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NPQLL: National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy

A teacher who has, or aspires to have responsibility for leading literacy across a year group, key stage, phase or school.

Autumn cohort 2024

Pre-register

About the programme

Why join UCL?

The UCL Centre for Educational Leadership looks forward to working with you on their newly designed NPQLL supporting you to deepen your knowledge of Leading Literacy within a collaborative and open learning environment.

Based on the latest research evidence for effective literacy pedagogy, this new programme will enable you to develop your knowledge and skills and put them into practice in your school context.

Our programmes put you and your school at the heart of the programme through a professional learning group approach that helps you to share your thinking and understanding within a well-planned framework.

You will experience a blended approach of face to face, self-directed study materials and in school support to enable you to progress professionally and develop networks to enhance your career.

What will you 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 general 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 the opportunities to model and develop high-quality speaking and listening and to ensure high-quality talk is prioritised in the classroom.
  • 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 school culture in which pupils can thrive and succeed.
  • Developing reading - you will learn how language development underpins reading development, you will deepen your knowledge of the key theories of reading development and explore the development of the component skills involved in reading and 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.
  • Professional development - you will deepen your knowledge of the best ways to provide 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 recognise the impact it has 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. You will acquire the essential knowledge, skills and concepts that underpin successful literacy teaching.
  • 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.

What are the benefits to you?

Our participants have noted many benefits to studying for an NPQLL. Overall, they outline how the programme has given them professional confidence, time and space to reflect on themselves about the kind of leader they want to become and increased knowledge in their chosen area of study. 

You will be able to:

  • Develop the skills, confidence and knowledge to implement new literacy initiatives successfully through a supported implementation project.
  • Develop the skills to implement meaningful interventions as part of a whole school literacy approach.
  • Learn how to help students develop ways to improve oracy developing confidence that transpires into academic progress.
  • Learn practical approaches to develop language, reading and writing skills in your school context.
  • Recognise the key elements of pupils’ literacy journeys from Primary school into Secondary settings.
  • Access research and materials and have many opportunities to discuss a variety of literacy approaches and models with other teachers.

What are the benefits for your school?

We know that our children and young people need teachers who are committed to their education and are confident learners themselves. Our NPQ programmes have been developed with teachers and leaders to:

  • Create professionally confident teachers and leaders.
  • Grow the next generation of leaders with the skills and knowledge to use the evidence-base for the benefit of their children and young people.
  • Retain the best teachers who are excellent, collaborative role models for their schools and communities.
  • Inspire leaders who can harness the power of rich learning environments for their children and young people no matter the current circumstances.

Is this programme for me?

Yes, if you are responsible for leading literacy across a year group, phase or school, or aspire to do so in the future. The programme is suitable for teachers in Primary and Secondary phases.

How long will it take?

Twelve months followed by an eight day open book summative case study task.

When will it start and how much will it cost?

The programme will start in October 2024. There will be an induction conference taking place in November 2024, which will be confirmed during the application process. Participants are required to attend the conference.

The cost is £902 for those in independent schools. British International Schools, please contact your preferred International Delivery Partner.

Are scholarships available for this programme?

Funding to cover the course fees for this NPQ is available for teachers and school leaders in many state-funded settings in England. You can find out how to check the eligibility of your workplace for autumn 2024 when the DFE registration opens later this year.

Programme route map

NPQLL route map 2024.
Route map (text version)
NPQ Programme Induction (February 2024)
Watch online programme information webinars  
Induction Conference 2.5hrs – February 2024
Module 1 (February 2024 - March 2024)

Self-directed Study - UCL eXtend
Learning Audit 30 mins – February 

Self-directed Study - UCL eXtend
Online Self-directed Study: 8hrs – February 2024 – May 

Facilitated Activity / 1 to 1 meeting / virtual or live event
Peer Learning Group 1: 3hrs – March 

Self-directed Study - UCL eXtend
Formative Assessment Tasks: 1hr – April/May 

Facilitated Activity / 1 to 1 meeting / virtual or live event
Line Manager / Mentor Check-in: 1hr – May 

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
End of Module Evaluation: 15 mins – May

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
Programme Impact Report*: 15 mins – May

Module 2* (May 2024 – October 2024)

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
Learning Audit: 30 mins – May

Facilitated Activity / 1 to 1 meeting / virtual or live event
Peer Learning Group 2: 3hrs – May/June

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
Online Self-directed Study 8hrs – June/October

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
Formative Assessment Tasks: 1hr – June/July

Facilitated Activity / 1 to 1 meeting / virtual or live event
Line Manager / Mentor Check-in: 1hr – July

Facilitated Activity / 1 to 1 meeting / virtual or live event
Peer Learning Group 3: 3hrs – September/October

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
End of Module Evaluation: 15 mins – October

Module 3* (October 2024 2024 - January 2025)

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
Learning Audit: 30 mins – October  

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
Online Self-directed Study: 8hrs – October/January 

Facilitated Activity / 1 to 1 meeting / virtual or live event
Peer Learning Group 4: 3hrs – October/November

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
Formative Assessment Tasks: 1hr – November/December

Facilitated Activity / 1 to 1 meeting / virtual or live event
Line Manager / Mentor Check-in: 1hr – November/December

Facilitated Activity / 1 to 1 meeting / virtual or live event
Consolidation Conference: 5 hrs – November/December 

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
End of Module Evaluation: 15 mins – December/January

Self-directed Study UCL eXtend
Programme Impact Report*: 15 mins – December/January

Final Assessment Preparation (January 2025 – February 2025)

Ensure 90% engagement– August/September.

Ensure Access to Assessment Platform - September.

*Please note, Line Managers / Mentors will be asked to complete a short Programme Impact Report at the end of module 1 and 3 to gauge how engagement with the programme is supporting School / Improvement. This is separate from the Line Manager / Mentor Check-in which is more participant focused.

Runs over 12 months: Implementation Project: Work-based reflective learning, integrating research with practice and aligned to the EEF process model for school improvement (not assessed).

After 12 months: Final Summative Assessment (February 2025)

How to apply

Although the DfE registration portal is currently displaying as open, it is only available to accommodate amendments to Spring’s 2024 registrations. It does not allow registrations for the Autumn 2024 cohort. The DfE portal will re-open in July; however, until then, please complete this short pre-registration form where you can register and secure your place for your preferred NPQ. Once the portal re-opens we will email you to advise you to register on the DfE portal.

What do participants say?

Specifically in my NPQL learning so far I have started to plan for more oracy based tasks in my teaching, including scaffolding talk more. I have started to use more sentence starters and am planning to use more explicit teaching of collaborative group working skills. I have started to implement more discussion with my class and want to do this more in regards to the comprehension of texts, especially in Reading lessons. I have already started to implement the tier model of vocabulary and there was a previous staff INSET on this lead by the Deputy Head, which also ensured all colleagues have started thinking about this when planning. I have also started to award children who are trying hard to communicate with others and show active participation in lessons, developing their vocabulary and speaking to the class more. 
Participant 2023

I found the resources around reading for pleasure incredibly interesting and useful, especially around student motivation, developing a whole school culture and evidence-based strategies to use within schools. This has given me lots of food for thought!
 

Participant 2022