Why us?
Choose our NPQ in Leading Primary Maths (NPQLPM) and you’ll be joining over 25,000 teachers and school leaders who’ve selected one of the new Ambition NPQs as of November 2023.
Our carefully sequenced and evidence informed NPQLPM will help you to develop a positive culture for maths teaching and embed effective approaches to teaching maths across your primary setting.
The programme has been designed for teachers and leaders who are familiar with mastery approaches to teaching maths. Over 12-months you’ll build on your existing mastery expertise and learn how to embed this across your school.
Throughout the programme, you’ll get access to the key research on areas of teaching and school leadership including instruction, curriculum, assessment, culture, professional development and implementation. All of this content will be delivered through a primary and maths specific lens.
Our ‘little and often’ approach means you can engage with our NPQs around your busy timetable, with minimal time needed out of school.
As part of our growing network, you’ll train alongside fellow teachers with similar responsibilities, with content focusing on the key challenges you face in your role.
Plus, on our NPQs there’s no large project at the end. Instead, you’ll sit an ‘open book’ assessment with support via two on-demand webinars and a dedicated, live assessment preparation clinic to help you get the most from your NPQ.
This programme has been co-developed by Ambition and the AC+ Mathematics Mastery team.
Benefits for you
Excel as a teacher
Delve deeper into the nuts and bolts of what makes an effective primary maths teacher, what good maths teaching looks like, and how you can lead others so they can learn from you.
Develop a positive maths culture
Learn how to create a positive attitude to maths in your primary school. You’ll learn how to develop systems that help your pupils overcome any maths anxiety and build their resilience to solving maths problems.
Design an effective maths curriculum
As a leader of maths, you’ll learn how to implement and lead an effective maths curriculum. You’ll be able to identify the maths knowledge that pupils need, identify gaps in their understanding and make changes to improve outcomes.
Build on your existing mastery expertise
This new NPQ will support you to embed mastery approaches to teaching maths in your school. You’ll also benefit from the design expertise of Ark Curriculum Plus, who have been working with primary schools for over a decade to develop effective approaches to teaching and leadership.
Invest in your future
Ongoing professional development helps you to grow and thrive as a primary maths leader. You will follow an evidence-informed framework and gain a professional accreditation at the end of the programme.
Train to your timetable
This programme is designed to fit around your teaching role and much of the work can be completed in bite-size chunks around your existing work timetable.
Connect with your peers
You will train alongside other teachers from similar school contexts. You can share your experiences and build a strong support network.
Benefits for your school
Improve maths teaching
Your maths leaders will learn techniques to improve the teaching of maths across your school. This includes creating an effective school-wide teaching through the careful sequencing of lessons as well as supporting teachers to understand and use evidence informed approaches to maths teaching.
Create a ‘golden thread’
The new NPQs are all aligned. So, no matter what career stage your teachers are at, by joining this programme, they will benefit from an evidence-based framework. They will also share a common language with other NPQ participants that they can pass on to colleagues.
Access the latest learning
Teachers will bring evidence-based teaching and learning into classrooms, meaning high quality teaching and improved pupil outcomes.
Identify future leaders
Competent and confident teachers who excel in their roles will be more likely to apply for middle or senior positions in your school when they arise.
Retain your teaching talent
By allowing teachers to develop and nurture their talents in specialist areas such as maths, you are investing in their future. This will boost their confidence, making them feel supported and less likely to apply for jobs elsewhere.
Tap into a network
Your teachers will train alongside peers from other schools with similar contexts, supported by facilitators who fully understand your needs.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the NPQLPM programme for?
The NPQ in Leading Primary Maths is designed for teachers who have, or is aspiring to have, responsibilities for primary leading teaching in mathematics, numeracy, curriculum, teaching and learning, phase or a primary classroom teacher aspiring to lead.
This course could be suitable if you’re a:
- Primary teacher and you’re already familiar with mastery approaches to teaching maths, but you want to improve your leadership skills in this area.
- Subject leader in a primary school which is already engaged in the Teaching for Mastery programme or a similar programme.
- Phase leader in an all-through school with responsibility for educating a primary aged key-stage or primary school
How long does the NPQLPM programme last?
The NPQ in Leading Primary Maths is a twelve-month programme, with a mixture of live, facilitated sessions and self-directed learning.
How does the NPQLPM programme accommodate busy schedules?
The NPQ in Leading Primary Maths is designed to fit around your schedule with a 'little and often' approach that aligns with insights from the science of learning.
Is the NPQLPM programme fully funded?
The NPQ in Leading Primary Maths is fully funded for teachers and school leaders, at eligible schools and organisations in England, by the Department for Education. Find out more about the eligibility criteria in the 'Funding' tab.
Are there any specific requirements to enrol on the NPQLPM programme?
To be eligible for the NPQ in Leading Primary Maths, you must be a serving teacher in a school or eligible organisation in England and have completed your early career training.
