Background
The Department for Educations (DfE) vision is for a highly educated society in which opportunity is more equal for children and young people, no matter what their background or family circumstances. Current research shows that in-school variation in teaching has the most significant effect on relative pupil outcomes and addressing the persistent tail of underachievement. High quality middle leadership is the essential element to delivering consistently excellent lessons in every classroom.

The DfE has funded a High Potential Middle Leaders (HPML) secondary programme since 2011 as a targeted intervention which aims to provide middle leaders with training and coaching to develop in their current jobs, raise attainment within their schools and develop their potential for senior leadership.

The new contract
The contract with the incumbent supplier expires on 31 July 2016 and a new contract is being tendered to enable recruitment activity from September 2015 of a new cohort for academic year 2016/17.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), an executive agency of the DfE, is therefore seeking one national provider (or consortium) to:

1)Support approximately 510 existing participants who will be part-way through the HPML programme when the current contract expires. This will involve the delivery of year 2 to those participants from August 2016 to July 2017; and

2)Design, develop, market and deliver a new two-year HPML programme to two new cohorts during the academic years 2016-2018 and 2017- 2019, reaching a minimum of 1,170 participants.

3)NCTL may also require the recruitment and delivery of an additional cohort covering the period 2017 to 2020. Recruitment for this cohort would start in September 2017 with delivery starting in August 2018 and finishing in July 2020 and your organisation must be able to commit to delivery of this requirement should NCTL exercise its right under the Contract to request it.