National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL)

4th Oct 2016

This qualification is intended for senior leaders who have significant cross school responsibilities, including experienced middle leaders, deputy heads, special educational needs co-ordinators and advanced skills teachers. The qualification will also benefit senior staff looking for further professional development but not necessarily aspiring to headship at this stage in their career. Please get in touch if you have any questions about whether or not this is the right programme for you.
To achieve the qualification you will need to complete 2 essential and 2 elective modules (and related assignments) from the following selection:

5 x full day 8.30am-4.30pm:
4th Oct
8 Nov
8 Dec
24 Jan 2017
9 March  2017

ESSENTIAL MODULES:
The two essential modules are:
Succeeding in Senior Leadership
This module will consider the significance of leadership across the school and explore motivations and behaviours that leaders bring to their role, including values and beliefs. Participants will look at how they apply their leadership in the workplace to address school improvement priorities.

Closing the Gap
This module will teach participants how to close gaps in achievement and attainment that can occur across specific groups of pupils, particularly addressing the needs of disadvantaged pupils, including those entitled to free school meals. The module considers how leaders can identify gaps, diagnose causes and address within-school variation (eg differences in performance by teachers with similar groups of pupils). Evidence drawn from research will be used to demonstrate which pupils perform least well nationally and why.

ELECTIVE MODULES—Choose 2 from:

Improving the quality of Teaching
In this module participants will review the international research evidence about leading and improving teaching. The module will look at how to improve teaching and learning across the school through the development and implementation of school-wide policies, models of teaching and approaches to evaluating pupil progress.

Effective whole school management
This module focuses on the senior leader's role in the effective management of the school, with an emphasis on curriculum, managing performance, behaviour, finances, health, safety and welfare. Through module content and activities, senior leaders will be supported in strengthening their management in relation to these aspects.

Leading professional development
This module will enable leaders to know how to design and implement a strategy for professional development which engages all staff and supports colleagues' leadership development in order to improve quality of teaching, learning and outcomes for pupils. They will understand how professional development can enable staff to perform at their best.

Leading change for improvement
This module will teach participants the essential knowledge linked to leading change in practice. Building on Michael Fullan's research work and using one of his analytical tools, participants will develop their own knowledge to help them lead change in their school as a senior leader.

More information can be found on GSHS website