Growing Together NPQ Spotlight - Matt Carlin

In this blog series, we shine a spotlight on the NPQ courses we have on offer in partnership with Teach First, including showcasing some of our fantastic programme members.

Today’s post is a spotlight on… Matt Carlin is Head of History at Elthorne Park High School, West London. Matt has completed his NPQ in Leading Teaching (NPQLT).

Growing Together at Aldridge Education has an excellent relationship with the staff at Elthorne Park High School, many of their fantastic leaders completing their NPQ course with us. One of these is Matt who leads the History department. He has been an insightful and member of the cohort , gaining his promotion whilst completing the qualification, and we were delighted when he agreed to share his story with us!

Why did you want to complete an NPQ? 

The school I work in openly promotes the NPQ to enhance the continued professional development of its staff. As I researched further into contents and skills an NPQLT course would cover, it was clear that taking the course would enhance my professional development. The primary appeal of the course was the ability to grow my understanding of education theory, effective teaching and learning methods for pupils, and embedding effective leadership strategies when in a position of leadership.     

How has the NPQ impacted your work in school? 

It is through the mid-point of my NPQ course that my school appointment me as Head of History. My vision for the role has been largely influenced by the modular readings from the Teach First platform, Brightspace, and the sharing of best practice with other teachers and Curriculum Leads in monthly Teach First seminars. One key elements of this vision is reorganising the nature of assessment to content remains in students’ long-term memory.  Another key feature is to continue to embed adaptive teaching strategies to ensure greater equity in access to learning for young people. A key lesson from the course has been to not only have an implementation plan, but ensure the plan can be both flexible and sustainable.     

What are you hoping to do next with what you have learnt from the course? 

The most exciting challenge is how to apply the research learnt from the course, to promote greater outcomes in our own practice as a History department and share this with other faculties. I wish to continue working with Teach First/Aldridge Education, and would like to complete an NPQ in senior leadership in the future. 

What are the main reasons someone should consider completing a Teach First/Aldridge Education NPQ? 

The support received throughout the course has been phenomenal. The Brightspace modules for reading completion are clear to follow and clearly divided into different teaching and learning modules. Each module is supported by a seminar in which you are able to share reflections on your readings and best practice with other course participants. The Aldridge team are extremely helpful in providing necessary guidance for both post-seminar reflections and the overall task assignment. I would also fortunate to have a 1:1 supervisor with whom I would discuss the contents of my previous seminar, and how the scenarios discussed could apply to my own school setting. On the course, I was able to attend two in-person all-day seminars at Aldridge schools and network with colleagues in the profession. Finally, Teach First/Aldridge staff are always prompt into responding with regards any admin issues or queries.     

Matt completed his NPQLT in the Autumn and is waiting for his assessment results. Best of luck to him and his future career aspirations! We hope to welcome him back on his NPQSL in the future.

Does this sound like the next step in your career? Or could there be a different leadership course for you? Find out more information about our courses and how to apply here: https://aldridgeeducation.org/myNPQ/ or get in touch with a member of the Growing Together team at GrowingTogether@aldridgeeducation.org.

By joining one of our NPQ courses, educators can unlock their leadership potential and make a significant impact on education, empowering students and shaping the future of learning. We offer a range of NPQ courses, including NPQLT (Leading Teaching), NPQLL (Leading Literacy), NPQLTD (Leading Teacher Development), NPQLBC (Leading Behaviour and Culture), NPQ for SENCOs (NPQSEN), NPQSL (Senior Leadership), and NPQH (Headship).

No matter where you are in your career, we have a course that's right for you.