The next application round for NPQH will open at 12 noon on Friday 12 September 2008 and close at 12 noon on Tuesday 7 October 2008.
There are four application rounds per year for the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and each application round window is just over three weeks long. You will need to allow sufficient time to complete your application and you are strongly advised to prepare beforehand.
The application form is underpinned by the National Standards for Headteachers, with which you should be familiar. We recommend that before applying, you spend time looking at the six key areas of the Standards and considering your achievements and expertise in relation to these. You should be able to demonstrate experience of strategic leadership at a whole school or organisation-wide level against each of the six key areas. You should also discuss your potential application with your headteacher or line manager and confirm his or her willingness to support your application. We would also recommend that you look at the pre-entry activities and resources available on our preparation for NPQH page.
An applicant for NPQH should:
NPQH has a two-stage entry process. The first stage is application and the second is a two-day assessment and development event. The two stages are explained in more detail below.
Applicants must successfully complete both stages in order to have a confirmed place on NPQH. It is currently a mandatory requirement to have a confirmed place on NPQH in order to be appointed to a first substantive headship in the maintained sector.
Individuals considering applying should visit our preparation for NPQH page in order to access a range of pre-entry activities and resources designed to help individuals find out more about headship, as well as to reflect on their readiness for the role and for NPQH.
All applicants are required to complete an online application form, based on the six key areas of the National Standards for Headteachers. In addition, the applicant's headteacher or line manager will be required to complete an online supporting statement form. The supporting statement is designed to demonstrate that the headteacher/line manager agrees that the individual is ready to apply and that if the application is successful, the headteacher/line manager is prepared to support them during their time on NPQH. Full guidance on the application process will appear here in due course.
The evidence on the application form and supporting statement will be evaluated in relation to readiness for headship. If an application is unsuccessful, the applicant will be provided with feedback.
Those who are successful at application stage will be invited to a two-day face-to-face event. Before attending this event, they will be expected to complete two online self-reflection activities and engage in a 360° diagnostic process. The 360° diagnostic process will involve gathering anonymous online feedback from others that the applicant works with, including their headteacher.
The two-day event consists of a range of assessment and development activities. These activities are designed to complement the information previously gathered through the application form and supporting statement, the 360° diagnostic and the self-reflection tools, in order to identify individuals' strengths and areas for development in relation to their journey to headship. The event finishes with an in-depth interview with an assessor, who will provide the applicant with one-to-one feedback in relation to his or her readiness for headship.
Those who successfully complete the two-day event will begin their personalised development pathways as NPQH trainee headteachers.
It is possible that at this stage, an individual's development priorities will be judged to take longer than 12 months to address – in which case he or she will be required to return to NPQH at a later stage.
The next application round for NPQH will open at 12 noon on Friday 12 September 2008 and close at 12 noon on Tuesday 7 October 2008. A link to the application form, together with guidance for applicants and their supporters, will be accessible on this page during that time.
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