NPQs help you feel empowered to make your voice heard

Rhys Harris is an English teacher and Lead Practitioner for Reading Strategy at Paignton Academy, a secondary school of over 1,500 students in Devon.

Rhys completed the NPQ in Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD) and NPQ in Senior Leadership (NPQSL) and spoke to us about the knowledge and confidence he has gained from the programmes.

A passion for education

I’ve worked in education for 12 years.

I knew that I wanted to work with young people, right from when I was at university, I just hadn’t worked out what pathway that would take.

I’ve always preferred to “see it first-hand rather than only read about it”. So, I chose to spend a year as a learning support assistant, before going on to work in alternative provision.

This helped me to see the realities some young people grow up with, an experience that I might not have had as a practitioner in a mainstream classroom.

There's a lot of schools in the South West, particularly in coastal towns like Paignton, where many of the pupils experience forms of social deprivation.

Sometimes this creates the impression that challenging behaviour is inevitable, but our students respond well to honest, authentic members of staff.

I never meant to stay at Paignton. I was here for my teacher training, but the community drew me in, and the students are great. This is my school, and I want to help.

Starting the NPQ in Leading Teacher Development

My NPQ journey started from some advice my mentor gave me.

If you want to impact what happens in the classroom on a wider scale, teaching and learning will be the pathway, because you can help the next generation of staffing.

The NPQLTD was perfect for me because I already had a role overseeing initial teacher development at the school and was moving towards working within whole school professional development and quality of education. The NPQ provided a space where I could connect with other people who had relevant experience.

I've been really grateful for the NPQLTD. I’ve gained confidence and insights from experts who have experience beyond what I think I'll ever accomplish in my career, and that wouldn't have happened without the support on my NPQ.

Stepping out of my comfort zone

Doing the NPQSL gave me further confidence to step out of my comfort zone.

You get used to working in a smaller bubble, interacting with one or two teachers at a time and everybody knows who you are. Moving into school leadership, having responsibility across the whole school, is a big change.

The course has given me the self-belief and skills needed to grow into the type of leader that I want to become. It’s helped me to understand how to actually implement the changes that I’ve wanted to make. And how to make sure that these changes are not just a one-off event but an ongoing process.

I don't want my efforts to be like a firework that just fizzles out. I want to grow into a leader who can make effective change.

The NPQ provided those skills to approach implementation from an informed position.

Managing my workload

Teach First understands the pressures and demands for schools, school leaders and teachers.

The courses, the pre-work before seminars and the timeframes for coursework are all manageable and you are given a lot of flexibility.

Managing your studies is easier than you think and it’s ultimately worth the time and capacity that you put into it.

If you want to amplify your voice, do an NPQ

I would recommend NPQs to anyone that is interested.

An NPQ gives you the opportunity to learn and grow. You not only have time to reflect on your practice, but you’re also provided with a collaborative space to work with others and listen to people far more experienced than you are.

You get to spend time with people who are deeply interested in teaching and learning. Everyone is talking about the things you care most about and you’re gaining new knowledge and perspectives that you’ve not had before.

And the real merit of my NPQ experience is that I’ve had the opportunity to apply what I’ve learned.

For example, I’m currently working on a change management project, looking at our whole school reading strategy and the NPQ has allowed me to bypass some of the errors I know I could’ve made.

Now I can speak with confidence and say, 'this is why we are doing XYZ, and here’s the research I’ve applied from my NPQ to back it up'.

If I’m honest, that’s been the best bit about it. It allows me to enter these rooms, that I’m sometimes not comfortable being in yet, but I know that I'm speaking from an informed position and that's a huge boost of confidence.

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