Nilesh Hirani is a primary teacher and science lead who has completed two National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) and is currently doing a third.
His journey shows how ongoing professional development can shape classroom practice, whole-school change and inclusion for every pupil.
Professional development: the most important investment
For Nilesh, professional development is an important investment in himself. “Growth doesn’t happen by chance. It happens by choice” is his mindset. “You put all this effort into helping the children learn and be successful, which should be the case, but you also sometimes forget about yourself and your own learning”.
Nilesh, who teaches Year 2 at Crownfield Infant and Nursery School in Romford, also thinks professional development is one of the most important things teachers can do. “The evidence shows the best investment schools can make is in teachers – the more highly skilled teachers are, the better the outcomes for pupils. Making that choice to invest in yourself has a big impact – not just on you, not just on your school but on the pupils you teach.”
"The NPQ for Leading Teaching helped me design the curriculum. The NPQ for Senior Leadership helped me embed it successfully in the school. Now the NPQ for SENCOs is helping me to look at it from an inclusive perspective to make sure that every child succeeds."
Nilesh pictured in a school corridor
NPQ for Leading Teaching: building evidence-led practice
Nilesh’s first NPQ, which was in Leading Teaching, introduced him to evidence-led teaching. He found the research focus transformative: “It’s the research that got me hooked. Every theory about how children learn has a study behind it.”
With this foundation, Nilesh redesigned the science curriculum at his current school. He used cognitive science and pedagogy to make lessons more logical and connected, and ensured the curriculum met national requirements.
“I saw a real impact in the classroom environment. I picked up ideas from the research and implemented them, and I could see the instant change.”
NPQ for Senior Leadership: leading change
The NPQ for Senior Leadership, Nilesh’s second NPQ, “fed in nicely in terms of how to implement the curriculum and how to get staff support. It also helped to see the perspective of a leader – and it's a completely different view, but one which aligns with everything I learned about leading teaching”.
When he introduced the new science curriculum, he listened to staff needs and concerns, and worked collaboratively to make the transition smooth.
This focus on implementation is at the forefront of the NPQ for Senior Leadership. “Everything you’re implementing is proven by research. But most importantly it forces you to think about why you implement something. So in a subject, this might be a change to the curriculum base. I always explain to staff the evidence behind a change, because there must be a reason you're doing it. And the more you explain to the staff, the more backing you get.”
The new curriculum is now “successfully rolling out and it's had a positive impact on the children's learning”.
NPQ for SENCOs: embedding inclusion
Nilesh is currently completing his third qualification – the NPQ for SENCOs where he is “looking at everything from an inclusion point of view”. His motivation was wanting “to know inclusion inside out and what I can do to help every child in the classroom. It’s very important that teachers are more skilled at this aspect and it’s my passion to support every child and their family regardless of their ability.”
“My science curriculum is there, but I’m now thinking about what I can do to make it more inclusive for all children. I’ve extended lessons and used the latest research to help children access the learning in different ways. Each lesson includes time for children to talk about science using key vocabulary which supports pupils who find writing challenging”.
Another adaptation is introducing “widgets” (visual aids with pictures and keywords), an approach which supports pupils with additional communications needs to “still access the same work as the other children”, ensuring every child can succeed.
Why Nilesh keeps doing NPQs: research and flexibility
With three Ambition NPQs to his name, what makes them so engaging?
For Nilesh, the strong focus on evidence is a key motivator. “What’s always stuck with me is that everything needs to be evidence led and there must be a good reason to support why you’re making a change or putting something in place. If it’s not backed by research, how do you know what impact it’s going to have on the children? So I absolutely love that I can access the up to date research easily. The science behind what I’m learning fascinates me because you see all sides: there might be contrasting opinions from different researchers. It keeps my mind open to different interpretations. I love the Education Endowment Foundation recommendations, and I’ve got a lot of reading lists that I follow up as well”.
As well as what he learns, the way he learns on NPQs keeps Nilesh coming back. “It's really helpful to know that it's flexible. I don't have to do it on a set date, but I can work through it at my own pace. I have got more than enough time to fit it around my family and other commitments and it helps that it’s all online too.”
“I enjoy applying what I learn to the case study at the end of each course in terms of what I would do in each scenario, whether that’s as a leader or a SENCO. And you work with your peers as well. It's interactive and you can talk about what strategies you think will work best and what they think will work best in different situations.”
If you’re considering taking your teaching or leadership further, explore how the NPQs can help you make a positive impact for your pupils. Visit our programme page to find out more and get your place.
