The National Professional Qualification for Headship (or NPQH) is a professional qualification for aspiring headteachers. The qualification was introduced in 1997 by the newly elected Labour government, following a commitment in their manifesto to introduce a mandatory qualification for head teachers. Initially voluntary, the first group of people were awarded the qualification in July 1998. The legal requirement and

qualification Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

became mandatory on 1 April 2004. Until 8 February 2012, holding the NPQH was a mandatory requirement for all newly appointed English and Welsh

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

head teacher A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

s. It is taught via blended learning at centres all over the country, and administered by the

National College for Teaching and Leadership The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) (inheritor of the site and functions of the National College for School Leadership (NCSL)) was an executive agency of the Department for Education (a United Kingdom Government Ministry wh ...

which has centres in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and

Ruddington Ruddington is a large village in the Borough of Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, England. The village is south of Nottingham and northwest of Loughborough. It had a population of 6,441 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 7,216 at the 2011 Censu ...

. It is intended to prepare experienced teachers for headships through training in management techniques, tutorial support, and achieving school standards. In April 2005, the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

made scrapping the college and qualification a part of their

manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...

for the May 2005 General Election, a move criticised by the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

government and teaching union the

National Association of Head Teachers NAHT is a trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining bet ...

References

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External links

Further information for NPQH found at: Department of Education at www.education.gov.uk/
Government website on the NPQH
Educational qualifications in the United Kingdom