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 around Resources and Risk.
2. A much deeper understanding of strategy and the importance of strategic actions. Your words on that from one of the face-to-face days ring loud in my ear!
3. Vision and values. I’ve learnt just how much a HT prints on a school in all that they do. I was really lucky, by placement was with John Rowlands at Manchester Communication Academy. His vision is very tangible in school. I learnt lots from that.
4. The coaching. Again I felt really lucky. The coach really challenged me, but also understood me.
5. Finally - it’s the care. This course clearly really matters to everyone involved. It’s not just a course. Better leaders first, eh!

When I started the course it annoyed me that NPQH was often an essential on a job spec. Now it terrifies me that anyone would ever try and run a school without it!!

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 members of staff are able to understand their role as senior leader more already and I can tell they are applying their learning through the conversation I am having with them and ones I hear them having with other colleagues. Thank you so much!

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 appointment!

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 three online courses (which form part of the study towards the qualification), have been rooted in theory and research. Course leaders have gone to extraordinary lengths to provide the highest quality resources from a multitude of sources such as the DfE, Ofsted and the EEF, to name just a few. The extracts think pieces and case studies of practice have really strengthened my knowledge base and allowed me to apply theory to practice. In addition, the research has provided me with useful templates to use in my own leadership in my school setting. The face-to-face days have provided opportunities to network with other leaders and work together in high order tasks. Course leaders, such as Yvonne and Vanessa, really challenged my thinking whilst providing a supportive, confidence-building environment to develop in. Completing the NPQH gave me the self-assurance to apply for, and subsequently be accepted to study for, a PhD in Education and Psychology. Without going through the NPQH process, I doubt I would have thought it possible that my future career could be rooted in educational research. Thank you unreservedly to the Best Practice Network/Outstanding Leaders Partnership team for delivering an inspirational NPQH programme.

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 really helped me prepare for the interview. I could plan how to discuss issues from a strategic perspective, as well as frame plans I had for the school, and how I would establish myself as the new Head Teacher. It gave me a language and a confidence boost so that when I was speaking, I could communicate like a Head Teacher in waiting. Thank you for everything that everyone is doing (especially my Online Tutor and my Coach) to help support me.

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 feedback during all the online assessment courses. From speaking to other candidates at the face-to-face days, I realise how lucky I was to have had a tutor who really challenged me to think about each of my leadership behaviours. I would also like to say a huge thank you to my two event day facilitators, who again taught me so much and challenged me to become a better leader. Thank you both for sharing all your invaluable leadership knowledge.

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 know that I have the strong skills and drive to confidently move to a systemic leadership position within a federation or MAT.

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 leadership behaviours, used Watkins model for the first 100 days and more. I felt so confident because of my reading and the work we’ve done on the tasks, face-to-face days and my projects. Thank you for your support and encouragement- it really helped.

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

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 sure up rapid improvement whilst deeply evaluating all aspects of provision modelling am an evidence-based approach to all leaders. I have also developed resilience, self-awareness and resourcefulness through the partnerships I have created.

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!

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 possible risks and how these can be addressed to reduce the possibility and impact on my project and the children’s learning. Following the completion of my project, I will continue to apply these skills throughout my journey as a leader and feel that they will be very valuable to my progression.

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 fantastic, the level of challenge was spot on and provision for distant learners was particularly helpful. Thank you to all who helped me on this journey.

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 the education & enrichment of the students. I feel like I can lead change and challenge the status quo, and in a manner that is sensitive and in partnership with stakeholders.

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 also was very helpful as I was able to see new ways in which we could improve our professional development.

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 resources and joining the group discussions has supported my own growth mind set. I can now see the bigger picture of a changing educational landscape.

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 this course, and it has given me much time to reflect on the way I’ve dealt with situations too.

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 learning together very effectively.

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 understood what was required of us and could see the benefit of the tasks to our staff and students.

"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 the course expectations). At times when it was tricky to balance & prioritise the demands of the course within a busy working week, I drew real motivation from the facilitators and valued the time to refocus and become re-enthused! A lot of that was about the delivery, as well as the content delivered. I found the facilitators to be interesting, informed and inspirational!
Although the online learning modules were very rich in content and substance, without doubt, the greatest opportunities for my own professional growth and reflection were provided during those contact days. The time, vision, energy and ‘golden nuggets’ of experience & wisdom that both of my facilitators (Sally Bishop & Des Taylor) readily imparted were hugely important and a significant motivating factor in keeping me on track with the NPQH projects, reflection and learning. I always felt rejuvenated and refocused after a day with you both in lovely Luton."