NPQ Funding

April 2025 cohort

Scholarships are available to all staff in publicly funded schools and 16 to 19 educational organisations for the following NPQs:

leading primary mathematics
special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO)
headship

Funding for these 3 NPQs is also available to:

hospital schools
young offender institutions
local authority virtual school headteachers, staff in a defined deputy headteacher role and staff in direct teaching roles
other local authority staff in direct teaching roles – for example, local authority supply or peripatetic teachers

Your funding is applied for through the DfE NPQ registration.

For the following NPQs, funding is only available if your setting is on one of the eligible settings lists (please see further below):

For the NPQ in leading teacher development, scholarship funding is also available if you are taking on the role of lead mentor for an initial teacher training (ITT) provider accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024.

Settings that are eligible for scholarship funding

These lists show which settings are eligible for funding:

List of eligible schools: the top 50% of publicly funded schools that have the highest proportion of students attracting pupil premium.

List of eligible 16 to 19 settings: the top 50% for the proportion of funded students attracting a disadvantage uplift – combination of disadvantage block 1 and block 2 funding.

List of eligible early years settings: the top 50% of settings that have the highest proportion of children attracting:

early years pupil premium
disadvantaged 2 year old entitlement funding

Ofsted-registered childminders are included in early years settings.

School/Self-funded NPQs

Those in schools/settings who are not eligible for scholarship funding are able to access NPQs through the self-funded model.
For non-funded places, the cost of the programmes per participant are:

NPQ in Leading Literacy - £899 + VAT

NPQ in Leading Teaching - £899 + VAT

NPQ in Leading Teacher Development - £899 + VAT

NPQ in Leading Behaviour and Culture - £899 + VAT

NPQ in Leading Primary Mathematics - £899 + VAT

NPQ for SENCOs - £1,265 + VAT

NPQ in Early Years Leadership - £1,090 + VAT

NPQ in Senior Leadership - £1,090 + VAT

NPQ in Headship - £1,885 + VAT

NPQ in Executive Leadership - £3,890 + VAT

Early Headship Coaching Offer - £800 + VAT

October 2024 cohort

For the October 2024 cohort, funding is targeting those teachers and leaders who work in the most challenging schools or educational settings, serving more disadvantaged communities.

Funding covering the full NPQ course cost will be available to teachers and leaders from:

The 50% of schools with the highest proportion of students who attract pupil premium funding.
16-19 educational settings identified as having high disadvantage.
For the NPQ in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL), highly disadvantaged early years settings will also be eligible.

This criteria applies to teachers and leaders employed in England by:

state-funded schools
state-funded 16 to 19 organisations
independent special schools
hospital schools
young offender institutions
local authority virtual schools
local authorities as a supply teacher or another role directly teaching pupils
maintained nursery school in England
pre-school class or nursery that’s part of a maintained school in England
pre-school class or nursery that’s part of an independent school in England providing free early years entitlements places
nursery that is registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register
childminder registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register, or with a registered childminder agency

You are able to check the eligibility of your school/setting on the DfE website here: Funding for national professional qualifications (NPQs) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you choose the spreadsheet that relates to your context (Schools, 16 to 19 settings or Early years settings), you will be able to look up if your setting is on the list.

NPQ scholarships will continue to be available to all teachers and leaders from publicly funded schools and 16-19 educational organisations for the following:

There will be a capped number of 10,800 scholarship places. The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Teaching School Hub has been allocated a portion of the funded place, which will be awarded to applicants based on the merit of the participant's application.

For context, previous October cohorts have been around 20,000, so this is about half the size of current cohorts. Funding for the April 2025 cohorts and beyond has not been confirmed.

Your funding is applied for through the DfE registration. The DfE portal will open in July 2024.

School/Self-funded NPQs

Those in schools/settings who are not eligible for scholarship funding are able to access NPQs through the self-funded model.
For non-funded places, the cost of the programmes per participant are:

NPQ in Leading Literacy - £899

NPQ in Leading Teaching - £899

NPQ in Leading Teacher Development - £899

NPQ in Leading Behaviour and Culture - £899

NPQ in Leading Primary Mathematics - £899

NPQ for SENCOs - £1,265

NPQ in Early Years Leadership - £1,090

NPQ in Senior Leadership - £1,090

NPQ in Headship - £1,885

NPQ in Executive Leadership - £3,890

Early Headship Coaching Offer - £800