Education Minister Paul Givan has announced the award of a three-year contract to develop a professional learning programme for new and aspiring school principals.

The programme replaces the former Professional Qualification for Headship and will run for 18 months. It will include two leadership modules and a placement experience.

A consortium of Northern Ireland higher education institutions will develop and deliver the programme. The institutions are Queen's University Belfast, Stranmillis University College, St Mary's University College and Ulster University.

The consortium will begin stakeholder engagement during the current academic term. A first pilot is scheduled to launch in January 2027.

Givan said leadership is central to high-performing education systems and a key influence on pupil learning. He said the programme forms part of wider work under TransformED and actions responding to the Independent Review of Teacher Workload.

Further information will be provided during the 2026/27 autumn term.