CPD Reflections: Our NPQML Journey

 By Leyla Marasli & Michael Paulus

In August 2020 Leyla and I started our NPQML (National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership) with Teach First. This consists of a number of modules, during which we spent time reading and participating in forums with other middle leaders across the country. The qualification focuses on six key content areas: 1. Strategy and Improvement 2. Teaching & Curriculum Excellence 3. Leading with Impact 4. Working in Partnership 5. Managing Resources and Risks 6. Increasing Capability The NPQML was assessed through one task; leading a school improvement project within our team, lasting at least two terms, aimed at improving pupil progress and/or attainment and improving team capability Our school improvement projects had to

• Be part of the school improvement plan and produce a demonstrable positive impact and sustainable change.
• Reflect on our practical experience and draw upon research obtained through relevant school, local and national data to show how leadership priorities have been determined.
• Apply our learning from the blended learning experiences to demonstrate how our knowledge and expertise about relevant national policy priorities have impacted the project.

Our NPQML projects were titled as follows: MPA: “Raising attainment and progress for Year 9 Business students through an embedded T&L approach” LM: “Working to improve pupil progress and attainment in year 8 and team capability through team planning Year 8 lessons” Both of our projects were primarily aimed at curriculum development through collaborative planning which meant having to work with our teams heavily and ensuring that together we were making high-quality lessons that deliver the intended curriculum. We also needed to measure our improvement using attainment data which meant using the summer examination results of a previous cohort to the current year group to (hopefully) show that our project made a difference! Despite the challenges of the 2020-21 academic year, our projects showed improvements in attainment data, and student voice feedback improved since the project introduction. We also found our teachers involved in the curriculum redevelopment gained from our project; Leyla’s project found that 100% of the team of teachers involved in her project agreed that ‘team planning helped them develop their confidence in lesson planning.’ We both found the NPQML process made us consider the crucial change-management processes needed to effectively implement a sustained change in our respective departments. We enjoyed the TeachFirst modules and the conversations we had as a result. I would strongly recommend applying for one of the NPQ opportunities! It’s definitely a challenge but it is very rewarding in the end!