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Who we are

Outstanding Leaders Partnership (OLP) is a national network of over 100 Teaching School Hubs, Multi-Academy Trusts, Dioceses and schools groups. We work together to design, develop and deliver professional development for the education workforce. 

We are the leading provider of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs)  for school leadership in the country.  Our NPQ license has recently been renewed by the DfE to develop and deliver the reformed suite of NPQs, including 4 Specialist NPQs alongside 4 leadership NPQs.   We are also an approved national training provider for the Early Career Framework reforms. 

Our qualifications are all designed by serving school leaders and subject matter experts to form a clear learning pathway. The combination of online courses, face-to-face events and enrichment practice activity create a truly blended learning experience for teachers and school leaders throughout their careers.

What we do

Accredited by the Department for Education, OLP is a leading provider of the National Professional Qualifications (NPQs). We help improve the capability, confidence and capacity of thousands of teachers and school leaders, impacting the life chances of millions of pupils.   

We are also proud to be a DfE accredited provider to deliver training for Early Career Teachers and their in-school Mentors through the Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms. 

Explore our website to see the range of programmes we offer. 

Key principles of the Outstanding Leaders Partnership

  • Personalisation and choice
  • Flexible delivery to focus on the development needs of learners
  • Quality and relevance of qualification design and delivery
  • Empowering self-improvement and leadership impact
  • Contributing to the strategic improvement landscape

The partnership is managed by Best Practice Network (BPN), an accredited and award-winning national organisation that specialises in professional development training.

So far this academic year, we will provide training

to

8000

Candidates

across

2700

Schools

with

100

Partners

across

60

Countries

via

6

NPQ Programmes

Take a National Professional Qualification (NPQ)

A new suite of specialist NPQs for teachers looking to specialise in areas such as Leading Teaching, Leading Behaviour & Culture and Leading Teacher Development in their school.  
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The reformed National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL) provides recognition of leadership development and professional achievement for senior school leaders.
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The reformed National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) is the first choice qualification for anyone aspiring to be a headteacher.
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The reformed National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL) provides an opportunity for headteachers taking the next step to executive leadership with responsibility for more than one school.
Find out more

What our candidates, partners and network are saying about

Outstanding Leaders Partnership

Neil Coe
NPQH Rochdale Spring 2019

I have secured a headship in a secondary school in Bolton from September 2021 and in terms of the impact of NPQH - it’s a number of things for me:

1. Knowledge that I didn’t have. Especially ar...

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Rebecca Lyon
Headteacher, Barkston and Syston Church of England Primary School

I would like to express how delighted we are as a school with the NPQSL so far. I have two members of staff participating and the skills and knowledge they have gained so far is incredible. Both membe...

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Truon Ellis
NPQH Participant

The NPQH has been invaluable in terms of the theory and reading I have undertaken - this was picked up during the interview so I can safely say that the course has played a key role in my new appointm...

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Jenna Bradford
NPQH Candidate, Autumn 2019

Embarking on the NPQH course in September 2019 was a daunting prospect. Having said that, the NPQH has proved to be the best CPD I have received during my time as a teacher and leader in school. The t...

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Karen Ayres
NPQH Autumn 2019

After only a term on NPQH, I secured Headship post at my current school after quite a grilling interview! I have to say the Strategy and Improvement module online tasks and the associated reading real...

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Rayna Glickman
NPQSL Candidate, Autumn 2018

I would just like to say a huge thank you to Best Practice Network for all the support and guidance given throughout the NPQSL course. My online tutor helped me immensely with her constructive feedbac...

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I feel that the course has given me new skills, knowledge, confidence and resilience to work in my role, share best practice and engage in genuine and meaningful collaboration with other schools. I kn...

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Gaynor Jones
NPQH Candidate

I got the headship! There were 19 applicants, 6 on the day and 4 for face-to-face interviews. The course was absolutely instrumental in my success at interview - I used my vision, talked about leade...

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Dominic Wilkes
NPQH Candidate

I'm so glad I did my NPQH with OLP, rather than another provider. Made it so real and prepared me so well.

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Danielle Scott
NPQH Candidate

Without this qualification, I would certainly not have been able to navigate through my first year of headship and all the challenges that were thrown at me. This helped me develop a strategic plan to...

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Timothy Patteson
NPQH Candidate

It has had a huge impact! I now have greater knowledge of whole-school leadership and how to manage change. I now also feel confident in managing whole-school finances/budgets!

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Kiana Erskine
NPQML Candidate

This course has been very useful to me as a leader as it is the area of leadership with which I have the least experience. I feel that I have gained a much more secure understanding of identifying pos...

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Anna Keating
NPQH Candidate

I highly recommend Best Practice Network. My personal learning and CPD has had a significant impact on the understanding of how to lead a school. Support network through tutors and forums was fantasti...

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Andrew Funnell
NPQSL Candidate

I genuinely feel like a more confident leader within a school community. The NPQSL course has provided me with practical tools to effectively evaluate my own performance and the impact of my team on t...

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Ena Akinsoyinu
NPQSL Candidate

I have really enjoyed this course. The leading professional development has been my significant leadership learning from this course. This has been a big eye opener, and reading what others are doing ...

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Amanda Costello
NPQEL Candidate

Firstly, I would like to say I have enjoyed engaging with the resources and working group with my peers whilst learning more about ‘Teaching and curriculum Excellence. Using the NPQEL learning resou...

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Joanne Nelson
NPQSL Candidate

I cannot even begin to tell you how beneficial and relevant this unit has been to me personally. It has helped me to get through certain situations far better than I ever would have had I had not done...

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Jo Noble
NPQML Candidate

An outstanding day. The perfect balance between presentation, reflection and activities…Our facilitator is inspirational and manages to get people who don’t know each other working, thinking and l...

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Tanya Thomas
NPQSL Candidate

Today was really refreshing – to spend the time with aspiring leaders with such a range of attributes and understanding was very inspirational. The environment was set up beautifully so that we unde...

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Mary Ann Cooper
NPQH Candidate

"I didn’t have enough self-discipline to fully utilise the online modules but the contact days and the prep work, prior to each contact day, helped hugely in keeping me on track (and better aware of...

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