NPQ in Executive Leadership (NPQEL)

Lead improvement across multiple schools

The National Professional Qualification in Executive Leadership (NPQEL) equips experienced and aspiring executive leaders with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead multiple schools and complex educational organisations.

Designed for leaders working in international education, this Department for Education-accredited qualification combines expert-led training, flexible online learning, practical organisation-based development and leadership performance coaching.

Educational Success Partners delivers NPQEL in partnership with Best Practice Network, a Department for Education-licensed NPQ provider with extensive experience of supporting thousands of teachers and school leaders.

Delivered remotely over 18 months, the programme enables experienced leaders around the world to gain a highly regarded professional qualification while continuing in their current role.

Lead strategically. Build organisational capacity. Deliver improvement at scale.

NPQEL at a glance

  • 18-month, part-time programme

  • Six virtual face-to-face events

  • Flexible online study

  • Six hours of leadership performance coaching

  • 116 total learning hours

  • Department for Education-accredited qualification

  • Final assessment through a case-study scenario

  • 100 Master’s credits on successful completion

  • Remote worldwide delivery for international school leaders

Who is NPQEL for?

NPQEL is designed for school leaders who are, or are aspiring to become, executive headteachers or chief executive officers with responsibility for leading several schools.

It is particularly suitable for:

  • Executive headteachers

  • Chief executive officers and chief operating officers

  • Heads of international school groups

  • Regional or cluster directors

  • Senior leaders responsible for strategic improvement across several schools

  • Leaders managing cross-school teams, systems and resources

  • Experienced headteachers preparing for executive leadership

Applicants must be serving headteachers, or hold an equivalent role, and have at least three years’ experience.

Applicants must also identify and nominate a sponsor. This should be someone with detailed professional knowledge of the applicant’s work, impact, professional characteristics and leadership behaviours.

Become an expert executive leader

Executive leadership requires leaders to think and act across multiple schools, teams and communities.

Effective executive leaders establish a shared strategic direction while recognising the different contexts and needs of individual schools. They create organisational cultures that support improvement, develop leadership capacity and ensure people, systems and resources work together effectively.

They must also be able to manage complexity, implement change across an organisation and make evidence-informed strategic decisions that improve outcomes at scale.

Through NPQEL, participants develop the specialist knowledge needed to:

  • Establish and communicate a compelling organisational vision

  • Lead improvement across multiple schools

  • Implement change within complex organisations

  • Apply ethical principles and executive leadership behaviours

  • Establish a strong culture and shared ethos

  • Promote consistently high expectations across schools

  • Improve teaching, curriculum and assessment at scale

  • Support pupils with additional needs and special educational needs or disabilities

  • Develop leaders and build organisational capacity

  • Manage cross-school teams, systems and resources

  • Work effectively with boards, governors and external partners

  • Strengthen governance and accountability

  • Review and evaluate performance across an organisation

  • Make informed, evidence-based strategic decisions

  • Lead sustainable organisational growth and improvement

A practical programme designed around executive leadership

NPQEL brings together expert-led training, online study, practical activities, formative assessment and leadership performance coaching.

The programme gives participants regular opportunities to apply their learning to genuine organisational priorities. Practice-led activities may be undertaken within the participant’s own school or organisation, or in another school where appropriate.

Learning explores:

  • School improvement and implementation

  • Ethical principles and executive leadership behaviours

  • Leading change across complex organisations

  • School culture and behaviour

  • Professional development

  • Teaching, curriculum and assessment

  • Additional needs and SEND

  • Organisational management

  • Partnership working

  • Governance and accountability

  • Readiness for executive leadership

Participants also have access to expert talks from respected education and industry leaders.

Flexible remote delivery for international leaders

The programme can be completed fully online, making it accessible to executive and aspiring executive leaders worldwide.

Virtual face-to-face events provide structured opportunities for expert input, practical activities, professional dialogue and collaboration with leaders from different international contexts. Online learning is completed flexibly around participants’ professional commitments.

Participants also benefit from:

  • Expert-led training

  • Access to high-quality, evidence-informed resources

  • Global professional networking

  • Practical activities rooted in multi-school leadership

  • Personalised one-to-one coaching

  • A structured Leadership Development Record

  • Expert talks from education and industry leaders

  • Dedicated readiness and review activities

  • Opportunities to reflect on and demonstrate organisational impact

The NPQ certificate awarded to international participants is identical to the certificate received by participants completing the qualification in England.

Leadership performance coaching

Participants complete six hours of personalised one-to-one leadership performance coaching during the programme.

Coaching helps participants connect their learning to the demands of executive leadership and apply evidence-informed approaches to strategic organisational priorities.

It also provides dedicated time to reflect on leadership behaviours, professional development needs and readiness to lead across multiple schools.

The final coaching activity is an impact review completed before the summative assessment.

Assessment

Participants complete formative, practice-led assessment activities throughout the programme. These activities allow them to apply their learning, receive feedback and demonstrate its impact within their organisation.

The final summative assessment is based on a case-study scenario. Participants are given an eight-day assessment window in which to prepare and submit a written response of no more than 1,500 words.

To pass the qualification, participants must:

  • Engage with at least 90% of the required programme elements

  • Complete the required Leadership Development Record reviews

  • Participate in the virtual face-to-face events

  • Complete the required online practice activities

  • Undertake the formative assessment tasks

  • Engage in leadership performance coaching

  • Submit and pass the final case-study assessment

Benefits for participants

Completing NPQEL will help participants to:

  • Build the confidence and expertise needed for executive leadership

  • Develop greater awareness of their executive leadership behaviours

  • Lead improvement across several schools

  • Implement change within complex organisations

  • Make informed, evidence-based strategic decisions

  • Develop other leaders and build organisational capacity

  • Manage cross-school teams, systems and resources effectively

  • Review and evaluate performance across an organisation

  • Respond confidently to complex strategic challenges

  • Access international networking and partnership opportunities

  • Gain a portable qualification valued by schools in England and internationally

  • Earn 100 Master’s credits that may support progression to an MBA or other postgraduate study

Successful participants may progress into roles such as executive headteacher, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, regional director or leader of an international school group.

Benefits for schools and organisations

Supporting a leader to complete NPQEL can help an organisation to:

  • Develop and retain executive leadership talent

  • Support effective leadership succession

  • Strengthen strategic leadership across several schools

  • Build leadership capacity throughout the organisation

  • Establish coherent approaches to improvement

  • Improve collaboration and partnership between schools

  • Strengthen governance and accountability

  • Make more effective use of people, systems and resources

  • Embed evidence-informed strategic decision-making

  • Increase the organisation’s capacity to manage growth and change

  • Create sustainable improvements for pupils and staff

Delivery partnership

Educational Success Partners works in partnership with Best Practice Network, a Department for Education-licensed NPQ provider, to make nationally recognised professional qualifications accessible to teachers and leaders in British and international schools worldwide.

Best Practice Network has extensive experience of delivering NPQs and supporting thousands of educators. Together, ESP and Best Practice Network combine high-quality, evidence-informed professional development with flexible remote delivery and a practical understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by international schools.

Programme fee

The programme fee is £5,950, which includes admission, tuition, assessment and the final award of the NPQEL upon successful completion.

 Self-funding candidates will be subject to 20% UK VAT.

Apply for the autumn 2026/27 cohort

Applications for the autumn 2026/27 cohort must be received by 23:59 UK time on 25 October 2026.

Prospective participants should discuss the programme with their line manager, board chair or another appropriate senior colleague before applying.

Consider your professional goals, readiness for executive leadership and how your participation will benefit your organisation, schools, colleagues and pupils.

For more information about NPQEL or to apply email Mark Bignell on mark@espeducation.co.uk.