Want to be inspired and well prepared for Senior Leadership?
George Spencer Academy is unique in offering you
 High quality training from a well-established training provider and Teaching School
 Excellent success rates and outcomes for participants
 Outstanding leaders from primary, secondary and special schools across the East Midlands, many of whom are
NLEs and LLEs, that have jointly designed and will co-deliver this course
 High quality support
 Flexible options that take account of differing contexts and development needs
 New, easily accessible training venue at George Spencer Academy
National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL)
The NPQSL is an established qualification that provides national recognition of your leadership development and professional
achievement as a senior leader. It is aimed at individuals who not only have responsibility for leading a team, but are also
involved in leading across teams on a range of issues that affect the whole school or organisation. It is aimed at senior leaders,
including experienced middle leaders, deputy heads, SENCOs and ASTs and other senior staff looking for further professional
development but not yet within 18 months of headship. You do not have to have done any prior leadership development
programmes to embark upon this qualification.
The NPQSL qualification will support you in becoming a highly effective senior leader, with the skills, confidence and knowledge
to contribute to the strategic development of your school or organisation as part of the senior leadership team.
During the course of our NPQSL programme you will engage in a range of integrated activities including:
1.
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have the opportunity to use and discuss the 360 degree diagnostic tool with your coach
gain an overview of the programme to include an understanding of our ‘blended learning’ approach
plan your activities for NPQSL
finalise selection of your electives
reflect on your desired leadership development outcomes
gain an understanding of the final assessment process
gain an understanding of how our VLE, Leadership Moodle, can support your learning
learn with peers
2.
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Attend an Induction Day (October 2015 – Full Day - TBC) during which you will:
Engage in day-to-day leadership development in your current school, during which you will:
lead on a strategically challenging project
engage in challenge and support from your coach and/or head teacher
integrate learning from NPQSL into your leadership practice
negotiate and tackle specific whole team/school improvement priorities
Those not currently working in a school will undertake these activities in the school(s) that they have identified, and who
have committed to support them.
3.
Complete 2 Essential modules: each module includes 2 face to face days delivered at George Spencer Academy
9.00 am – 4.30 pm
Essential Module
Succeeding in senior
Leadership
Module content
This module will consider the significance of leadership across the school and explore
motivations and behaviours that leaders bring to their role, including values and beliefs.
Participants will look at how they apply their leadership in the workplace to address school
improvement priorities.
Closing the gap
This module will teach participants how to close gaps in achievement and attainment that can
occur across specific groups of pupils, particularly addressing the needs of disadvantaged
pupils, including those entitled to free school meals. The module considers how leaders can
identify gaps, diagnose causes and address within-school variation (e.g. differences in
performance by teachers with similar groups of pupils). Evidence drawn from research will be
used to demonstrate which pupils perform least well nationally and why.
4.
Complete 2 Elective modules chosen from the following: each module includes 1 face to face day delivered at
George Spencer Academy 9.00am – 4.30pm
Elective Module
Improving the quality of
teaching
Module content
In this module participants will review the international research evidence about leading and
improving teaching. The module will look at how to improve teaching and learning across the
school through the development and implementation of school-wide policies, models of
teaching and approaches to evaluating pupil progress.
Effective whole school
management
This module focuses on the senior leader’s role in the effective management of the school,
with an emphasis on curriculum, managing performance, behaviour, finances, health, safety
and welfare. Through module content and activities, senior leaders will be supported in
strengthening their management in relation to these aspects.
School self-evaluation
Through this module participants will develop the knowledge, understanding and skills
necessary to undertake whole-school self-evaluation and understand its links to strategic
planning and managing performance. Participants will understand how to use evidence
collected from self-evaluation to make accurate judgements about a school’s strengths and
areas for improvement.
Leading professional
development
This module will enable leaders to know how to design and implement a strategy for
professional development which engages all staff and supports colleagues’ leadership
development in order to improve quality of teaching, learning and outcomes for pupils. They
will understand how professional development can enable staff to perform at their best.
Effective partnership
working
This module focuses on how leaders develop successful partnerships with pupils, parents,
governors, other schools and the wider school community and how to capitalise on these
partnerships to improve outcomes for pupils.
Research and
development in teaching
This module will enable senior leaders to understand how to promote and lead research and
development within and between schools. It will explore critical issues in 21st century
teaching and learning and how research and development can help to address these.
Leading change for
improvement
This module will teach participants the essential knowledge linked to leading change in
practice. Building on Michael Fullan’s research work and using one of his analytical tools,
participants will develop their own knowledge to help them lead change in their school as a
senior leader.
International
Benchmarking: Learning
from Success
This module will enable leaders to learn from other countries that are adapting their schools
and education systems to cope with the rapidly changing needs of the 21st Century. School
leaders will be able to apply lessons from countries that are performing well in international
league tables so that they may evaluate and challenge current UK practice and improve the
quality of teaching and learning in their own schools.
All essential and elective modules will be delivered though a blended learning approach (typically 50 hours per module)
that includes a combination of face to face days; on-line learning using community groups for sharing ideas; discussions
and networking; self-study and personal reading and reflection tasks. The balance of each module will vary -however
typically at least half of the module activity will be work-based.
