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National Professional Qualification in Leading Literacy (NPQLL)

We’re pleased to announce that we are partnering with education charity Ambition Institute to deliver the NPQ in Leading Literacy.

Poor literacy skills are a significant barrier for young people in progressing in all aspects of their education.

In 12 months, participants will become an expert in literacy and leadership and enable young people to benefit from the curriculum to improve their chances of success.

  • Gain a National Profession Qualification (NPQ) in Leading Literacy
  • Access the latest evidence-based learning in literacy development
  • Support colleagues to champion literacy
  • At a time and pace that suits their existing timetable.

Why this programme?

Ambition Institute has designed this ground-breaking new NPQ to help you learn the essential knowledge and skills to successfully lead high quality, literacy development and teaching in your school.

Ambition’s approach uses the latest research to help you put your learning into practice. You’ll train alongside other literacy leaders with similar responsibilities.

This is a new National Professional Qualification (NPQ) developed by the Department for Education (DfE). Each of the new NPQs share the same common language and framework to help drive improvement across schools and other educational settings.

With no project work and minimal time out of school, the new NPQs are designed to fit around your busy timetable.

Benefits for you

Make a real difference
This programme will help you to offer all children in your school access to high-quality literacy in their education.

Excel at literacy leadership
Become a true champion of literacy. You’ll develop a thorough understanding of how you can improve literacy in your subject, phase and school, using the latest evidence-based research.

Build a network
You’ll have the opportunity to connect with other literacy leaders, sharing your experiences and building a strong support network.

Learn at your own pace
This programme is designed to fit with your busy teaching role and can be completed in bite-size chunks around your existing schedule.

Tailor your training
The programme allows you to apply theory to your school context.

Benefits for your school

Build brighter futures
By expertly championing literacy leadership in your school, you can make sure that every young person has the literacy skills to succeed across all curriculum areas.

Improve literacy at all levels
Participants will work on applying learning and improving literacy across your school and different subject areas – and support colleagues to do this too.

Create a ‘golden thread’
The new NPQs are all aligned. Your literacy leaders will benefit from an evidence-based framework with a common language which they can pass on to their colleagues.

Put knowledge into practice
This programme gives literacy leaders a comprehensive and accessible evidence base. This allows them to bridge the gap between what they know and how to apply it effectively in your school, to improve literacy and outcomes for pupils.

Invest in your leaders
By aligning staff professional development with wider school improvement priorities, you can make sure all pupils have access to high quality literacy support in their education.

Curriculum

What you'll learn

This programme follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification:
Leading Literacy Framework
.

On this programme, you will learn how to:

  • Learn how to support staff, of all subject specialisms, to develop pupils’ language and literacy skills

  • Learn how pupils develop aspects of literacy, including:

    • understanding how children learn to talk, and how developing effective spoken language supports literacy development at every age and stage

    • understanding how children learn to become fluent readers and how teachers can help with this, from primary all the way through to secondary

    • exploring the importance of subject-specific vocabulary and different strategies to teaching this

    • knowing how to support pupils' writing – whether learning to write in primary
      school, through to writing academically at key stage five

  • Learn how to support, develop and teach pupils literacy using evidence-informed approaches

  • Learn how to lead literacy through curriculum, culture and motivation

  • Understand how effective literacy education can support your school

  • Contribute to effective professional development for literacy, linking it to teaching, the curriculum and assessment across the school.

Note: programme content is subject to change.

How you'll learn

The content is delivered through blended learning. This includes a mix of real-time interactive sessions, face-to-face training, peer-led 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 and starts with a one-day conference.

Note: programme content is subject to change.

Assessment

The assessment window starts at the end of the 12-month programme and runs for three
months. During this time, participants will be given an eight-day window to sit an ‘open book’
style assessment in which they respond to a short case study.

There are two assessment windows every year, and participants can sit the assessment two
times, if they need to.

You need to complete the course to qualify for the NPQ accreditation.

Ambition Institute will offer a webinar and live clinic in advance of the assessment window to
support participants.

Cost

DfE-funded scholarships are now available to schools across England, including all state schools and state funded organisations that offer 16-19 places.

Apply

To apply, you must be leading, or aspiring to lead, literacy in any phase of education.
For example, you might be a head of literacy or literacy coordinator at your school or multi-
academy trust. Find out more by getting in touch with us.