Certainly the most informative CPD I have had on my route to leadership.

Former participant

Are you passionate about helping every child become a confident reader and writer? The NPQ in Leading Literacy (NPQLL) is for teachers who lead, or are aspiring to lead, on literacy in any phase of education, including teachers, heads of departments, teaching development leads and senior leaders.

Literacy Leads

It's providing clarity on the direction I want to go in as the literacy lead, and the avenues that I want to explore in more depth.

former participant

Poor literacy (or functional illiteracy) is known to be a key driver of intergenerational cycles of poverty, linked to increased unemployment, lower earnings when in work, and poorer health outcomes.

Developing your expertise in the leading of literacy in schools ensures that you can contribute to breaking  these cycles and improving the health, social, and financial outcomes of the pupils at your school as they move through life.

The NPQLL is a fantastic programme.  I love hearing participants' rich conversations and watching their knowledge grow as they test new ideas and challenge their own practice.  The LL develops literacy expertise alongside wider leadership practice, with a clear focus on improving provision and outcomes.

former npqll facilitator

Senior leaders

School leadership teams need both breadth (as found in the leadership NPQs) and depth. Being able to make informed, evidence-led recommendations as to how to better support pupils to read and write – in any subject – could be a vital string to a leader’s bow. Specialist NPQs offer six times as many modules on one area as a leadership NPQ.

What will you learn?

• To support staff, of all subject specialisms, to develop pupils’ language and literacy skills.
• Pupils develop aspects of literacy, including how effective spoken language supports literacy development at every age, how children learn to become fluent readers and how teachers can support this across every stage.
• To support pupils' writing – whether learning to write in primary school, through to writing academically at key stage five.
• To support, develop and teach pupils literacy using evidence-informed approaches.
• To lead literacy through curriculum, culture and motivation.
• Effective literacy education can support your school.
• To contribute to effective professional development for literacy, linking it to teaching, the curriculum and assessment across the school.

Facilitated by two literacy experts, the course is a blend of flexible online learning, virtual workshops and face-to-face conferences, for a few hours' study each week over 12 months. This is followed by an assessment where you will complete a 1500-word case study assessment to demonstrate your understanding of real leadership and change.

The NPQLL has hugely informed my teaching practice. The course was incredibly well delivered by the supportive and friendly tutors, all of whom recognise the general demands of teaching, as well as the challenges of delivering literacy effectively to students. I very much enjoyed working alongside other teachers, particularly those from the primary sector who provided a beneficial insight into the prior learning experiences that our students have before arriving at high school. In turn, this has positively impacted my planning and teaching of literacy at secondary school, particularly in the transition stage of Year 7. Completing the NPQLL has given me the confidence to deliver whole-school training on writing strategies, and provided me with a wealth of resources that I continue to lean on in my current practice. I would recommend it in a heartbeat!

former participant

Find out more, including how to apply.