Education and Teaching · Awarded by OTHM
Level 7 Diploma in Education Management and Leadership
For heads, deputies, programme leaders and training managers who want to lead an institution with theory behind the instinct.
- LevelRQF Level 7Same level as a master's
- Credits120six units
- Qualification time1,200 hours600 guided learning hours
- Awarding bodyOTHMRegulated by Ofqual
- Ofqual number603/4248/1Search the Ofqual register
- Duration9 months (standard) or 6 months (fast track)Set by LSPM, confirmed on enquiry
- Study modesonline or blendedLive seminars, evenings and Saturdays
- FeesFrom £999 (9 months, standard) or £1,299 (6 months, fast track)Written quotation on enquiry
- Next intakeRolling intake — course starts when the fee is paidSet by LSPM
- AssessmentAssignmentsNo examinations
Who it is for
Educators who now lead, or are about to
Six units of 20 credits cover the ground a senior leader in education has to hold: Contemporary Issues in Education: Theory, Policy and Practice, The Management of Educational Change, Managing Effective Intercultural Communication and Perspectives, Pedagogy and Practice in Education, Leading Reflective Practice in Education and Research Methods in Education.
It suits deputy heads and assistant principals preparing for headship, curriculum and programme leaders in colleges and universities, heads of learning and development in organisations that run their own training, and international school leaders for whom the intercultural unit is directly relevant.
It is not a teaching qualification and does not confer qualified teacher status or any equivalent. It assumes you already teach or lead and wants to make you a more rigorous leader of others who do.
Structure
Six units, all mandatory
All six units are mandatory and are taken in a sequence LSPM sets. Unit titles and credit values are from the awarding body's specification.
Mandatory units All six required
| Unit | Credits |
|---|---|
| Contemporary Issues in Education: Theory, Policy and Practice | 20 |
| The Management of Educational Change | 20 |
| Managing Effective Intercultural Communication and Perspectives | 20 |
| Pedagogy and Practice in Education | 20 |
| Leading Reflective Practice in Education | 20 |
| Research Methods in Education | 20 |
| 120 credits from mandatory units. | |
Unit titles and credit values: OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Education Management and Leadership (OTHM), official specification, Ofqual 603/4248/1.
How LSPM sequences them
Contemporary Issues in Education runs first because policy is the weather every other unit happens in. The Management of Educational Change follows. LSPM then pairs Pedagogy and Practice in Education with Leading Reflective Practice in Education, since the second is the leadership of the first. Managing Effective Intercultural Communication and Perspectives is placed where it most helps the cohort, which in international groups is early. Research Methods in Education runs alongside the last two units.
Entry requirements
Who can enrol
OTHM sets the entry requirements and London School of Planning and Management, the approved centre, applies them. As published in the specification:
- possess an honours degree in related subject or UK level 6 diploma or an equivalent overseas qualification;
- be 21 years or older at the beginning of the course; or
- be mature learners with relevant management experience (learners must check with the delivery centre regarding this experience prior to registering for the programme)
- If a learner is not from a majority English-speaking country must provide evidence of English language competency. For more information visit English Language Expectations page in this website.
How LSPM applies this in practice. Most applicants hold a degree and a teaching qualification or several years in a leadership role in education or training. Experienced leaders without a degree are considered after reviewing their role and a conversation with LSPM's education tutor.
Entry requirements from the official specification. If you are not sure whether your qualification counts as equivalent, send us the details and we will ask LSPM to check with the awarding body.
Assessment
Written assignments, no examinations
Assignments are the documents an education leader produces: a policy analysis for your institution, a change plan, a review of pedagogy and practice, a reflective leadership account and a research proposal or small study. No examinations.
Your tutor at LSPM marks the work and gives written feedback. OTHM then externally verifies a sample of marked work to confirm the standard is being applied consistently. A unit is passed when all of its criteria are met.
Progression
From diploma to top-up with advanced standing
Holders sometimes progress to the final stage of an MA or MEd in Educational Leadership and Management, where a university chooses to count the 120 credits towards its taught stage. That choice, and its conditions, belong to the university; neither LSPM nor this site guarantees admission.
Within the sector the diploma most often supports a move to headship, principalship or a senior leadership team post, or from a teaching role into curriculum leadership.
Progression note for employers. If you are sponsoring a manager with a master's as the eventual goal, budget the top-up separately and check the university's terms before you commit. The diploma stage is where LSPM's fees and timetable apply; the top-up stage is the university's. How the pathway works.
Outcomes
What you will be able to do
- Read the policy landscapeAnalyse contemporary education policy and its consequences for your institution.
- Lead educational changePlan and lead a change in an educational setting with attention to staff, learners and governance.
- Communicate across culturesLead effectively in diverse and international educational communities.
- Improve pedagogyEvaluate teaching and learning practice against evidence and lead its improvement.
- Lead reflective practiceBuild a culture of professional reflection among colleagues.
- Research in educationDesign and conduct educational research to postgraduate standard.
Fit
Likely to suit, and better served elsewhere
Likely to get a lot from it
- Deputy heads and assistant principals preparing for headship.
- Curriculum and programme leaders in colleges and universities.
- Heads of learning and development who run training in organisations.
- International school leaders working across cultures.
Better served by something else
- Anyone seeking qualified teacher status or a teaching qualification; this is neither.
- Early-career teachers without leadership responsibility; a Level 5 or 6 qualification first.
- Learners whose interest is corporate rather than educational leadership; a strategic management diploma fits better.
Real learner quotation to be supplied. This slot must not be published until a named graduate has given written consent.
Programme questions
Frequently asked
Is this recognised as a headship qualification?
It is a regulated Level 7 diploma in education management and leadership. Whether a particular jurisdiction or employer treats it as meeting a headship requirement is their decision; check with them. This site makes no claim on their behalf.
Is it relevant outside schools?
Yes. Colleges, universities, training providers and corporate learning functions all send learners, and the units are written for educational leadership broadly rather than for schools alone.
How does it differ from the Qualifi Educational Management and Leadership diploma?
Same level and credits, different awarding body and units. The OTHM programme has a dedicated intercultural communication unit and a reflective practice unit; compare the two tables.
Can I do the assignments in my own institution?
Yes, and LSPM encourages it, subject to your institution's agreement and appropriate confidentiality.
Also in Education and Teaching