NPQLBC: National Professional Qualification for Leading Behaviour and Culture

Autumn 2026 cohort

The DfE registration portal is closed and will be available soon. If you would like to be informed of when the registration portal opens for the next cohort please fill in our expression of interest form.

About the programme

• Why join UCL?
• What will you learn?
• What are the benefits to you?
• What are the benefits for your school?
• Is this programme for me?
• How long will it take?
• When will it start and how much will it cost?
• Are scholarships available for this programme?
• Programme route map
• What do participants say?
• Contact us 

Why join UCL?

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

Based on the latest research and evidence this new programme will enable you to take your new learning and develop your skills and put them into practice.

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 learn how to support teachers at all levels in your school to develop their knowledge and skills in pupil behaviour and wellbeing.
• School Culture – you will strengthen your ability and that of your colleagues to contribute to a school culture in which pupils can thrive and succeed.
• Enabling Conditions for Good Behaviour – you will deepen your knowledge of the best ways to develop, embed and sustain good models of behaviour and learning across the whole school community.
• Complex Behavioural Needs – you will learn how to support pupils who need intensive support with their learning and behaviour, working alongside specialist colleagues to ensure all children are safe and supported.
• Implementation – 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?

Participants have outlined many benefits to studying for an NPQLBC. Overall, they outline how the programme has given them professional confidence, time and space to reflect on themselves and 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 initiatives successfully through a supported implementation project.
• Understand how developing school culture is key to success.
• Learn about effective whole school approaches to improve behaviour and culture.
• Develop an understanding of your own influential presence, attitude and behaviours and how that impacts on pupil learning.
• Involve colleagues in decision-making processes and develop the skills of collaborative co-coaching.
• Access research and materials and have many opportunities to discuss a variety of whole school behaviour 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 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 any aspect of leading behaviour and wellbeing or aspire to pastoral leadership. 

Please be aware that the NPQ programmes require a level of proficiency in the use of English equivalent to that of Master’s level study. In particular, participants are expected to demonstrate a high standard of language competency at summative assessment as this is a key requirement of an effective school leader.

A prospective participant who is not confident about their competency at this level is at risk of being unsuccessful due to the English language demands of the programme. UCL does not require participants to formally prove that they have this level of proficiency, but if you are in doubt about this then you should contact UCL prior to applying for a place on an NPQ programme. 

How long will it take?

12 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 November 2025. There will be an induction conference taking place in November/December 2025, which will be confirmed during the application process. Participants are required to attend the conference.

Scholarships may be available for this programme. 

The programme fee is £885 (+VAT) for participants and schools in England who are required to self-fund. This fee also applies to independent schools in England.

British International School Participants: Please follow the links to your preferred International Delivery Partner for fee information. 

Are scholarships available for this programme?

Information for scholarship funding can be found at GOV.UK. 

Programme route map

Route map (text version)

*Please note, NPQ Mentors will be asked to complete a short Programme Impact Report at the end of module 2 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. 

What do participants say?