National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL)
Find out more about the National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership, a new fully-funded DfE programme for early years professionals.
The Department for Education (DfE) offers a range of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) designed to support the professional development of teachers and leaders.
A reformed suite of NPQs is now available which have been developed in collaboration with the sector and are informed by the best available research and evidence.
Each NPQ is underpinned by a new content framework. These frameworks set out what participants should know and be able to do after completing an NPQ. Providers have used these to design their courses.
The NPQ in Early Years Leadership will support you to develop expertise in leading high-quality early years education and care, as well as effective staff and organisational management.
Who is the NPQEYL for?
Current or aspiring managers of private, voluntary and independent (PVI) nurseries, headteachers or leaders of school-based or maintained nurseries, and childminders with leadership responsibilities.
You will need to be qualified to at least level 3 to be eligible to apply.
What is the NPQEYL about?
This course will help staff 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 get to train alongside peers with similar responsibilities. The course content focuses on the key challenges teachers face in their role.
Early years professionals helped to design this course to fit around busy schedules, so it does not add to your workload.
How long is the course and what’s involved?
The NPQEYL takes 18 months to complete and requires 1-2 hours of study time each week, with a mixture of self-study and group sessions.
What will I learn?
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
How is the NPQEYL assessed?
You will need to complete a refection-based case study (up to 2,500 words)
What does it cost?
This fully funded DfE programme, with no cost to the participant, is available to leaders employed in:
a maintained nursery school in England
a preschool class or nursery that’s part of a maintained school in England
a preschool class or nursery that’s part of an independent school in England providing free early years entitlements places
a nursery that is registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register
childminders registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register or with a registered Childminder Agency and working with early years children
We understand that there is also an additional grant payment of £200 per participant to settings with fewer than 600 children, for every leader who participates in this programme, to support with cover costs. Please check this with your chosen provider.
Next steps
Read the information on the DfE website and then choose from one of the training providers that offer the NPQEYL.
The Spring 2023 application deadline is mid-January 2023, for a programme to start in February so ACT NOW!
In Birmingham, there are currently two providers that we are aware of offering the NPQEYL at three centres across the city. Each programme is slightly different so please read the details carefully to make sure it is right for you:
Ambition Institute: NPQ-EYL programme
The Ambition Institute: NPQ -EYL programme is being offered by the Teaching School Hubs for North (Arthur Terry Teaching School Hub based in Sutton Coldfield district) and South Birmingham (The Ark Teaching School Hub based in Ladywood district). You can read more about the format and design of this NPQ by clicking on the link above.
If you would like to express an interest in undertaking the Ambition Institute NPQ-EYL in one of these Teaching School Hubs, please register your interest here and someone will get back to you.
For further information contact North Birmingham TSH (northbirminghamTSH@atlp.org.uk).
Teacher Development Trust: NPQ-EYL programme
The Teacher Development Trust: NPQ-EYL programme is being offered in partnership with The Church of England Education Office: Foundation for Educational Leadership via Bishop Challoner Training School Alliance. In-person sessions will be located at Newtown Nursery School based in Ladywood district.
You can read more about the format and design of this NPQ by clicking on the link above. There is also a link to apply on the page.
For further information contact the Bishop Challoner Training School (trainingschool@bishopchalloner.bham.sch.uk).