Early years leadership national professional qualification
A course to help current or aspiring managers of nurseries develop expertise in leading early years education and staff and organisational management.
Applies to England
Who this course is for
This course is for leaders qualified to at least level 3 with a full and relevant qualification who are, or want to be:
- managers of private, voluntary and independent nurseries
- headteachers or leaders of school-based or maintained nurseries
- childminders with leadership responsibilities
- other early years foundation stage leaders, such as reception class teachers or early years co-ordinators
If you work in a school, discuss with your headteacher or provider which NPQ best meets your needs. The other NPQs are designed with school teachers and leaders in mind.
Overview
This course will help you gain confidence and develop skills in:
- delivering high-quality early education and care
- organisational management and staff development
- giving constructive feedback to parents and carers
- working with children who have additional and special educational needs
- implementing improvements
You’ll train alongside peers with similar responsibilities. The course content focuses on the key challenges teachers face in their role.
Early years professionals helped us design this course to fit around busy schedules.
This course will:
- take 18 months to complete
- involve an average of 1 to 2 hours of study each week
- be a mix of self-study and group sessions
- involve a written assessment
- start in autumn 2024
Funding
Funding to cover the course fees for this NPQ is available for professionals in many schools and early years settings in England.
Eligibility
You need to have a full and relevant qualification to at least level 3. Full and relevant qualifications are defined as qualifications that demonstrate depth and level of learning appropriate to specified outcomes of full early years, childcare or playwork qualifications. The qualification should have valid, reliable assessment and awarding procedures and must include an element of assessed performance.
You also need to be, or be aspiring to be, a:
- manager of private, voluntary and independent nursery
- headteacher or leader of a school-based or maintained nursery
- childminder with leadership responsibilities
Course content
You’ll learn how to:
- establish and sustain your setting’s strategic direction
- develop an evidence-based teaching culture
- plan and deliver care and a high-quality curriculum to support child development
- implement communication, language and literacy approaches to support children’s learning
- effectively manage children’s behaviour and support children’s personal, social and emotional development
- ensure all leaders, practitioners and teachers can identify any additional needs early and ensure appropriate referrals
- prioritise, allocate and manage resources appropriately, effectively and efficiently across all settings to ensure sustainability
- ensure rigorous approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk
- plan and execute implementation of what you’ve learned
Benefits for you and your school
Ensuring all children experience success
After completing this course you’ll be able to develop an ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of all your children.
Delivering a high-quality and ambitious curriculum
You’ll learn how to deliver a curriculum to support child development which is rooted in a clear pedagogical vision.
Smoothing the admissions, exclusions and appeals process
The course will boost your understanding of how to comply with relevant laws and statutory guidance. You’ll also learn about creating fair and inclusive policies, processes and systems.
Managing resources effectively
You’ll gain knowledge about budgeting, funding and marketing. You’ll also be able to confidently recruit and develop the right people for your setting.
Knowing what approaches to use
This course will help you hone your decision-making skills. The techniques you learn can be applied to a range of different improvement decisions for your setting.
Course structure
The course covers 7 topics, outlined in the course framework. Providers use this framework to design their course.
The course includes:
- independent study
- group coaching
- face-to-face sessions with other participants
You’ll need to spend 1 to 2 hours a week working on this NPQ.
Providers
You can choose from one of the following DfE-approved providers:
- Ambition Institute
- Education Development Trust
- National Institute of Teaching
- Teacher Development Trust
- Teach First
- University College London (UCL) Institute of Education
Assessment
To get your NPQ accreditation you’ll need to complete the course and pass a written assessment (between 1,500 and 2,500 words).
Apply
Learn how to apply for an NPQ.
Last updated 21 March 2024 + show all updates
-
Updated with details of the course due to start in autumn 2024.
-
First published.