--- title: "National Professional Qualification in Leading Literacy" description: "The National Professional Qualification in Leading Literacy from Shaw Education Trust equips teachers and education leaders in the North West of England and Staffordshire with the skills to drive literacy improvement across their school or trust. Develop expertise in leading literacy teaching and learning through this fully accredited NPQ programme" url: "https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-in-leading-literacy" school: "Shaw Education Trust" --- # National Professional Qualification in Leading Literacy (NPQLL) **Who should apply:** - ***Be a middle or senior leader;*** - ***Be responsible for leading English, leading reading or leading literacy across the curriculum;*** - ***Ideally suited to participants who want to further develop their knowledge of developing whole school reading, writing, spoken language*** ![](https://shaw-education.org.uk/images/logo/ambition-institute/Ambition-logo.png)We are a proud Delivery Partner of the education charity Ambition Institute delivering the NPQ in **Leading Literacy.** Poor literacy skills are a significant barrier for young people in progressing in all aspects of their education. In 12 months, participants will become an expert in literacy and leadership and enable young people to benefit from the curriculum to improve their chances of success. **By completing this training you will:** > Gain a National Profession Qualification (NPQ) in Leading Literacy > Access the latest evidence-based learning in literacy development > Support colleagues to champion literacy > Study at a time and pace that suits your existing timetable. **Why this programme?** Ambition Institute has designed this ground-breaking NPQ to help you learn the essential knowledge and skills to successfully lead high quality, literacy development and teaching in your school. Ambition’s approach uses the latest research to help you put your learning into practice. You’ll train alongside other literacy leaders with similar responsibilities. This National Professional Qualification (NPQ) was **developed by** the **Department for Education (DfE)**. Each of the NPQs share the same common language and framework to help drive improvement across schools and other educational settings. With no project work and minimal time out of school, this NPQ is designed to fit around your busy timetable. [![](https://shaw-education.org.uk/images/images/ioe/npq/IoE_CTA_2.png)](https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=48aZkktFFECRk1vXiMa8-q5GfjllFKtIl1JgKPi83JpUMFQwS1dXWTZITzFWTVRUREs0SzhTQllVTSQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl) ![](https://shaw-education.org.uk/images/logo/ambition-institute/DfE_2955_NPQ_SML_AW.png) **Benefits for you** **Make a real difference** This programme will help you to offer all children in your school access to high-quality literacy in their education. **Excel at literacy leadership** Become a true champion of literacy. You’ll develop a thorough understanding of how you can improve literacy in your subject, phase and school, using the latest evidence-based research. **Build a network** You’ll have the opportunity to connect with other literacy leaders, sharing your experiences and building a strong support network. **Learn at your own pace** This programme is designed to fit with your busy teaching role and can be completed in bite-size chunks around your existing schedule. **Tailor your training** The programme allows you to apply theory to your school context. **Benefits for your school** **Build brighter futures** By expertly championing literacy leadership in your school, you can make sure that every young person has the literacy skills to succeed across all curriculum areas. **Improve literacy at all levels** Participants will work on applying learning and improving literacy across your school and different subject areas – and support colleagues to do this too. **Create a ‘golden thread’** The NPQs are all aligned. Your literacy leaders will benefit from an evidence-based framework with a common language which they can pass on to their colleagues. **Put knowledge into practice** This programme gives literacy leaders a comprehensive and accessible evidence base. This allows them to bridge the gap between what they know and how to apply it effectively in your school, to improve literacy and outcomes for pupils. **Invest in your leaders** By aligning staff professional development with wider school improvement priorities, you can make sure all pupils have access to high quality literacy support in their education. **Curriculum** **What you’ll learn** This programme follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification: Leading Literacy Framework. **You will:** > Learn how to support staff, of all subject specialisms, to develop pupils’ language and literacy skills > Learn how pupils develop aspects of literacy, including: - understanding how children learn