Why not make the Church of England NPQSmall the NPQ for you and your school?

What is the NPQ Small?

NPQSmall is designed and delivered with small schools in mind. It is for school leaders and teachers who have an ambitious vision and commitment to flourishing schools and communities, allowing them to access the National Professional Qualifications, in way that is more relevant and convenient for them.

NPQ Small programmes are for teachers and leaders in schools with under 150 pupils (primary) or 800 pupils (secondary). The Church of England NPQ Small programmes provide a unique opportunity for teachers and school leaders to develop their leadership expertise through webinars and small group coaching.

The NPQ Small is bespoke in design and delivery, recognising the opportunities and challenges specific to small schools, and enabling colleagues in these schools to engage with high-quality leadership training.

NPQ Small gives you:

• A specially adapted curriculum tailored to small and rural schools’ contexts.
• Almost no time out of school through a new flexible delivery model – with many sessions allowing you the choice of when you attend.
• Totally online delivery meaning that staff in smaller schools in isolated areas are not required to travel long distances.
• An expert small school coach for every leader on every programme.
• Focused on key small/rural school issues that can then transfer into other contexts in your career.
• The same nationally recognised qualification as our NPQ Standard route.

Which NPQs can I do on NPQSmall?

There is an NPQSmall version of the following courses:

• NPQLT
• NPQLBC
• NPQSL
• NPQH
• NPQSENCO (for new or aspiring SENCOs)

How long is the programme?

NPQLT and NPQLBC last 12 months, whilst NPQH, NPQSL and NPQSENCO last for 18 months.

Your NPQ Small learning journey

The content of the NPQ Small will differ depending on which programme you choose to apply for, however the focus will be on leading teacher excellence and a culture in which pupils, staff and school communities can flourish.

You can see more information within the course guides from each course linked here:

NPQH  NPQSL  NPQLT  NPQLBC  NPQLTD  NPQLPM  SENCO  EHCO  NPQEL

You can apply for an NPQ Small programme through the usual application form (ensure you choose NPQ Small). This form can be accessed by clicking on the link below

How are the courses funded?

Scholarship funding for Autumn 2024 

Funding for Autumn 2024 will target those teachers and leaders who work in the most challenging schools or educational settings, serving more disadvantaged communities. 

Scholarship funding to cover the full NPQ course cost will be available to teachers and leaders from: 

• the 50% of schools with the highest proportion of students who attract pupil premium funding
• 16 to 19 educational settings identified as having high disadvantage

Priority courses which are funded for all schools up to the DFE limit on places:

NPQ for SENCO

NPQ Headship

NPQ Leading Primary Maths

Other courses which are funded for some schools:

Our other courses are eligible for funding, for staff in PP50 schools (those who are in the top 50% of schools when ranked on pupils eligible for Pupil Premium).

NPQ Senior Leadership

NPQ Leading Teaching

NPQ Leading Teacher Development

NPQ Executive Leadership

• NPQ Leading Behaviour & Culture

Funded places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, based on when a participant completes our initial application form.