Top Tips with exemplars for NPQSL Tasks 1 & 2
We have put together this guidance document to help you to present your NPQSL Tasks 1 and 2 with maximum impact. We are using exemplars
to illustrate the top tips, which have been assembled by assessors and members of the NPQSL teams at the National College and EMLC (provider
of final assessment).
Top Tip number 1
1. Read and follow the Guidance available – ‘NPQSL Final Assessment guidance for participants and sponsors’
We cannot emphasise this point enough! Everything you need to know is in the Guidance. You should use it precisely. Your sponsor uses Guidance for Sponsors
that contains similar information. The assessors of your Tasks expect you to follow the Guidance. Please do not exceed recommendations on length for
submission (p.21).
Task 1 exemplar evidence
Task 2 exemplar evidence
Here is how one participant effectively planned against the key elements of the
Guidance for this task- see page 6.
Action over at least a term
How I sought information
How I analysed information
Action plan
Report on impact
Next steps
Learning about self
Ofsted report 1.2012 raised the issue, analysis
and action planning Spring term, action
summer term, evaluation early autumn.
Ofsted, RaiseOnline, pupil progress termly
data, pupil questionnaire, staff mtg consultation
Progress and attainment charts. Questionnaire
response grids, staff issues
Use Navigation, Management, Partnership
docs and CtG action plan
Report to Gov curriculum committee, share
with staff
Further analysis and action plan priority 3 SDP
2013
Keep a diary of staff reactions, my methods
and responses. Analyse strengths and
weaknesses
For Task 2 there are 10 key elements of the task, which are listed on p. 14-15 of
the guidance. Those participants who manage to include all the requirements and
present a high quality submission often make a plan to ensure coverage and
demonstration of effective leadership. This plan could be included in the
submission if space allows; extracts from the plan may be:
be in the school improvement plan
or similar whole school plan and
you will implement it across the
school
devise and implement strategies
to improve teaching and learning
monitor and evaluate outcomes,
including teaching and learning
Priority 3 in the school development plan. I am
listed as leader with a team of 2 to support
delivery across school
CPD programme to improve quality of maths
teaching, marking and specific feedback for
target setting
Feedback from CPD, pupil interviews, lesson
observation, maths progress data analysis
Top Tip number 2
Task 1 Closing the Gap
Make sure the task you undertake addresses a closing the gap priority
identified through your learning about seeking and analysing
information from the guidance and analysis tools available in Section 3
Task 2 – leading an improvement priority across the school
Make sure the task you undertake addresses a school improvement
priority in your own school and that you lead across the school
of the closing the gap module.
Exemplar evidence
Exemplar evidence
Extract from a submission from a participant who showed clear evidence of
using the analysis tools to identify a gap in reading attainment: “The gaps in
achievement in my school are shown to be relatively slight in comparison with
the national average of 7%. The largest gap in reading is with Year 5 where girls
are ahead of boys by 2.1%. The largest gap in writing is 1.8%, also in Y5.
According to Noble et al the differences in schools could account for the
discrepancy in the achievement gap. My findings do indicate that at my school
the gap is considerably lower than the national average, but still significant
enough to eliminate. (Tables presented illustrate gaps from years 1-6 over 4
years).
It is very helpful to include information about the nature of the priority, its place in
the school improvement plan and the staff/ teams you will be leading near the
beginning of the submission, to give the context. Here is one effective example:
“The priority chosen is ‘To ensure pupils on SEND register make good progress in
reading writing and maths (See App 1 the SIP). There are 3 priorities in the SIP
raising achievement section- 1. Ensuring all pupils make at least 2 levels of
progress from end KS1 to end KS2/ 2. Improve quality of teaching and learning/ 3.
Ensure teachers plan and use differentiated interventions to ensure good
progress. SEND pupil make up 20% of the school- their impact to overall school
outcomes is significant. Staff involved- SLT, phase managers, all teachers, all
TAs.”
Top Tip number 3
Task 2 – leading an improvement priority across the school
Task 1 Closing the Gap
Ensure that addressing the identified closing the gap priority provides
sufficient challenge to cover the competencies tested in this task and the
scope to demonstrate measurable outcomes.
One participant helpfully drafted a table to indicate briefly how the competencies
would be addressed and included that in the commentary. Measurable outcomes
were included in the form of a tabulated report to Governors.
Information seeking
Analytical thinking
Learning focus
Self awareness
Use Ofsted report 2012, speak to HT and Ch Gov curric committee
Raiseonline 2012, research modules re gender gaps
Analyse termly progress data/ KS outcomes, value added, expected
progress, attainment re gender gap En and Ma
Focus on improved progress and attainment, improved learning,
improved resource efficiency- mon and tracking procedures/
distributed leadership
Learning- my strengths and development areas, managing how my
behaviour impacts on others (Navigation, Acceptance, Advocacy)
Ensure the priority chosen is sufficiently challenging and that you are
able to demonstrate measurable outcomes
A very good example of demonstrating considerable measured outcomes for a
challenging improvement priority is taken from the end of a tabulated report from a
primary participant who had worked on improving the use of AfL in lesson
planning and teaching by leading training and moderation sessions.
Outcomes
2013
Pupil progress measures
2011- average KS1 % pupils meeting age related expectations in terms of En
progress was 96%, KS2 81%, Maths KS1 94% KS2 84%
2013 KS1 En 97% KS2 88% Maths KS1 96% KS2 92%
Training day feedback from teaching staff:
Do you think your moderation skills have improved today? Yes 15 teachers No
1 teacher
Are you able to judge pupil levels more accurately than before this day?
Yes 15 teachers No 1 teacher
After 6 moderation sessions 16 teachers (100%) said their skills and
judgements had improved.
Lesson observations- number of teachers where grades improved from 2011 to
2013- 10
All 16 teachers met generic PM objective re use of AfL in planning and teaching
Top Tip number 4
Task 2 – leading an improvement priority across the school
Task 1 Closing the Gap
Describe how you identified the closing the gap priority and the
underpinning issues to enable you to demonstrate the competency
analytical thinking.
Plan how you are a) going to develop as a leader and b) provide
evidence of the competencies tested through your work. Show concise
and structured evidence of this.
Exemplar evidence
Exemplar evidence
This participant carried out an analysis of all the achievement strategies
implemented and evaluated over the past two years and chose the following
priority, supported by graphs showing achievement levels over 2 years in 3
subjects:
“The closing the gap priority for this project is VS EAL for reading. It was chosen
because, although it affects small numbers, we recognise that meeting the needs of
all is essential. This group was chosen over other groups because already we have
implemented strategies to help them overcome their barrier, and yet they have not had
sufficient impact. I n order to meet their needs, we need to explore new strategies that
we do not currently use.”
A very good example of this in the latest assessment window was by a participant
who summed up her improvements in leadership in a grid against the leadership
competency groups assessed through this task. Below is a condensed version:
Leadership
competency
Improvements in my leadership
Educational
excellence
Clear vision…high expectations…drive improvements forward in quality of
teaching and learning…used student voice, learning walks, data provided by
standardised testing…regularly evaluate the impact…had to make changes to
action plans to ensure they secure more rapid improvement…
Strategic
leadership
Adapted my approach to suit different audiences…understand their priorities and
what they hope to achieve…presented evidence frequently to inform a reasoned
argument for change…set targets and have high expectations…have
demonstrated motivation through this work.
Operational
management
As a result of the ‘school self evaluation’ module am now competent in using a
wide range of information to analyse data, identify priorities and formulate action
plans…realised the importance of using an evidence base to drive change (gives
specific examples).
Top Tip number 5
Task 1 Closing the Gap
Use a clear structure through the submission form and the documents
(1, 2, 4 & 5) to provide concise evidence to demonstrate the
competencies tested.
Exemplar evidence
Most successful participants include in their submission evidence under each
competency heading, providing detailed information relating to actions and
outcomes in each case. (See p.8-9 of the Guidance). Tabulated charts relating
Task 2 – leading an improvement priority across the school
Ensure that the priority for task 2 is different from the priority selected
for task 1.
Exemplar evidence
Evidence gathered from the last assessment window shows mostly good balance
between Task 1 and task 2. Here are some examples:
Task 1 Closing the FSM Gap/ Task 2 Developing a consistent approach to
marking
Task 1 Closing the gender gap in reading/ Task 2 Improving progress of SEND
pupils through an effective intervention strategy
Task 1 Closing the gap between pupils with SEN and those with no SEN/ Task 2
implementation of a phonics scheme throughout the school.
to attainment and/ or progress are very useful in the Analytical Thinking
section and in the conclusion to show measured impact of your work.
Top Tip number 6
Task 1 Closing the Gap
Include evidence of how you led the implementation and monitoring of
the impact of your action plan address the closing the gap priority in
Document 4
Task 2 – leading an improvement priority across the school
Include your own action plan for leading across the school on the
improvement priority
Exemplar evidence
One leader in a Special school wrote a clearly structured report for his
submission under the headings taken straight from the Guidance as in Top Tip
1. In the action planning section he further subdivided the report into the
following sections: Learning walks to confirm hypotheses/ targeted interventions/
targeted homework/ parent communication/ collate data in individual pupil files/
analyse before and after data for impact. This was very straightforward to assess
as the participant had taken the assessor on the action path sequentially.
Exemplar evidence
One very effective action plan for the improvement priority was in grid form and
contained the following headings: Task/ How/ When/ Target/ Review- a simple
pro-forma but it allowed the facility to show further planning as well as outcomes.
The tasks listed in the task column were: providing data, analysing data,
assessing teaching, supporting teaching, moving forward and continuous
development planning and all were expanded using the planning grid. The
participant was able to show in detail how s/he planned to address the
implementation of a phonics scheme across the school.
Top Tip number 7
Task 1 Closing the Gap / Task 2 – leading an improvement priority across the school evidence
Include supporting documents/extracts from documents that demonstrate your capacity in the competencies, following the guidance on
a reasonable balance between your commentary and this form of evidence.
Exemplar evidence
Remember not to exceed 20 pages for your complete submission. Once you
have included the documents required (listed on p.8-9) you should include
school documentation to give specific evidence. There is a suggested list on p. 9
but in the recent assessment window, these were the best documents/ extracts
we found:

Assessment/ progress tables, charts and diagrams showing clearly the
impact of the Closing the Gap work
Exemplar evidence
Remember not to exceed 20 pages for your complete submission. Your
submission for this task should be the electronic form for the task plus whatever
school documents you decide will provide good evidence for the submission.
There is a suggested list on p. 18. In the last assessment window the documents
presented which were particularly helpful were:
Team responsibility diagram
Monitoring reports
Action plan for the school improvement
work
Extract from marking policy

Extract(s) from the school development or improvement plan relating to
GtG/ Extract(s) from your CtG action plan

Extracts from reports to governors showing detailing CtG actions and
their effectiveness

Extract(s) from letters to parents explaining the impact and benefit to
pupils of your GtG action plan
Extract from SDP/ Raising achievement
plan
Identification of generic strengths and
areas to develop from scrutiny programme
RaiseOnline/ pupil progress/ DfE
performance table data charts and grids
Review of impact and next steps on
actions included in action plan
School meeting timetable showing focus
of training and sharing good practice
Newspaper article praising innovation
Evaluation of work and planning scrutiny
outcomes with scrutiny criteria
Report to governors/ SLT on achievement
of school improvement work
Top Tip number 8
Task 1 Closing the Gap / Task 2 – leading an improvement priority across the school
Include measurable outcomes with quantitative evidence (for example performance data, numbers, percentages etc.) as outlined in the
guidance. Ensure the action plan is implemented for a sufficient period to enable an assessment of the impact you have made. Postpone
submission if it is too early to evidence measurable outcomes.
Exemplar evidence
Exemplar evidence
The most effective action plans seen at the last assessment window contained
very specific timings, for example: “by end Nov 2012/ by half term Feb 2013/
during May 2013” and in one case where writing scrutinies were a direct
measure of achievement for the CtG work the actual dates of the scrutinies were
listed. The most effective ways of demonstrating measurable outcomes were
seen in charts and tables showing the actual progress or gains in attainment
made. These were school generated as well as RaiseOnline or DfE Performance
Tables.
One very positive way in which a participant showed measurable outcomes
recently was in the form of a table entitled “Review of impact and next steps” with
three sections. An extract follows:
Intended outcome
Evaluation of impact
Next steps
Introduce literacy/ marking
policy
% of good + teaching
increased from 45% to 72%
Adapt Lit policy to include
homophones
Marking scrutiny shows 40%
better consistency in
application of policy
Whole school use of spelling
banks in student planners
Top Tip number 9
Task 1 Closing the Gap
Evidence learning from the closing the gap module when demonstrating the
competency Self-awareness
Exemplar evidence
One participant analysed the negative feelings some teachers had after
the initial implementation of a scheme to address the gap in gender
achievement:
Task 2 – leading an improvement priority across the school
Evidence learning from modules and research that are relevant to the task
Exemplar evidence
One participant in the latest assessment window gave a strong account of
improving her own leadership skills and qualities and articulated helpful learning
“Listening to feedback from staff and discussing the issues in depth at
our weekly meetings enabled me to understand the frustrations that had
arisen. As a manager I had to make a decision-was the scheme in its
present form most appropriate for us or would we benefit from adapting
it to suit are requirements more fittingly? One of the outcomes from this
discussion was the positive impact on staff . As a team they felt they
had more ownership of the curriculum and this led to an increased sense
of community within school. The feeling of well- being amongst the staff
has improved attitudes and encouraged an increased willingness to
share opinions, as they know they will be valued.”
from modules undertaken, such as the example below:
As a result of completing the “Succeeding in senior leadership” module, I have
been able to reflect upon my strengths and areas for development as a leader. I
have used the 360° diagnostic tool to evaluate the perceptions others have of my
leadership skills and qualities and identified that I need to improve delegation
skills. I asked for feedback from staff and students using a questionnaire and
informal discussions. Throughout my career I have set my own personal targets
and have high expectations of myself, which I have demonstrated through this
task.”
Top Tip number 10
Work with your sponsor! Your submission added to your sponsor’s submission will complete a whole picture so make sure you are providing
complementary evidence.
Task 1 Closing the Gap
Exemplar evidence
Some competencies are very well suited to evidence form the
sponsor and assessors look for it specifically. The following exert
relates to self awareness:
“I feel that this is the area that has been most difficult for XX and has had the
most impact for personal development. He has become more aware of how his
feelings and emotions impact on himself and others and how he can use this to
reflect upon how his emotions can impact upon how he presents herself to
others.
XX has become more able to manage emotional triggers as he is someone who
is very passionate about being the best that he can be.”
Task 2 – leading an improvement priority across the school
Exemplar evidence
It is very useful if your sponsor can give evidence of your learning and behaviours
which enable school improvement, such as we can see below:
I verify that the evidence here is correct. XX’s strength is using research and
evidence to convince others to move forward. He is learning to listen to others and
take on board differing opinions, even if they are contrary to his own.
XX took advice and modified the original presentation to governors to suit a
governor audience as opposed to a staff audience, showing a sound ability to
learn.