How does the SW100 differ from the NPQH? How does the time commitment compare?
What happens when? How long does the programme last? When do applications open?
1️⃣ What is the SW100?
At its core, the SW100 is an intensive school leadership development programme.
That said, describing it purely as such doesn’t quite capture what it’s really like. We like to think that it combines the best bits of a personal development programme and a collective impact project.
📝 This post unpacks this in more detail.
2️⃣ Who is the SW100 for?
It’s for aspiring headteachers committed to eradicating educational inequality in Devon and Cornwall.
It’s for people who want to lead a school of their own within the next 5 years where all children thrive.
What is the eligibility criteria?
We’re looking for people who:
✅ Aspire to lead a school of their own in Devon or Cornwall within the next ~5 years;
✅ Want their school to improve outcomes for all children but especially those underserved presently;
✅ Can provide evidence of leading improved progress at their school/s (again, especially for children experiencing disadvantage);
✅ Possess the humility to learn from and alongside others by sharing their own learning honestly and fully;
✅ Are committed to developing strong relationships and playing an active role in a purpose-driven network of school leaders across the region;
✅ Believe that closing the ‘disadvantage gap’ in the South West is achievable and are fired up by that mission!
So, Deputy Heads then?
No, not just Deputy Heads.
Every year, we recruit ~20 people to join the programme and work to ensure that each of these cohorts possesses a range of experiences, expertise and personalities within it. For example, this year, six of the 19-strong cohort started the year as deputies.
“But my school is tiny, I haven’t led at scale yet. Am I still eligible?”
Yes!
For instance, if you’ve worked in a small, rural, primary school for a while where the school’s size naturally limits formal leadership responsibilities—please don’t let that stop you from applying to join us. If anything, let it encourage you.
Maybe the smaller scale has enabled you to develop a deeper understanding of the specific assets and challenges within your school community—and the whole cohort’s experience will be richer for you bringing your insights and perspectives to proceedings.
📝 Head here if you want to learn more about the rationale behind this approach.
3️⃣ What does the SW100 focus on?
A core programme principle of ours is “less but better”.
This means that we’ve intentionally sacrificed breadth for depth in our programming to focus our collective energy on building a richer shared understanding of the challenges facing children experiencing disadvantage, while developing the specific knowledge and skills we know are required to run schools where all children thrive.
So, in terms of ‘content’, we focus on building capacity in three areas:
4️⃣ How does the SW100 develop people?
How do we explore the three core domains outlined above? Through a range of stimuli, interactions and experiences detailed 👇
5️⃣ How does the SW100 differ from the NPQH?
The SW100 is deliberately very different to the NPQH.
Not because we don’t like or value the NPQH (we do!), but we know that some aspiring leaders needed and wanted something different—sometimes to complement the NPQH offer, sometimes to do instead.
We believe that the SW100 differs from the NPQH in four significant ways:
❌ The SW100 is not a complete guide to headship.
The NPQH gets closer to this by covering a broader range of (10) ‘standards’ ranging from curriculum and assessment to governance and accountability. Instead, the SW100 focuses on developing the three core headteacher competencies that we know make the biggest difference in improving outcomes for children experiencing disadvantage.
🌱 The SW100 is a personal development programme.
Headteachers deal with complex challenges, uncertainty and constant change. We know that developing the knowledge and skills required to run a school is foundational—but it’s not enough. So we invest time and energy in ensuring that our participants develop the psychological readiness to fully embrace the opportunity of taking on headship for the first time and initiating change.
🧑🤝🧑 But the SW100 is not just about developing individuals.
No headteacher is an island. We know that networks improve our resilience and expand our capacity to do great work—but only when they're founded upon strong, trusting relationships. So while we’re deeply invested in accelerating individuals’ readiness for headship, the value of doing this in isolation is limited. This means that we invest significant time and energy into nurturing and sustaining the relationships within each SW100 cohort.
⏳ The SW100 is hard work—intellectually and logistically.
It’s only a year long but it’s an intensive programme. It requires significant investments of time and energy. That’s not to say that completing the NPQH doesn’t (it does!) but the SW100 presents some additional challenges too. Not only is the programme stimulus challenging—intellectually and sometimes even emotionally—but there are elements of the programme that are logistically challenging too.
How much time does it take?
For example, over the course of the year, we require that participants spend 13 whole school days together, away from their schools, in different parts of the country. To be clear: this is one of the best things about the programme (i.e. visiting some of the best-performing schools in the country—and beyond!) but we acknowledge the challenge involved in this.
Additionally, each term, we have four compulsory evening webinars, participants need to work through ~4 hours of online bespoke video content (at a time that works for them), and complete a ‘headteacher task’ (to get practical experience on mission-critical, headteacher-only activities).
We recognise the challenges this presents to participants, their families and colleagues—and work hard to honour that by ensuring each experience is as rich as it can be.
📝 For more information about how the SW100 differs from the NPQH—please head here.
6️⃣ What happens when?
We are currently recruiting for our fifth and final cohort.
Here’s what happens between now and July 2026.
Application phase:
Applications to join Cohort 5 will open in November 2024.
Applications will close on Sunday 23rd February 2025 (at 11pm).
Assessment phases:
All applications will be assessed as they are received. We actively encourage early applications.
All applicants will be notified as to whether they will be progressing to the final selection phase by Monday 3rd March 2025.
Selection phase:
Successful applicants will be invited to participate in our cohort Selection Day in Plymouth on Monday 17th March 2025 (~8:30am-3:30pm).
All candidates will be notified of the outcome of our Selection Day by Tuesday 2nd July 2024.
Onboarding phase:
We will hold a ‘Welcome Webinar’ in the Summer Term (time and date TBC) to induct participants into the programme, and to set up an activity to be completed before our first in-person event in September 2025—a two-night, two-day opening residential.
Programme phase:



7️⃣ How much does it cost?
The full cost is:
£1,500 for primary, special and AP leaders and
£3,500 for secondary leaders.
We are fully committed to ensuring that these costs do not prohibit any excellent candidates from either applying or participating—and have budgetary provisions in place to maximise participation.
If you’d like to hear more about the programme, we really want to talk to you. Please get in touch with us 👇
📧 Email us at SW100@reachfoundation.org.uk
📞 Book a call to discuss the programme here.
📋 Apply now here!