NPQ Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL)
- Programme starts: Autumn 2025 (date TBD)
- Duration: 18 months
- Cost: £2,250
Interested in enrolling in this NPQ programme for Autumn 2025?
Registration for the Autumn 2025 NPQ Early Years Leadership programmes has started. Please let us know your interest by completing the NPQ Interest Form, and we will take you through the journey step-by-step.
Info Session Replay:
Watch the replay of our latest info session, click here.
This programme is for:
- Teachers and leaders aspiring to lead a nursery as a manager of a PVI nursery, a headteacher of a school-based or maintained nursery, or a childminder with leadership responsibilities who wish to gain the National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership.
What you will learn:
- Culture – you will establish and sustain an effective nursery culture by setting the strategic direction within a climate of mutual trust and respect, underpinned by evidence-based practice.
- Child development, curriculum and assessment – you will learn how to establish and support high-quality early education in your nursery, underpinned by formative assessment and tailored to children’s needs as part of the NPQ Early Years Leadership framework.
- Additional and special educational needs and disabilities – you will learn how to ensure all children experience success, enabling colleagues to identify and meet individual needs.
- Professional development – you will ensure that colleagues engage in effective and supportive professional development, making use of existing frameworks (including mentoring and coaching) to build upon existing knowledge and skills to improve outcomes for children.
- Organisational management – you will learn how to ensure the protection and safety of children and colleagues through the establishment of effective systems and processes, managing human and financial resources, and fulfilling all statutory duties to enable a sustainable and thriving nursery community
- Implementation – you will learn how to plan, deliver and sustain change successfully within your context by understanding the stages of implementation and aligning it with wider nursery improvement priorities through the NPQ Early Years Leadership.
- Working in partnership – you will effectively collaborate with all stakeholders, including parents, carers, external agencies and services.
Interested in exploring other NPQ Leadership Programmes?
Click on any of the programmes below to learn more.
NPQH (NPQ Headship)
Teachers and leaders aspiring to lead a school as a head of school or headteacher.
Cost: £3,250
What’s unique about our programme:
In addition to the DfE-required content, our NPQ Early Years Leadership programme includes an Implementation Project, which provides you with a great opportunity to reflect on and apply what you have learned throughout the programme in your school or nursery setting. This aligns with the EEF process model for school improvement (not assessed).
Programme route map:
Interested in the detailed structure, timeline, and hours you can expect to invest in the National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership? Click on the route map below to learn more.
Assessment and accreditation:
To receive the DfE accreditation, you will need to (1) ensure 90% engagement in the programme throughout, and (2) pass the open-book summative case study task scheduled for an eight-day period following the programme completion.
Interested in exploring other NPQ Leadership Programmes?
Click on any of the programmes below to learn more.
NPQH (NPQ Headship)
Teachers and leaders aspiring to lead a school as a head of school or headteacher.
Cost: £3,250
Benefits to you:
Our participants have outlined many benefits to studying for the National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL). They highlight how the programme has given them professional confidence, time and space to reflect on their leadership journey, and increased knowledge in their chosen area of study.
You will be able to:
- Develop the skills, confidence, and knowledge to implement new professional development initiatives successfully through a supported implementation project.
- Learn how to promote a culture of collaboration through relational leadership principles.
- Support staff through effective coaching and mentoring skills.
- Cultivate leadership skills that respond to the needs of children, families, and colleagues within your unique early years context.
- Assess your current knowledge of child development and identify areas for growth.
- Learn the essential qualities of being an effective early years leader and how to adapt your leadership to different situations.
- Access research and materials and engage in discussions about evidence-based pedagogical approaches with other educators undertaking the NPQ Early Years Leadership qualification.
Benefits for your nursery:
We know that all children need early years professionals who are dedicated to their care and education and confident in their professional growth.
Our NPQ Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL) programme has been developed with early years experts to:
- Create professionally confident early years teachers, practitioners, and leaders
- Grow the next generation of early years leaders equipped with evidence-based strategies to improve child outcomes.
- Retain talented early years professionals who act as collaborative role models within their nurseries and communities.
- Inspire early years leaders who can build rich, inclusive learning environments for all children, regardless of circumstance.
Watch: Laura Yandell, Deputy Head, AISL Harrow Hong Kong International School, discusses how NPQ programmes help develop a strong leadership pipeline for the school.
Interested in exploring other NPQ Leadership Programmes?
Click on any of the programmes below to learn more.
NPQH (NPQ Headship)
Teachers and leaders aspiring to lead a school as a head of school or headteacher.
Cost: £3,250
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