National Professional Qualifications September 2022 Early Market Engagement

The purpose of this early engagement notice is to notify the market of forthcoming market engagement events relating to the procurement of the full suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) including the proposed introduction of two new NPQs focused on Early Years and on Literacy. The Department will be undertaking two online events between 12 and 15 July 2021 for interested national lead providers to input into the potential implementation of these programmes.

The 2019 Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy which was well received, included a commitment to invest in specialist NPQs to support teachers to develop expertise in particular areas, and to complement existing leadership qualifications. The three specialist qualifications developed, which will launch in Autumn 2021, were NPQs in Leading Teaching; Leading Behaviour and Culture; and Leading Teacher Development.

The Department has also reviewed the full current suite of Leadership NPQs to ensure that they cover the specific knowledge and skills that school leaders need for the future, and will introduce an additional support offer for new headteachers from Autumn 2021.

To ensure national professional qualifications continue to offer the best possible support to teachers and leaders wanting to expand their knowledge and skills, we are currently consulting with sector representatives and other experts on the value of developing additional qualifications in early years education and in teaching literacy, among other potential areas. Successful providers will be required to work within a set of frameworks, that will be designed for any additional qualifications.

It is anticipated that the Department will appoint successful bidders to a national Framework Agreement. The precise scope and duration of the framework is still under consideration.

It is anticipated that lead providers will deliver their service in partnership with other high-quality education training providers including the national network of Teaching School Hubs (TSH). TSH, along with other education training providers, will play a key role in the delivery of the additional NPQs.

The Department recognises that lead providers might need to build their capacity and partnerships over the term of the Framework Agreement. We are therefore proposing to create the flexibility for lead providers to add new delivery partners once they are appointed to the framework.

Additional information: There are two supplier events scheduled to take place in the week commencing 12 July and are anticipated to last between 2 and 3 hours. Please note that a maximum of two people from each organisation can attend each event. For details on how to register to attend, please click on your preferred date.

Procurement is expected to open in November 2021 with contracts being awarded in March 2022. More information on the procurement process will be provided in due course.

This notice is for information only and is not a call for competition.

The Department reserves the right not to enter a formal procurement process and not award contracts. Accordingly, the Authority will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work or effort incurred by a provider in acting on the basis of this PIN.

All future information will be issued to potential providers via the DfE eTendering Portal. Providers can access this system at: https://education.app.jaggaer.com for details of how to register and the terms of free registration.

All information included in this notice is indicative and subject to change.