Develop your expertise in early years leadership in just 18-months, and help to give all children up to the age of five the best possible start in life.
We’ve designed this new, fully funded, NPQ which gives you a greater understanding of how to lead early years education to a high standard. With new knowledge, you can advance and learn what great care looks like.
Our approach uses the latest evidence to help you put your learning into practice in your early years setting and is taught in small but frequent bursts. You’ll train alongside other early years leaders with similar responsibilities, focus on tackling persistent problems you face and develop your expertise.
This is a new NPQ developed by the Department for Education, with an expert advisory group and early years leaders, academics and experts. The programme aligns with the NPQs for teachers and school leaders. Each NPQ shares a common language and framework to help drive improvement across education.
No project work is involved and the programme takes minimal time out of your early years’ setting, so you can fit this NPQ around your busy timetable.
Accredited NPQ provider
This programme is designed specifically with leaders of early years education in mind. You’ll learn what great early years learning looks like and how to lead others, through evidence-based professional development. You can learn from others, and they can learn from you.
Evidence reveals that high quality care and education in early years is fundamental for a child’s development, preparing them for school and later life*. Learn how you can deliver this to the children you support and develop your own understanding of its importance.
We have designed the programme with flexibility in mind, so there will be minimal disruption to your schedule and you can fit your learning around your existing work commitments. The majority of training can be completed at a time that suits you.
Other early year professionals will train alongside you, so you can share your experiences and build a strong support network.
Apply theory to your early years’ setting and put your learning into practice.
*Sources:
Barnett, W. S. (1995). “Long-term effects of early childhood programs on cognitive and school outcomes”. The Future of Children, 25-50.
Heckman, J., Pinto, R. and Savelyev, P. (2013). “Understanding the mechanisms through which an influential early childhood program boosted adult outcomes”. American Economic Review 103(6), 2052-2086.
Develop your leaders to deliver quality education that is built on evidence-based training. From this you can build a staff force who understand what good education and care looks like and, in turn, create a level playing field for children in the early stages of life.
As the first NPQ that is designed specifically for early years practitioners, it will develop expertise that can be applied in schools, and build leaders who understand and can tackle common challenges in early years.
Participants will discover how to unpack and apply learning across all aspects of the early years – and support and encourage the development of these areas for other colleagues.
All new NPQs are aligned, so your leaders will benefit from an evidence-based framework, with a common language that they can pass onto colleagues.
Leaders will train alongside other early years professionals, supported by facilitators who fully understand their needs.
This programme follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification: Early Years Leadership Framework.
On this programme, you will learn how to:
The programme is delivered through blended learning. This includes a mix of real-time interactive online sessions, face-to-face training, peer-led sessions and self-guided modules which you complete in your own time.
Note: programme content is subject to change*
At the end of the 18-month programme, an assessment window runs for another three months. During this time, you’ll be assigned an eight-day period to sit an ‘open book’ style assessment, in which you respond to a short case study.
Every year there are two assessment windows, and you can sit the assessment twice if you need to.
To qualify for the NPQ accreditation, you need to complete the course.
A webinar and live clinic will be offered in advance of the assessment window to support you.
Department for Education scholarship funding is available to all state schools.
The NPQEYL is also funded for early settings registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register. This includes:
Contact us and we will support you through the steps required to register and access this funding.
If you are not eligible for scholarship funding, you can still undertake an NPQ and should contact us directly to discuss your options.
To apply, you need to be an early years practitioner who is qualified to at least level three, with a full and relevant early years or teaching qualification.
You will be, or will be aspiring to be:
If you are interested in registering for, or completing Ambition Institute’s NPQ in Early Years Leadership, with the John Taylor Teaching School Hub, then please email [email protected].
To be eligible for this programme, you do not have to be a teacher.
You instead, must have a Level 3 qualification in Early Years.
Level 3 qualifications are:
If you are interested in completing an NPQ, but aren’t sure which one, visit our NPQ page.
To apply, you do not need to be a teacher. Instead you must have a Level 3 qualification in Early Years.
If you are interested in registering for, or completing one of the Ambition Institute’s NPQs, with the John Taylor Teaching School Hub, then please email [email protected]
Consider including a QR code to allow email recipients quick access (Parents, Local Community and Sixth Form students)
An example of an email footnote could look like this:
Do you know someone who is interested in training to teach? Send them this [insert QR code]
Include ‘Train to Teach’ signposting to local providers or DfE materials as an email footnote or signature strip.
Other practical and innovative approaches to recruitment
Use CEIAG lessons, events and articles to educate students and promote teaching as a career choice.
Put a banner on your school gates/perimeter fencing to show your community that they can access teacher training locally.
Develop a strong post-ITE training offer for staff considering career progression, ECF, NPQs, Curriculum Hubs, CPD for M3-M6 teachers, other CPD.
Share these myths and misconceptions-busters about teacher training and teaching to inform potential applicants about the profession.
Talent Spotting – Promote routes into teaching for suitably qualified staff (e.g. TAs, Technicians, Librarians, non-teaching pastoral or DSLs) via Salaried routes, Apprenticeships, Undergraduate or Post-graduate pathways.
Facilitate sessions for ITE providers on specialist areas and fundamental concepts in education (typically 1.5 – 6 hours).
Offer whole-year placements (e.g. to trainee A in Autumn & Summer Terms and Trainee B in the Spring term) with mentoring.
Offer longer ITE programme placements (typically 12-20 weeks) with mentoring of trainees.
Offer shorter ITE programme placements (typically 8-12 weeks) with mentoring of trainees.
Offer Intensive Training & Practice (ITAP) placements to ITE providers (typically 1-2 days) to allow trainees to observe practices and apply learning.
Offer enhanced placements (1-5 days) as part of an ITE programme, focussing on a phase, type, or specialist area of education (e.g. PRU, Special School, EYFS, Post-16).
Offer ‘School Experience’ tasters (typically 0.5 or 1 day) to potential applicants.
Register as a school on ‘DfE Apply’ as a ‘location’ for potential applicants to find/search train to teach providers in close proximity to their postcode.
Share positive stories, case studies and testimonials of colleagues and ex-trainees (associated with your school), showcasing career progression, opportunities and CPD.
Follow and share content on your school accounts from these below to reach your community:
ITE providers in the West Midlands
Connect with ITE providers in the West Midlands – click here to access a map of local and national Accredited providers.
Connect with ITE providers on social media from the districts covered by the John Taylor Teaching School Hub region or in the immediate surrounding districts:
Pre-populated posts:
Other:
Promote the Department for Education’s train to teach recruitment events
Follow and share content on your school accounts from these below to reach your community:
ITE providers in the West Midlands
Connect with ITE providers in the West Midlands – click here to access a map of local and national Accredited providers.
Connect with ITE providers on social media from the districts covered by the John Taylor Teaching School Hub region or in the immediate surrounding districts:
