Studying for an National Professional Qualification (NPQ) doesn’t have to be a one-off.
If you’ve already done an NPQ, you can take another one. This is perfect if you are moving into a new stage of leadership or want to deepen your expertise in a particular area. There is always more to learn.
Here are five reasons why you should consider taking another NPQ, according to three educators who have done more than one.
1. To complement what you’re doing now
You can choose an NPQ that fits closely to what you need to know and do at a specific point in your career – whether that’s related to your leadership level, or a specific subject area.
“I've always picked an NPQ that matches either the role that I'm doing or aspiring to be doing in the future,” says Paul Rockliffe, Deputy Headteacher for Quality of Education at Handsworth Grange Community Sports College. He chose the NPQ for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD) while leading on professional development for Minerva Learning Trust. “The NPQ fitted directly into that role,” he continues, explaining how what he learnt on the programme supported him to develop training for the trust the school is part of.
Sarah Hughes, Headteacher at Beecroft Academy, had a similar motivation for taking the NPQLTD: “I did the course because I led on curriculum and teacher development, and it was the one that aligned most with my role. When I became headteacher I started the NPQ for Headship (NPQH)– because that was going to support me in my new role. Having done the NPQLTD was really valuable as a headteacher because when we needed to develop the curriculum I’d got that specialist knowledge”.
This motivation is shared by Ed Ball, Deputy Headteacher at Ridgewood School. Ed had been a senior leader for a couple of years before he took the NPQ for Senior Leadership (NPQSL). “I wanted to really refine and broaden my leadership skills,” he explains, “as well as keeping abreast of all the latest education evidence. The NPQSL helped me understand best practice and apply it into my own role, to drive improvement. Then, when I took up line management of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), it made perfect sense for me to transition straight into the NPQ for SENCOs.”
2. To prepare you for where you want to go next
Doing another NPQ is a great way to prepare for taking on a role you aspire to. That might be moving into leadership or becoming more specialist in a specific area, such as literacy or behaviour and culture.
Paul, for example, has done four NPQs, and is an advocate for training for where you want to be next. “I did the NPQSL when I was subject leader and that helped me become an assistant head. So I guess I'm always one step ahead because it's a bit of a golden ticket to help you get you to where you want to be.”
He continues: “When I applied to be deputy head, one of the questions was around the NPQH. So I think there are more schools now who want their deputy to be on it or have done it. I think it's a really good qualification for deputies to have.”
And Sarah shares some advice for people doing an NPQ which is preparing them for the future: “They really need to find some way that they can put into practice what they're doing in their NPQ. So, that might be asking the head ‘can I shadow you doing one of these things’?”.
3. Because there’s always more to learn
Taking an NPQ is one way to model a culture of learning, helping to promote professional development throughout your school – in every area, and every level of experience.
”If you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk,” says Ed. “If I’m saying that we’re creating a culture for professional learning, I need to be devoted to that. The key piece of research about improving student outcomes is all related to teacher development – and that means giving staff the opportunity to develop themselves. And education is ever evolving. The NPQs are evolving.”
And as Sarah puts it: “We’re all learners, all the time. None of us are ever going to say ‘I've got it now, I know what I'm doing, I don't need anything further’ – and that's the head, teaching assistants, senior leaders, whoever it is. That's why I really like the NPQs in that there are NPQs for everybody.”
And Paul talks of sharing his learning with the team. “I like promoting the benefits of the NPQs. We’ve now got 12 members of staff on NPQs, and we often share a lot of the research we’ve been reading.”
4. To build on your learning from your other NPQs
Because Ambition’s NPQs are all underpinned by the same principles and learning elements, doing another NPQ means you’re already familiar with what to expect. And even if you haven’t trained with Ambition before, the NPQs are built on the same evidence-based Department for Education frameworks.
Sarah found: “When I started my NPQH lots of people in my cohort were trying to get their head around how the training worked – the clinics, the communities – but I had all that because of the NPQLTD. So, I already knew how things worked.” And Paul echoed this, saying: “Because the assessments were the same as well, I felt more confident in the NPQH.”
Ed found it helpful that the NPQs are intertwined. “Having that golden thread running through all the NPQs makes sure that at the end of the day, you’re building upon learning. For example, implementation was a theme across both my NPQs which allows me to keep coming back to implementation, putting it into practice in different scenarios.”
5. To gain the support of others in a similar situation
Alongside the core learning, NPQs bring together educators at similar points in their careers, which can bring invaluable support and diverse experience to tap into.
“So what the networking of the NPQ gives you,” says Sarah, “is a raft of other people that are in a similar situation to you that you can talk to through your communities. The really valuable thing was being able to take a problem and have a safe space to talk about it and find out all the different ways that other people are going through the same problem – and then they can find a solution to it as well.”
