Growing Together NPQ Spotlight - Ted Bunn

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… the NPQSL (Senior Leadership) and NPQH (Headship) with Ted Bunn. He is a member of the Growing Together team, leading on the ECF. Having passed his NPQSL, he has embarked on the NPQH with our founding cohort. 

 

Hello, my name’s Ted, I am doing the NPQH with Aldridge Education and Teach First. I’ve recently completed the NPQSL, and following such a positive experience, learning and networking, I was keen to jump straight into the next challenge, which was the big one in Headship! 

 

I was never really drawn to the education profession, having my brother and both parents be teachers or headteachers. It’s something I was subconsciously avoiding. But following university, my dreams of being a fighter pilot in tatters (I’m 6 ft 3!), one rainy day I was in the back of a van dressed as a giant Pig (The NatWest Mascot) during a break in play at a cricket international in Wales.

 

And I had just heard from a friend who had been accepted onto Teach First, so I popped a speculative application in. The rest is history! At Teach First, and in my school in Northamptonshire, I found a real cause and sense of belonging, it was a space where I could make a difference and positive contribution to local communities while working with people of similar age and backgrounds. I’ve been hooked ever since. 

 

I wanted to do an NPQ because I love learning and I love developing. Being a Trust Lead for Professional Development, it’s at the heart of everything we do. The blend of individual study, seminars and conferences is a real game changer where you can maximise networking but also learn at your own pace. I love grappling with the complex ideas of how to run an organisation and implement change, a space away from what’s going on in the classroom. As a result, it’s a real learning experience for me! 

 

 I’d like to use the course in the first instance to influence my current role. The work we’re doing on the NPQ is helping me contribute and understand the wider contexts of schools and how my role plays within that at the moment. Then, in the coming years I’m not sure, but I’d like to explore the wider international space of educational work. I’m fascinated by the role of education and the part it plays in the development, politics and a nation’s culture. Even how it needs to play a role in long-term humanitarian responses.  Eventually, I’d love to a have a school of my own, so an NPQH is the perfect starting point for that. 

 

The one biggest piece of advice I’d give to someone doing the NPQs is that the more you put in the more you get out of it. Really engage with the Brightspace online learning and the seminar pre-work, this means you can really tackle the issues and research in a safe space where you’re challenged. This is the point you need to be at in order for the course to make an impact.

 

I couldn’t recommend doing a NPQ with Aldridge more. The highlight is having facilitators who really know their stuff. They’ve got oodles of experience in real life school and MAT settings, while they will challenge you and make you really think. Learning from the inherited experience is a real unique selling point of the Aldridge Course!   

 

Ted will be continuing his NPQH until Summer 2025. Best of luck to him for the rest of his studies! 

 

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), NPQSL (Senior Leadership), and NPQH (Headship). From October 2024, we will also be offering the new NPQ for SENCOs.

 

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