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The next application round for NPQH will open at noon on Friday 21 November 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. Find out more about the evidence you will be asked to give during the application process.
NPQH has a two-stage entry process:
The two stages are explained in more detail below.
Applicants must successfully complete both stages in order to have a confirmed place on the programme. 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.
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 or line manager agrees that the individual is ready to apply and that if the application is successful, the headteacher or line manager is prepared to support them during their time on NPQH. For more details of the application form and supporting statement, please read our information on the evidence required.
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 the 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 will open at noon on Friday 21 November 2008. The online application form will be available here from that date.
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