to talk, and how developing effective spoken language supports literacy development at every age and stage - understanding how children learn to become fluent readers and how teachers can help with this, from primary all the way through to secondary - exploring the importance of subject-specific vocabulary and different strategies to teaching this - knowing how to support pupils' writing – whether learning to write in primary school, through to writing academically at key stage five > Learn how to support, develop and teach pupils literacy using evidence-informed approaches > Learn how to lead literacy through curriculum, culture and motivation > Understand how effective literacy education can support your school > Contribute to effective professional development for literacy, linking it to teaching, the curriculum and assessment across the school. **Note:** *programme content is subject to change.* **How you’ll learn** Each of the six courses within the programme is taught through a combination of independent self-study modules, a facilitated live clinic, and a peer-led community session. The programme starts with a one-day live conference. **Note:** The programme starts with a one day face to face conference at our Head Office in Stoke-on-Trent. **Assessment** The assessment window starts at the end of the 12-month programme and runs for three months. During this time, you will be given an eight-day window to sit an ‘open book’ style assessment in which you respond to a short case study. There are two assessment windows every year, and you can sit the assessment two times, if you need to. You need to complete the course to qualify for the NPQ accreditation. We will offer a webinar and live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you. **Apply** To register your interest: [National Professional Qualifications (NPQ) \| Shaw Education Trust (shaw-education.org.uk)](https://www.shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq) ### Related News 11 February 2026 #### [The Benefits of Apprenticeships](https://shaw-education.org.uk/news/2026-02-11-the-benefits-of-apprenticeships) 11 June 2024 #### [An Enriching Educational Journey](https://shaw-education.org.uk/news/2024-06-11-an-enriching-educational-journey) 27 March 2024 #### [Cultivating A Positive Environment For Our Colleagues and Students!](https://shaw-education.org.uk/news/2024-03-27-cultivating-a-positive-environment-for-our-colleagues-and-students) [View All News](https://shaw-education.org.uk/news/tag/education%252Cnpq) ### Related Blog Posts 12 February 2026 #### [The Positive Impact of Apprenticeships](https://shaw-education.org.uk/blog/2026-02-12-08-30-the-positive-impact-of-apprenticeships) 11 February 2026 #### [CFO Interview - 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[NPQ: Early Years Leadership](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-in-early-years-leadership) - [NPQ: Headship](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-in-headship) - [NPQ: Leading Behaviour and Culture](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-in-leading-behaviour-and-culture) - [NPQ: Leading Literacy](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-in-leading-literacy) - [NPQ: Leading Teaching](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-in-leading-teaching) - [NPQ: Leading Teacher Development](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-in-leading-teacher-development) - [NPQ: Senior Leadership](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-in-senior-leadership) - Early Headship Coaching Offer - [NPQ: SENCO](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-for-sencos) - [NPQ: Executive Leadership](https://www.ambition.org.uk/programmes/npqel/) - [NPQ: Leading Primary Maths](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/national-professional-qualifications-npq/national-professional-qualification-for-leading-primary-mathematics) - [NPQ \| FAQ](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/faq) - [Early Career Training Programme (ECTP)](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/early-career-framework-ecf) - [Keele and North Staffordshire Teacher Education (KNSTE)](https://shaw-education.org.uk/institute-of-education/initial-teacher-training/itt-primary) - [Calendar](https://shaw-education.org.uk/calendar) ## Follow Us on Social Media [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ShawEducationTrust) [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@shaweducationtrust) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shaw-education-trust) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/shaweducationtrust/) ![Shaw Education Trust](https://files.schudio.com/shaw-education-trust-2/images/logo/set-misc/footer-logo-v1.png) ### Contact Us **Shaw Education Trust** Kidsgrove Secondary School Gloucester Road Kidsgrove ST7 4DL VAT: GB 358822467 Tel: 01782 948259 Company Number: 09067175 ### Our Trust - 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