National Professional Qualifications | University of Bedfordshire

University of Bedfordshire's National Professional Qualifications (NPQs)

Continuing teachers' development in the very best way

The National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are a group of widely recognised professional qualifications designed to meet the needs of education leaders in England. NPQs provide extensive training and support for current and aspiring leaders at all levels.

The next start date for all courses is October 2023.

Email npq@beds.ac.uk to register

The National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are a suite of DfE accredited qualifications for school leaders, designed to support professional development - helping school leaders and teachers become more effective.

All of the qualifications are based on NPQ Frameworks which draw from the very latest evidence and research and complete the golden thread, running from initial teacher training through to school leadership, rooting teacher and school leader development in the best available evidence and collective wisdom of the profession.

CTSH/BPN has designed a comprehensive programme of face-to-face and online training, delivered via the University of Bedfordshire, so there are no extra demands on your school in terms of time or resources
As a lead provider, BPN is inspected by Ofsted so you can be sure its programme and training are of consistent high quality
The University of Bedfordshire has a well-established, highly successful teacher training programme and an experienced, research-active Education academic team, both of which will feed in to our NPQ support and provision
We have long-standing connections with our many partner schools and colleges across the region, so we can add local context to the NPQ programme, reflecting your school’s unique local environment and cohort needs
Being a local University also makes it convenient for teachers to attend face-to-face sessions
Peer-to-peer support is central to the programme and there are opportunities to network and learn from other teachers
Our programme is carefully planned with teacher workload in mind and flexibility built in:
- Teachers will be able to access recordings of training events on a dedicated learning platform so they can watch sessions on demand and revisit material at their convenience
- There are facilitated programmes for part-time teachers
- The schedule for teachers has been kept as non-onerous as possible while also offering mentors support and funded training
Our learning platform also offers easy access to all self-study materials and interactive learning activities as well as event recordings, calendar and bookings - helping teachers keep organised and on track for the duration of the programme

BPN's brand in the education market is based on their capability to deliver national programmes on behalf of the DfE. Their partnerships with the CTSH and network of high calibre schools and higher education institutes (HEIs), including the University of Bedfordshire, provides academic credibility in the eyes of our audiences, especially, teachers.

Our NPQ team consists of experienced school leaders, academics, instructional designers and a highly professional and motivated candidate support team. Our team is made up of:

Teaching school directors, practising and retired headteachers, HEIs and Research Schools
A passionate and enthusiastic candidate support team who are on-hand to provide expert support
Theses programme are created to equip teachers to be highly skilled, confident and competent practitioners who will positively impact on the lives of pupils through their practice in their teaching space.
These programmes are planned to provide development opportunities for teachers so that they can walk back into their classroom better practitioners, with practical skills, experiences and insight to enhance teaching and learning and the impact on children and young people.
This programme will provide context specific case studies which take into account the settings of the teachers.
We are mindful at all times of the workload that teachers face and we do not seek to add to that unnecessarily.
The face to face event provide opportunities for interaction and networking opportunities and the sharing of best practice examples.
There will be recordings of events on the Learning Platform to watch ’on-demand’ at a time that suits your teachers and their workload.

BPN are the leading provider of National Professional Qualifications and offer school leader and early years apprenticeships, Early Years Initial Teacher Training, NASENCo, HLTA, and School Business Manager programmes. We are excited to be able to add their NPQ training to our programme delivery offer.

They exceed a 93% pass rate across all their programmes
97% of candidates would recommend BPN to a colleague

Specialist NPQs

DfE accredited National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for specialist areas of school leadership

Leadership NPQs

DfE-accredited National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for school leadership

In partnership with CTSH and BPN, the University of Bedfordshire is pleased to host the following NPQs*:

National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD)

This programme is ideal for teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading the development of other teachers in their school

National Professional Qualification for Leading Teaching (NPQLT)

This programme is ideal for teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading teaching in a subject, year group, key or phase.

National Professional Qualification for Leading Behaviour & Culture (NPQLBC)

This programme is ideal for teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading behaviour and culture and/or supporting pupil well-being in their school

National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy (NPQLL)

This programme is ideal for teachers who have, or are aspiring to have, responsibilities for leading literacy across a school, year group, key stage or phase.

National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL)

This programme is ideal for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a senior leader with cross-school responsibilities

National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH)

This programme is ideal for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school.

National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL)

This programme is ideal for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to be, an executive headteacher with responsibility for leading more than one school.

National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL)

This programme is for leaders qualified to at least Level 3 with a full and relevant qualification who are, or are aspiring to be, nursery managers, headteachers and childminders.

*subject to appropriate group size, low numbers may mean a move to a nearby location to enhance the learning experience