Queen Katharine Academy Whole School NPQLT

“We have work to do on the quality of teaching. Many of our staff have been here for 20 years, new staff and unqualified staff, and we are investing in them all. Our Principal, who has a strong background in teaching and learning and professional development, is looking for more research and evidence-based thinking. The whole-school NPQLT creates a teacher leaders’ army to spread the word and become ambassadors.” 

 

Queen Katharine Academy, part of Thomas Deacon Education Trust (TDET), has identified a desire for its staff to be “true teaching experts”. To illustrate this, the school has embarked on the Education Endowment Foundation’s Embedding Formative Assessment (EFA) programme, where all teaching staff, and teaching assistants, work together in 10 mixed profile learning groups to improve. These are led by Teaching and Learning Champions, who themselves are part of the first group of teachers studying on the NPQ in Leading Teaching (NPQLT) programme with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub (CPTSH).  

 

Having commenced the NPQLT in January 2024, eight members of Queen Katharine staff are benefitting from the course which is designed for teachers and school leaders who have, or aspire to have, responsibilities for leading teaching. 

 

NPQLT: Working together as a learning community 

Michelle Stratton, Vice Principal – Quality of Education at Queen Katharine Academy, has managed the whole-school NPQLT with CPTSH. 

“The programme has worked extremely well for us, delivered through face-to-face meetings after school, which have been really valuable and staff have been really engaged,” she said. “Working together as a learning community – our Teaching and Learning Champions, with the EFA leading into practice as well – has been so effective. On the NPQLT cohort we have new teachers in their first two years, through to one who has 20 years’ experience and completed a Master’s in Education but wanted a refresh. A number of staff are completely new to leadership, but curriculum co-ordinators have become more prepared, understanding teaching and learning outside and inside the classroom.” 

Michelle highlighted the growing confidence of colleagues on the programme as it progressed, inspired by NPQLT facilitator Henry Sauntson. “Initially CPTSH, which also runs our ECT Appropriate Body service, did a training session with us and they asked how we would feel about running an NPQ in-house so it went from there,” she explained. “Staff, who are also part of the EFA programme, have volunteered or been encouraged to do the NPQLT so they have an intrinsic motivation. Henry, as a facilitator, has been really positive. The content has been more local and personal than some online programmes, whilst also bringing wider geographical context. All this has been done with our Teacher Coach, who is responsible for all teacher coaching and oversees the running of the NPQLT.” 

 

Inspiring higher level conversation, via a personal approach 

“It has been good for staff to have a higher level conversation on teaching and learning and the curriculum, and also for starting conversations here,” Michelle said. “For example, the cognitive science insight has been really valuable. This sparked the team right at the start, Henry did his slides and whiteboards, and they put into own views which made for a lively discussion, and the dynamic really brought it to life.” 

With TDET publishing a commitment to become “an employer of choice by investing in our employees so that we have the best People working for us”, CPTSH’s NPQLT also fits the wider ambitions of the Peterborough-based trust. 

“I have done an NPQH with another provider, which has been impersonal; but with CPTSH it is more local, more personal, and more cosy in a way,” Michelle revealed. “Any telephone or email query is resolved quickly, and it is just a great all-round relationship. The NPQLT face-to-face conference days, which we have hosted here, have been really enjoyable and the seminars have been arranged around us. It has been more collaborative than I have experienced elsewhere.” 

 

Developing individual, and departmental, teaching practice 

For Suzie Hudson, curriculum development coordinator and teacher of geography at Queen Katharine, the NPQLT has provided an opportunity to “improve my ability to influence and guide other teachers in more effective pedagogy”.  

Reflecting on the programme, she said: “I have applied the learning from the course in so many ways. Not just in improving my own teaching practice, but also in encouraging and mentoring other teachers and colleagues to plan resources and teach more effectively.  

“The modules on Implementation (how to successful implement change within your school and strategies which can be used to plan, prepare, deliver and sustain change to benefit your school community) and School Culture (communicating shared values to colleagues) have really stood out. I have also greatly benefited from the group seminars and discussions with other colleagues after each unit of study. 

“There have been many impacts on my teaching. For me, a lot of the teaching and learning knowledge and skills have been a re-cap from my recent ITT and ECT training. I have started to engage more in formative assessment, honed my exit and entry routines and behaviour management, and felt more confident in my lesson planning and curriculum development.  

“I would recommend the NPQLT to others. It is an excellent course to recap on already learnt knowledge and skills, as well as an avenue through which to learn more about management skills and leading others in excellent pedagogical practice.” 

Meanwhile, subject leader for drama Tina Allen, commented: “Being able to discuss ideas with teachers that work in the same school has been such a valuable experience. The NPQLT has helped me to reflect on my own practice and embed ideas into teaching and department strategies. As each session/unit focuses on a different idea there has been a lot of different concepts to think about. Reflecting upon ‘how pupils learn’ and adapting resources and strategies accordingly has been rewarding, and I would definitely recommend the programme to others. It does not matter if you have taught for a short while or a long time. It is still relevant and is something that you can do in your own setting which makes it much more practical.” 

 

Growing culture, growing the team 

Michelle concluded that the impact of the NPQLT, and how it informs Queen Katharine’s approach to “growing culture, growing the team”, meant they would likely seek opportunities to run another whole-school cohort in 2025. 

“It was not long into the programme that we realised it could be really powerful,” she reflected. “Now we have a body of eight members of staff who are enthused, who are inspired, and who can deliver CPD peer on peer. In future years we will also look at investment in coaching for them. As well as the NPQLT, which will be beneficial for future members of our Teaching and Learning Champions network, we may also look at the NPQLBC, as we are part of a behaviour hub and there is a lot of work to do there too.” 

Michelle added: “The impact on students is to come – but it is a by-product of more informed staff. If we get our staff in the right place, where they are more engaged in teaching and learning, you can expect better lessons and student outcomes. In the learning walks we are undertaking on assessment for learning, we are seeing a strong start to lessons, better intended learning, and the influence of the NPQLT in English and Maths departments in particular. Having the NPQLT in person, going through it together in the same context, makes such a massive difference to have how we have experienced it and worked with it. As Vice Principal you feel we are getting longevity from it, and a sense of belonging in the process.” 

 

To find out more about our Whole School/Trust NPQ programme please click here