants have said here >>

*taken from our May 2025 NPQ participant survey.

Frequently asked questions

What is an NPQSL qualification?

The NPQSL is a DfE accredited qualification, designed to equip and develop current and aspiring school senior leaders in England.

Who is the NPQSL programme for?

The NPQ for Senior Leadership is designed for serving senior leaders, or teachers aspiring, with cross-school responsibilities.

Who will support me during the NPQSL course?

Throughout your NPQSL, you’ll be supported by experienced facilitators and coaches who understand the realities of school leadership. They are there to:

Offer guidance and feedback as you progress through each stage of the programme.
Review your practice activities and provide constructive feedback to help you apply your learning.
Help you prepare for assessment by giving you clear, practical advice.

Their role is to keep you on track, help you balance your study with your professional commitments, and ensure you get the most from your NPQSL experience.

Is the NPQSL equivalent to a Master's?

Ambition does not have an arrangement with any Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to guarantee that completing one of our NPQs will count towards Master’s credits. However, your HEI may agree to recognise your NPQ if you enquire with them. So, we recommend directly contacting your place of study to ask.

How long does the NPQSL programme last?

The NPQ for Senior Leadership is an 18 month programme, with a mixture of live, facilitated sessions and self-directed learning.

Is the NPQSL programme fully funded?

For previous cohorts, the DfE has made funding available so that teachers and leaders can train at zero cost to themselves or their school budget. Currently, no funding for future NPQ cohorts has been guaranteed by the DfE.

How does the NPQSL programme accommodate busy schedules?

The NPQ for Senior Leadership is designed to fit around your schedule with a 'little and often' approach that aligns with insights from the science of learning.

What is the NPQSL framework based on?

The NPQSL is built on the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification frameworks. These frameworks are underpinned by:- The evidence base behind the Early Career Framework (ECF) and Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework.- Alignment with the Teachers’ Standards and Headteachers’ Standards, ensuring your learning connects directly with the professional expectations of school leaders.This approach ensures that the NPQSL curriculum is coherent, evidence-informed, and relevant to the challenges leaders face across schools today. NPQSL framework can be found here

The NPQSL is built on the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification frameworks. These frameworks are underpinned by:

The evidence base behind the Early Career Framework (ECF) and Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Core Content Framework.
Alignment with the Teachers’ Standards and Headteachers’ Standards, ensuring your learning connects directly with the professional expectations of school leaders.

This approach ensures that the NPQSL curriculum is coherent, evidence-informed, and relevant to the challenges leaders face across schools today. NPQSL framework can be found here.

What is the pass rate for the NPQSL?

What is the pass rate for the NPQSL?
We are proud of the positive impact our NPQSL is having on teachers and school leaders. Check our latest pass rate on the 'Assessment' tab.

Are there any specific requirements to enrol on the NPQSL programme?

Are there any specific requirements to enrol on the NPQSL programme?
To be eligible for the NPQ for Senior Leadership, you must be a serving senior leader in a school or eligible organisation in England have completed your early career training.

National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL)