What is the National Professional Qualification for Headship
Outlines the nature and process of the NPQH programme.
In Wales it is a statutory requirement for anyone serving as a headteacher to hold the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).
We want to develop the next generation of headteachers to lead our schools through our education reform agenda to inspire our children and young people. Headship is a rewarding and challenging job, and our aim is to ensure that all prospective headteachers are supported and developed as they take the next step in their careers.
Following an independent review of the NPQH, a new programme has been developed. The new programme promotes the building of expertise and confidence through active engagement with the anticipated challenge of headship, and through direct and influential feedback in the context of the Professional Standards for Formal Leadership.
The nature and process of the programme aims to invigorate participants as they develop current leadership capabilities and acquire new ones which will ensure a positive impact on the life chances of learners. Much of the programme will be bespoke to individual participants and cognisant of the demands upon headteachers and their role in securing the success of their school and the national agenda.
The new programme will emphasise an unswerving focus upon improved learner outcomes and will provide:
- a chance to lead
- guided exposure to a range of leadership contexts
- access and engagement with leadership case studies and theoretical perspectives
- opportunities to engage in deep and challenging discussion with colleagues
- an awareness of the managerial responsibilities incumbent upon headteachers
Feedback is built in at every stage to enable participants to develop and grow as a result of experience.