NPQLPM: National Professional Qualification for Leading Primary Mathematics

Autumn 2025 cohort

Note: Our preference is that applicants consider if any of our current partners are within easy travel distance of your location and select as appropriate. Please use our Delivery Partner Map to help you find a Delivery Partner. 

If there is not a Delivery Partner offering your selected programme in your region, or within a reasonable travel distance, then please select the ‘National NPQ Offer’ in the application. You will then be placed with a Delivery Partner which caters nationwide and will group you with peers from across the country.

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
• 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 Primary Mathematics within a collaborative and open learning environment. Based on the latest research evidence for effective maths 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?

• Developing Primary Mathematics – you will learn how to shape a culture of maths across your Primary setting and develop a deep understanding of how pupils learn mathematics becoming skilled in leading staff to develop pupils interconnected understanding of concepts, their procedural fluency and automaticity in key number facts.
• Teaching – you will learn how to support teachers at all levels in your school, key stage or phase to develop their knowledge and classroom skills in teaching primary mathematics.
• 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 and have a positive attitude towards mathematics.
• How pupils learn – you will deepen your knowledge of the best ways to develop, adapt, embed and practice good models of learning across the whole school community, key stage or phase.
• Subject and curriculum – you will learn how to support and improve high quality lesson design, teaching, learning and assessment in primary mathematics.
• Professional Development – you will deepen your knowledge of the best ways to provide effective professional development in mathematics curriculum, pedagogy and assessment across the whole school community.
• 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?

Our participants have noted many benefits to studying for an NPQ. 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 a detailed and coherent mathematics curriculum successfully through a supported implementation project.
• Develop the skills to implement meaningful interventions as part of a whole school, phase or key stage mathematics approach.
• Learn how to help pupils develop ways to improve their automaticity, fluency and problem solving skills developing confidence that transpires into academic progress.
• Learn practical approaches to develop pupils’ logical thinking and reasoning skills in your school context.
• Recognise the key elements of pupils’ mathematical learning trajectories from Reception to Key Stage 2.
• Access research and materials and have many opportunities to discuss mathematical approaches and the mastery model 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?

This course is for:

• Teachers and leaders with responsibility for leading maths across a primary key-stage or school, or those who want to have this responsibility.
• Teachers familiar with mastery approaches to teaching primary maths, who want to improve leadership skills in this area.
• Subject leaders in a school already engaged in the primary Teaching for Mastery programme or similar programme.

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?

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 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.