1. NPQonline - Final Assessment

2. What is final assessment?
At the end of your NPQ course, you will submit a written account of your project(s) for assessment
The assessment determines whether you have met the required standard
You will also need to have demonstrated good attendance and engagement to your provider

3. What do I need to prepare?
A handbook is available to guide you through the process
You will also need to use the NPQonline submission proforma
You will need to collect evidence throughout your NPQ course that you meet the assessment criteria
Where you do not have evidence for a criterion, you should seek opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities which will create the proof you require
To begin with, it is difficult to know what evidence to collect. It is recommended you collect what is available to you, as it often cannot be recreated at a later time

4. SAI, LWI and WiP are assessed in both tasks.
What is assessed?
Words
Number of curriculum areas assessed
NPQML
4,500 6
NPQSL
5,000
NPQH task 1
4,000 4
NPQH task 2
2,500 2
NPQEL task 1 5
6 (9)
SAI, LWI and WiP are assessed in both tasks.
NPQEL task 2

5. Where can I find out what is assessed?
Search online for the NPQ Content and Assessment Framework. This lists the assessment criteria alongside the curriculum, for example:

6. How is this used to assess me?
NPQonline produces assessment proformas which include the assessment criteria, key questions and assessor questions:

7. Example: NPQML TCE (Teaching and curriculum excellence)
Key questions:
How have you used what you have found out about practice in other schools to recognise strengths and improve weaknesses in the curriculum taught by your team?
How have you used evidence to implement a project across your team which improves pupil progress and attainment, and then evaluated its success?

8. Example: NPQML TCE (Teaching and curriculum excellence)
Questions to aid assessment Has this participant: • Analysed research into and examples of a range of strategies and approaches to teaching and pedagogy in England? • Analysed research into and examples of a range of strategies and approaches to teaching and pedagogy internationally? • Used their findings within their own plans? • Evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum taught by their team, and implemented improvements if necessary? • Implemented an evidence-based project to improve pupil progress and attainment? • Evaluated their project?

9. Can I include other documents?
At each level, you are required to attach a list of specified documents. For NPQH this includes:
Pupil performance data
Sponsor comments
Presentation recording and feedback
Communications/ stakeholder engagement strategy
Curriculum-led budget
You may also attach other documents as appendices. Whilst these are of unlimited length, if they are too long your assessor may not have time to consider them properly.

10. What does my sponsor have to write?
For NPQML, NPQSL and NPQH task 1, your sponsor will need to write comments on one, or two of the assessment criteria.
For NPQSL these are:
3.2.1 Evaluates research into, and examples of, leadership and motivation and/or influence and applies findings to motivate or influence others across the school.
4.2.1 Establishes and sustains partnerships that build capability and/or improve performance in priority areas for the school

11. How do I meet the standard?
You must provide enough evidence based on your project and your wider leadership, to demonstrate your competency at the level you are working at.
Final assessment standard met
Each curriculum area
The predominant number of assessment criteria are assessed as Standard achieved
Overview
Information is used to support assessment in the curriculum areas, and is not assessed as a separate area
Overall
Each curriculum area assessed is judged as Standard achieved (see below)
Borderline
A minority of assessment criteria are achieved in one curriculum area;
A supporting document does not include expected content;
The strength of evidence in one curriculum area is weak, whilst the other curriculum areas are strong.

12. How might I not meet the standard?
Final assessment standard not met
Each curriculum area
A minority of assessment criteria are assessed as Standard achieved
or an important aspect is absent or misconstrued or there is a prevalent misconception
or a key supporting document does not contain enough expected or required information
or the evidence does not indicate the participant is a credible leader at the level being assessed
or the project and other evidence of leadership, taken together, indicate the participant is operating as a leader significantly below the standard usually expected
or there are significant negative indicators within the submission script, sponsor comments or appendices
or there are significant errors, or presentation which makes the submission difficult to read or to make sense of. For example, appendices reduced in size below what can be read without enlargement.
Overview
This section is not assessed, and does not contribute to a standard not being met
Overall
Two or more curriculum areas do not meet the standard
or one or more curriculum areas contains information which indicate unacceptable risk should the standard be awarded. For example, safeguarding or serious misconception.

13. How will I know how to access the site?
You will receive log-on details well in advance of your assessment
The most up-to-date documents can be downloaded from the site
Upload your completed assessment submission within the two-week period specified by your provider

14. What happens next?
Within four weeks of the end of the upload window, you will be sent the outcome of your assessment
It will include developmental advice
If you have not met the standard, you will have the chance to improve your submission, and to re-submit for further assessment. There will be an additional charge for this process.
If your submission has a technical error, it will be returned to you unassessed to put right. There will be no additional charge in these circumstances to re-upload your submission.

15. Summary
Your Provider will give you a date by which you should have completed your Final Assessment.
If things get in the way, and you need to delay your final assessment submission beyond the date given, speak to your provider about the options available to you.
You will upload your completed final assessment submission form to the NPQonline website in a window decided by your provider. NPQonline will assess your submission and send the outcome and feedback directly to you within four weeks. Your Provider will be sent a summary of the outcomes for the group.
If you do not meet all of the technical requirements for submitting, such as including required documentation, the submission will be returned to you to add the missing document or change as appropriate.