It will be possible to do elective modules prior to doing the NPQSL. In this instance we anticipate they will remain ‘live’ for 3
years although this will be reviewed by the National College if there are any policy changes that mean the content of any of
these modules changes substantially. For more information see Leadership Modules section on the website.
5.
Be supported through coaching and mentoring
Coaching is an integral part of any self-improving system. As part of your NPQSL training we will develop your coaching skills and
provide opportunities for peer to peer coaching to take place. Your head teacher will also provide coaching and mentoring.
Coaching will give you the opportunity to draw together, synthesise and integrate your learning, reflect on progress, build on
strengths and identify any further development required, build self-awareness and improve your own leadership.
6.
Placements
These are optional but we would encourage you to do this as participants on leadership courses in the past have rated these
very highly. We will be happy to help broker such a placement to ensure it meets your development needs.
7.
Duration of programme
12 months excluding final assessment
8.
Final assessment
This will be booked through EMLC and details of this process will be given to you during your induction. Final assessment is fully
funded for all schools eligible for scholarships.
NPQSL final assessment requires participants to have successfully completed an extended school improvement task undertaken
over a minimum of two terms. Participants will draw upon this and their learning from essential and elective modules to
evidence their learning against identified leadership competencies.
9.
Costs
The full cost of the NPQSL is £1330.
10. Scholarships
Scholarships are available on a first-come first served basis and are administered by GSA. They are only available to participants
who meet the entry criteria for the respective level and work in maintained schools including Studio schools and University
Technical Colleges, free schools, academies and children’s centres in England. They are currently unavailable to those
undertaking individual modules. Below is a table of each scholarship available:
Number on Roll
Scholarship
School to Pay
Primary School with 100 or less NOR*
Full - £1330
£0
Secondary School with 500 or less NOR**
Full - £1330
£0
Primary with 101-250 NOR***
Half - £630
£700
Primary with 250+ NOR****
Part - £118
£1212
Secondary with 500+ NOR****
Part - £118
£1212
Further details on each scholarship can be found below.
*The maximum scholarship for NPQSL will be £1330 and will be awarded to those in small schools. A small school is defined as
any eligible establishment (see list below) which has 100 or fewer children of statutory school age according to the most recent
Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) return, as accessed by GSA using Edubase at the point of the online application. This is
the current definition as used by the Department for Education.
**Small Secondary schools (defined as 500 or less pupils on roll according to PLASC) will also receive a full scholarship of £1330.
***Schools with between 101 to 250 pupils on roll according to PLASC will receive a half scholarship of £630 leaving £700 to be
paid by your school or invoiced directly to you.
****All Schools (with the exception of small secondary typology above) within the maintained sector with more than 250 pupils
on roll will receive the standard part scholarship of £118 leaving £1,212 to be paid by your school or invoiced directly to you.
This figure will reduce year on year.
If you are booking this course and will be following it through one of our hubs then additional discounts may apply.
GSA will measure the number of pupils on roll at the time the application is submitted which is updated regularly. GSAs decision
in this regard is final. If the number on roll changes after this point, this will not affect the decision and the subsidy status will
not change.
The following state schools and establishments are defined as eligible:
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community schools and colleges
foundation schools and colleges
voluntary-aided schools and colleges
voluntary-controlled schools and colleges
local authority nursery schools
employed in a non-maintained special school
pupil referral units
secure units
academies
free schools
advisers or consultants employed by local authorities or diocesan authorities
https://www.gov.uk/national-professional-qualification-for-senior-leadership-npqsl#costs-and-scholarships
11. Accrediting prior learning
Leadership Pathways (LP)
School leaders who have successfully completed LP and wish to undertake the National Professional Qualification for Senior
Leadership (NPQSL) can request exemption from one NPQSL elective module.
Tomorrow’s Heads (THds)
School leaders who have undertaken THds (for one or two years) and wish to study the NPQSL can request exemption from one
NPQSL elective module.
Applicants must be able to produce original certificates to be eligible for exemptions for prior learning. A reduction of £200
will be made to the cost of the NPQML to reflect the exemption of one elective.
For more details of accreditation of prior learning
https://www.gov.uk/national-professional-qualification-for-senior-leadership-npqsl#study-exemptions
Gaining masters credits
The National College has an agreement with a number of higher education institutions that will work in partnership with you to
make it easier to secure these credits. For those wishing to proceed to do a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management
successful completion of NPQSL with us will potentially be worth 30 or 60 Masters credits depending on the nature of the school
improvement work undertaken.
https://www.gov.uk/national-professional-qualification-for-senior-leadership-npqsl#convert-your-study-to-credits-for-amasters-degree
Closing date for bookings on to this course is Friday 25th September 2015
For further information or to book please contact:
Mary-Alice Lloyd, Vice Principal, George Spencer Academy, Arthur Mee Road, Stapleford, NG9 7EW
Telephone: 0115 9170100
Email: courses@george-spencer.notts.sch.uk
Website: http://www.george-spencer.com/leadershipcourses.htm#npqsl