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Leadership That Multiplies Capacity: Delivering NPQs With Impact

By Martin Nugent • 2021-02-02

Make leadership development practical, coached and tied to live school problems.

Case Study • Leadership That Multiplies Capacity: Delivering NPQs With Impact

The first NPQ session felt tense. By lunchtime leaders were speaking in the language of solvable problems. The brief was clear. Make the programme change daily practice, not just add certificates.

We linked every module to a live problem of practice. Leaders rehearsed instructional routines, ran short learning visits and gave precise feedback in under five minutes. Data meetings focused on a small set of pupils and next steps rather than headline numbers.

We aligned HR processes to the culture. Promotion criteria were published early and coaching cycles were protected. Participants learned to run supportive accountability meetings that balanced clarity and care.

A turning point arrived when an assistant head used the coaching framework to reset a difficult relationship. She rebuilt planning routines with the teacher and saw the impact in lessons. Leadership is leverage when it multiplies the capacity of others.

By year end, more posts were filled internally, line management felt consistent and classroom visits increased in frequency while feeling less threatening. Exam outcomes improved in several subjects.

Why it works: the EEF finds that sustained, practice focused CPD with coaching outperforms one off training. Instructional leadership that is frequent and precise strengthens teaching and outcomes.

Context

This work began with a clear problem of practice and a simple test: could we see visible change in classrooms within two weeks? We focused on routines that staff could implement reliably and we removed anything that did not serve teaching time.

What we changed

  • Clear non‑negotiables: we set a small number of behaviours and rehearsed them with staff until they became ordinary.
  • Coaching not courses: short cycles tied to live units, with leaders visiting briefly and often.
  • Evidence we would actually use: pupil work, short pulses and calm pacing in lessons.

Human moments

There were small turning points that mattered. A parent at the gate who needed clarity more than language. A new colleague who practised the opening five minutes of a lesson twice with a mentor and walked in confident the next day. These moments turned strategy into culture.

Impact

  • More consistent routines reduced lost learning time.
  • Curriculum conversations became specific and useful.
  • Pupil work showed clearer modelling and better independent practice.

Why this works

Approaches that combine clarity, coaching and aligned assessment are associated with stronger outcomes in UK and international settings. They help teachers do fewer things well and sustain improvement over time.

Lessons for leaders and investors

  • Prioritise programme quality through skilled facilitation and coaching capacity, not only participant numbers.
  • Protect participants' time to apply learning in school through planned implementation tasks and mentoring support.
  • Use evidence-informed content with careful adaptation by phase and setting, avoiding one-size-fits-all delivery.
  • Track impact beyond completion rates, including changes in practice, retention and measurable outcomes over time.
  • Agree partnership expectations with schools on release time, line management support and accountability for application.

Sources and further reading

Selected links to expand on the themes in this article.