Why us?
Choose our NPQ for Leading Teacher Development and you’ll be joining over 32,000 teachers and school leaders (as of December 2024), who have decided on an Ambition NPQ since they launched in 2021.
Evidence informed curriculum
Our carefully sequenced and evidence informed NPQ is designed around the key problems you face. Learn to implement professional development that improves teaching and learning for every colleague you work with.
Access the latest research
This includes insights into how we learn, the importance of carefully sequenced professional development so that it sticks and enabling conditions for effective teacher improvement.
Train to your timetable
Our ‘little and often’ approach means you can engage with our NPQs around your busy timetable, with minimal time needed out of school. On average just one hour per week to engage in our NPQLTD.
No large project
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.
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
Become a teaching expert
The NPQLTD is designed to give you the ability to implement high quality professional development in your school. If you lead on teacher development including trainee teachers, those early in their career or across a school, this is the NPQ for you.
Champion quality teaching
Many teachers who end up in leadership roles haven’t had any formal training to become teacher educators. This programme fills that gap by giving you the knowledge and insight to make classroom teaching in your school the best it can be.
Designed by teaching leaders
Benefit from a programme which is designed and delivered by teacher development specialists and experts from across the sector.
Invest in your future
Ongoing professional development helps you to grow and thrive as a teacher educator. You will follow an evidence-informed framework and gain a professional accreditation at the end of the programme.
Learn at your pace
This programme is designed to fit around your busy teaching role. Much of the work can be completed in short bursts around your existing schedule.
Connect with peers
You’ll get to train and collaborate with other teacher development leads on the programme, sharing your experiences and building a network.
Benefits for your school
Improve your school’s teaching
Drawing on cutting-edge research, our NPQLTD programme is designed to support your teacher educators to identify areas for development, nurture best practice, and create the conditions for learning that will support teachers to develop their skills and lead to improved pupil outcomes.
Designed for teacher development leads
Leading the development of teachers is complex. This NPQ is designed for those leaders who are supporting trainees through their Initial Teacher Training, mentoring Early Career Teachers, or designing CPD for experienced teaching staff.
Create confident leaders
Teachers and leaders who complete this programme will be able to successfully oversee staff development, leading to better teaching at your school and improved pupil outcomes.
Develop a golden thread
The 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.
Increase staff attainment
By investing in your teachers and leaders, you are showing confidence in their abilities. After completing the programme, they are more likely to stay in their roles and help you nurture the next generation of teaching talent.
Tap into a network
Your leaders will train alongside peers from other teacher educators, supported by expert facilitators who fully understand their needs.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the NPQLTD programme for?
The NPQ for Leading Teacher Development is designed for serving teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibility for leading other educators to develop. You might support all teachers across your school, teacher trainees, or early career teachers.
You might be a headteacher or principal; deputy or assistant headteacher; head of teaching development; CPD lead; head of department, phase, key stage or subject; or classroom teacher.
How long does the NPQLTD programme last?
The NPQ for Leading Teacher Development is a twelve month programme, with a mixture of live, facilitated sessions and self-directed learning.
How does the NPQLTD programme accommodate busy schedules?
The NPQ for Leading Teacher Development is designed to fit around your schedule with a 'little and often' approach that aligns with insights from the science of learning.
Is the NPQLTD programme fully funded?
The NPQ for Leading Teacher Development 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 NPQLTD programme?
To be eligible for the NPQ for Leading Teacher Development, you must be a serving teacher in a school or eligible organisation in England and have completed your early career training.
Cost
DfE NPQ scholarship funding for future NPQ cohorts is yet to be confirmed.
Funding for spring 2025 targeted those teachers and leaders who work in the top 50% of England's most disadvantaged schools, according to pupil premium percentage.
For the NPQ for Leading Teacher Development, funded scholarships are available for those who meet the following criteria:
- Have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading the development of other teachers in their school.
- Work in the 50% of schools with the highest proportion of students who attract pupil premium funding and 16 to 19 educational settings identified as having high disadvantage in England.
Check if you’re eligible!
If you're unsure whether you will qualify for this 'pupil premium' based on funding, please use our online eligibility check tool
*Currently nurseries are not available yet on the tool. If you work in a nursery, please contact us directly at [email protected]
If you do not work in an eligible school, the NPQ in Leading Teacher Development costs £899 plus VAT.
Get in touch to find out more.
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
Eligibility
To be eligible for this programme, you must be a teacher who has, or is aspiring to have, responsibility for leading other educators to develop.
You might support all teachers in your school, trainees or those early in their career.
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.
Overview
Our NPQ for Leading Teacher Development course follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification (NPQ): Leading Teacher Development Framework.
On this programme, you will learn how to:
- make sure professional development in your school is focused on a shared responsibility for improving outcomes for all pupils
- diagnose what teachers know and can do, starting professional development from that point and adapting the approach based on developing their expertise
- help teachers improve through evidence-based professional development focused on improving classroom teaching
- gain an understanding of what teachers have learned by reviewing patterns of performance over a number of assessments
- develop and lead a team of colleagues who can facilitate a range of professional development approaches
- contextualise teacher development based on a variation of school, pupils and teacher needs.
- contribute to a programme of professional development for mentors, trainees and early career teachers.
Note: programme content is subject to change.
How you'll learn
Our NPQLTD 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 NPQLTD spring cohort will take place on Wednesday 7 May 2025 and will be held in the West Midlands at the University of Warwick. Partner cohort locations and dates may vary.
Over 12 months, our NPQLTD 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 (1hr15mins group sessions).
The content is delivered through blended learning. This includes 8 hours of in-person delivery (v via 1 full day conference and at least 1 in-person twilight session), 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.
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 up to four months (subject to change by the DfE). During this time, you’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.
There are currently two assessment windows every year, and participants can sit the assessment twice, if they need to.
You need to complete the course to qualify for the NPQ accreditation.
We will offer a webinar and live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you.
Assessment period in April 2026
If you’re starting a specialist NPQ in April 2025, please be aware your assessment could take place within an 8-day period between 1-24 April 2026; it is not always possible to avoid national holidays and/or school holidays due to DfE's assessment timelines.
Locations
Join a local cohort with one of our regional partners and benefit from our expert curriculum design along with a tailored experience linked to your local context.
If you are unable to find a local cohort, you can join Ambition’s national cohort and gain a national network of peers. 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.
Reviews
Apply
Applications for spring 2025 are now closed. Enquire here to hear about future NPQ cohorts.
To apply, you must be a teacher who has, or is aspiring to have, responsibility for leading other educators to develop. You might support all teachers in your school, trainees or those early in their career.
NPQs are not suitable for active Early Career Teachers.
The first conference for the Ambition national NPQLTD programme will take place on Wednesday 7 May 2025 and will be held in the West Midlands at the University of Warwick. 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.