Curriculum
This programme follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification (NPQ): Leading Primary Maths framework.
On this programme, you will learn how to:
- Understand what good primary maths teaching practice is and how to implement it.
- Embed mastery approaches to teaching maths in your school.
- Lead your school to teach maths effectively, working collaboratively with senior leaders and teachers.
- Develop your ability and capacity to improve the provision of maths across your school.
- Equip staff to plan effective primary maths lessons and stimulate your pupils’ thinking.
- Help colleagues to adapt their maths teaching to meet different needs.
- Align your professional development with wider school improvement priorities.
Note: programme content is subject to change.
How you'll learn
Our NPQLPM is designed so you can engage in live, facilitated sessions alongside modules you can complete at any time.
The first conference for the Ambition national NPQLPM spring cohort will take place on Monday 5 February 2024 and will be held in the West Midlands at the CBS Arena, Coventry. Partner cohort locations and dates may vary.
Over 12 months, our NPQLPM includes:
- One full day conference.
- Six courses (each course lasts about six weeks and loosely aligns with a school half term).
- Each course includes six modules.
- Five two-hour clinics (facilitated sessions).
- One two-hour assessment clinic.
- Three communities (1 hour 15 minute group sessions).
The content is delivered through blended learning. This includes 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.
Locations
Join a central cohort and gain a national network of peers or you can choose an NPQ cohort in your area with one of our regional partners with all the contextual benefits of your area.
With our regional partners, you’ll benefit from our expert curriculum design along with a more tailored experience linked to your local context. Either way, we work to give you the best possible experience.
Find a cohort that’s local to you in our list of partners here.
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.
Assessment
Our NPQ courses no longer include a large project at the end. Instead, 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 12-month programme and runs for three months.
During this time:
- You’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.
- There are two assessment windows every year, and participants can sit the assessment twice, if they need to.
- You need to pass the assessment and engage with 90% of the course to qualify for the NPQ accreditation.
- We will offer two webinars and live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you.
Testimonials
Funding
The Department for Education NPQ scholarship funding is available to all state schools and state funded organisations in England.
For NPQLPM, this includes participants in state-funded primary schools or state-funded all-through schools who are responsible for educating primary-aged pupils.
DfE-funded scholarships are available for this NPQ for all those who meet the following criteria:
- Teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading primary mathematics teaching across a school, key stage or phase.
- Work in a state-funded school or organisations, including those that offer 16-19 age places in England.
Register your interest here to find out if you're eligible.
If you do not work in an eligible school, the NPQ in Leading Primary Mathematics costs £899 plus VAT.
Extended eligibility.
Organisations now eligible to access scholarships include:
- independent special schools.
- virtual schools (Local Authority run organisations that support the education of children in care).
- hospital schools not already included in other categories of eligible organisations.
- young offender institutions.
Support fund for small schools
The DfE have introduced a new Targeted Support Fund for small schools, to enable them to support their teachers and leaders to undertake the NPQs.
There is a grant payment of £200 per participant to settings with 1-600 pupils for every teacher or leader they employ who participates on an NPQ.
This per teacher payment increases to £800 where the employing organisation is a primary school with 1-150 pupils.
Apply
Applications for our spring NPQLPM cohorts are now open. Start your application here.
Apply by Tuesday 16 January for a February start.
Don’t miss out on a fully funded NPQ! Our February 2024 cohorts are currently our last intake to be fully funded by the DfE.
Alternatively, please fill out this quick enquiry form to register your interest and find out more about the programme.
To apply, you must be a teacher who has, or is aspiring to have, responsibilities for primary leading teaching in mathematics, numeracy, curriculum, teaching and learning, phase or a primary classroom teacher aspiring to lead.
This course could be suitable if you’re a:
- Primary teacher and you’re already familiar with mastery approaches to teaching maths, but you want to improve your leadership skills in this area.
- Subject leader in a primary school which is already engaged in the Teaching for Mastery programme or a similar programme.
- Phase leader in an all-through school with responsibility for educating a primary aged key-stage or primary school
For example, you might be a:
- Primary Mathematics Lead
- Primary Numeracy Lead
- Primary Curriculum Lead
- Primary Teaching and Learning Lead
- Primary Phase Lead
- Primary classroom teacher aspiring to lead mathematics.
NPQLPM participants are expected to have completed a minimum of 1 Year of the DfE's Teaching for Mastery programme, delivered by the national network of Maths Hubs and co-ordinated by NCETM, or have secure mastery expertise from another equivalent programme.
The first conference for the Ambition national NPQLPM programme will take place on Monday 5 February 2024 and will be held in the West Midlands at the CBS Arena, Coventry. Partner cohort locations and dates may vary. Partner cohort locations and dates may vary.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] and a member of our team will be in touch with next steps.