NPQ Leading Literacy (NPQLL)
- Programme starts: Autumn 2025 (date TBD)
- Duration: 12 months
- Cost: £1,375
Interested in enrolling in this NPQ programme for Autumn 2025?
Registration for the Autumn 2025 National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy 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 responsible for leading literacy across a year group, phase or school, or those aspiring to do so in the future. The NPQ Leading Literacy is suitable for educators in both Primary and Secondary phases.
What you will learn:
- Teaching – you will use what you learn to support teachers at all levels in your school to develop their knowledge of literacy development and literacy learning, and to improve their literacy teaching, including language, reading and writing.
- Developing language – you will learn about the crucial role of language development in academic success and, in particular, how oracy underpins literacy development. Within the context of your role, you will learn how to develop your school’s oracy teaching and provision and how to support your colleagues to maximise opportunities for high-quality speaking and listening.
- School culture – you will learn how to enhance literacy teaching and to champion all aspects of literacy across a school, strengthening your ability and that of your colleagues to contribute to a culture in which pupils can thrive and succeed through the NPQ Leading Literacy framework..
- Developing reading – you will learn how language development underpins reading development. You will deepen your knowledge of key theories of reading development and explore the component skills involved in reading from the perspectives of different learners.
- Developing writing – you will deepen your knowledge of how to develop pupils’ written transcription by working with colleagues to ensure that they know how to teach spelling, handwriting and sentence construction effectively.
- Professional development – you will deepen your understanding of how to deliver effective professional development in literacy curriculum, pedagogy and assessment across the whole school community. You will engage in leading and developing a team of teachers focused on improving literacy attainment across your school.
- Subject and Curriculum – you will learn about the fundamental importance of literacy and its impact on pupils’ future achievement and life chances. You will learn how to support and improve high-quality teaching, learning and assessment in your subject or phase as part of your National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy training.
- Implementation – focusing on literacy, you will learn how to implement change successfully within your context by understanding the stages of implementation and applying them with the support of your facilitators and colleagues.
Interested in exploring other NPQ Specialist Programmes?
Click on any of the programmes below to learn more.
NPQLPM (NPQ Leading Primary Mathematics)
Teachers and leaders with responsibility for leading maths across a primary key-stage or school, or those who want to have this responsibility.
Cost: £1,375
NPQLTD (NPQ Leading Teacher Development)
For teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key stage or phase.
Cost: £1,375
NPQLT (NPQ Leading Teaching)
For teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading behaviour and/or supporting pupil wellbeing in their school.
Cost: £1,375
NPQLBC (NPQ Leading Behaviour and Culture)
For teachers who have, or
are aspiring to have,
responsibilities for
leading behaviour and/or
supporting pupil
wellbeing in their school.
Cost: £1,375
What’s unique about our programme:
In addition to the DfE-required content, our NPQ Leading Literacy programme includes an Implementation Project, offering you a valuable opportunity to reflect on and apply what you have learned throughout the programme within your school context. This aligns with the EEF process model for school improvement (not assessed).
Programme route map:
Interested in the detailed structure, timeline and the hours you can expect to invest in the NPQ Leading Literacy? 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 Specialist Programmes?
Click on any of the programmes below to learn more.
NPQLPM (NPQ Leading Primary Mathematics)
Teachers and leaders with responsibility for leading maths across a primary key-stage or school, or those who want to have this responsibility.
Cost: £1,375
NPQLTD (NPQ Leading Teacher Development)
For teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key stage or phase.
Cost: £1,375
NPQLT (NPQ Leading Teaching)
For teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading behaviour and/or supporting pupil wellbeing in their school.
Cost: £1,375
NPQLBC (NPQ Leading Behaviour and Culture)
For teachers who have, or
are aspiring to have,
responsibilities for
leading behaviour and/or
supporting pupil
wellbeing in their school.
Cost: £1,375
Benefits to you:
Our participants have noted many benefits to studying for the NPQ Leading Literacy (NPQLL). They highlight how the programme has given them professional confidence, time and space to reflect on their leadership journey, and deeper knowledge in literacy education.
You will be able to:
- Develop the skills, confidence and knowledge to implement new literacy initiatives successfully through a supported implementation project.
- Lead meaningful interventions as part of a whole-school literacy approach through the NPQ Leading Literacy curriculum.
- Learn how to help students develop oracy skills that build confidence and support academic progress.
- Gain practical approaches to enhance language, reading and writing instruction in your school context.
- Recognise the key stages of pupils’ literacy development from Primary into Secondary education.
- Access research and materials and discuss literacy approaches and models with other teachers participating in the National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy training.
Benefits for your school:
We know that children and young people need teachers who are committed to their education and confident in their own learning.
Our NPQ programmes, including the NPQ Leading Literacy, have been developed with educators to:
- Create professionally confident teachers and leaders.
- Grow the next generation of leaders who can use evidence-based strategies to improve outcomes for students.
- Retain excellent, collaborative teachers who serve as role models in their schools and communities.
- Inspire leaders who harness the power of rich learning environments for children and young people, 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 Specialist Programmes?
Click on any of the programmes below to learn more.
NPQLPM (NPQ Leading Primary Mathematics)
Teachers and leaders with responsibility for leading maths across a primary key-stage or school, or those who want to have this responsibility.
Cost: £1,375
NPQLTD (NPQ Leading Teacher Development)
For teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key stage or phase.
Cost: £1,375
NPQLT (NPQ Leading Teaching)
For teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading behaviour and/or supporting pupil wellbeing in their school.
Cost: £1,375
NPQLBC (NPQ Leading Behaviour and Culture)
For teachers who have, or
are aspiring to have,
responsibilities for
leading behaviour and/or
supporting pupil
wellbeing in their school.
Cost: £1,375
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