Empowering teachers with NPQs: building a stronger Trust-wide maths curriculum

“Instead of bringing 120 teachers together once or twice a year, we've now got a core team of coaches and ambassadors in our schools, that work together and drive the maths curriculum right across the Trust thanks to the NPQ”, says Charmayne Leggett, Meridian Trust’s Director of Mathematics.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub has delivered a range of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) to develop teachers throughout their careers. NPQs complete the Department for Education’s ‘golden thread’, bridging the period of a teacher’s career between Early Career Teachers and Headship positions.

Since launching in 2021, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub has supported almost 800 teachers across the region to complete their NPQ, from specialist qualifications for teachers and school leaders who want to broaden their expertise in particular areas, or leadership qualifications for those looking to progress into senior leadership and beyond.

While NPQs are courses for individuals, they are now being used by teams across multi-academy trusts, acting as a key pillar to drive improvements across their schools, teams and curriculums.

Charmayne Leggett, Director of Mathematics at Meridian Trust, and her team are on a mission to improve the mathematics curriculum in all schools and phases of education across the Trust over the next five years. As a team of three, they chose to complete the NPQ for Leading Teacher Development to help drive this ambitious plan.

The NPQ: A Catalyst for Curriculum Development

“The NPQ programme provided a valuable framework for building strong foundations for teacher development within and across the Trust”, Charmayne said.

“It helped us shift the focus away from individual personal development towards a more systematic approach, particularly within our mathematics curriculum.

“The NPQ championed coaching as a tool for nurturing our teachers and expertise, and helped to foster a collaborative culture of support and mentorship.

“Instead of bringing together 120 teachers a few times a year, we’ve now got a core team of ambassadors in our schools, that work together and drive the curriculum.”

“This helps share a consistent vision, best practice, challenges, and opportunities, and creates a healthier, more sustainable and engaged team. It helps to build future leaders within the Trust from within the teams – another important factor in retaining high quality teachers and delivering improvements now and in the future.”

Tailored Support

“The NPQ was practical and went beyond a one-size-fits-all approach – it actively supported the curriculum development project that we were already working on. It helped us learn and put this into practice at the same time.

“Surprisingly, and reassuringly for anyone who is reluctant to commit to an NPQ, it isn’t as time consuming as you might think it is because of this link to real-life projects.

“I would also highly recommend completing the NPQ as a group or team – it really adds value and allows you to put learning into practice in a more collaborative way.

“It was tailored to, and adaptable to our needs – collectively and individually. As with any course, it provided us with the ability to learn, challenge and improve our practice and understanding, led, and guided by experienced school leaders.

“It was important to us that the training supported our curriculum development plans – not just helping individuals gain the qualification.

“Our teachers who completed the NPQ now act as facilitators and "ambassadors" of professional development within their schools.

“This creates a ripple effect – and helps to embed the learning, improvements and culture across our schools.”

Collaboration is Key

“The NPQ brought our teachers together and exposed them to different school phases and challenges outside of their usual environment.

“They have all developed their own professional knowledge about how to structure good CPD. We could all go ahead and now do this in our own way, but by completing this collectively we have a shared knowledge that makes us think wider and differently.

“Working with primary colleagues or colleagues in post 16, colleagues who we wouldn’t normally work with, and considering how our schools can work closely to support each other was incredibly valuable. It empowered us to contribute and benefit from a broader, more collaborative approach.”

Sustainable Leadership

“Now we have completed the Leading Teacher Development NPQ, it doesn’t stop there.

“As the new curriculum takes shape, the goal is to empower more teachers to contribute its development. We are already starting to see some of the impact from having a group of curriculum leaders driving improvements.

“At the very least, we know that we will have a group of teachers in different schools who have greater awareness of what support and development can be available and the impact this can have.

“We also hope it will spur others on to complete further NPQs and personal development – individually, in their schools and across the Trust. For example, it would be great to see how other areas of schools and the Trust develop by taking the learnings from this approach.”

“We hope it creates leaders for the future and encourages others to follow suit. And, ultimately, energise, improve and better support the maths curriculum across the Trust now and long into the future.”

To find out more about the NPQs available through Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub, please click here.