Changes to National Professional Qualification funding: what it means for you

This information applies to people starting a NPQ in spring 2025 only. Scholarship funding is where the Department for Education pay the fees for the programme.

NPQs with scholarships for all eligible settings

The following National Professional Qualifications are fully-funded for eligible teachers and leaders working in publicly-funded schools and 16-to-19 settings:

• NPQ for Headship
• Early Headship Coaching Offer (for headteachers in their first five years of headship who have done or are doing their NPQ for Headship)
• NPQ for Leading Primary Maths
• NPQ for SENCOs

There is no cost to you or your setting if your setting and role and/or experience is eligible for funding. Being eligible for NPQ scholarship funding does not guarantee that you will be suitable for the programme or that a funded place will be available, as funding is limited nationally.

See our programme pages for the role and/or experience criteria.

NPQs with targeted scholarships for settings serving the most disadvantaged pupils

If you are:

• In the top 50% of schools with the highest proportion of pupils who attract pupil premium funding;
• A 16-to-19 setting identified as having high disadvantage; or
• A highly disadvantaged early years setting*

The following NPQs are fully-funded for eligible teachers and leaders:

• NPQ for Early Years Leadership *for the NPQEYL only
• NPQ for Executive Leadership
• NPQ for Leading Behaviour and Culture
• NPQ for Leading Literacy
• NPQ for Leading Teacher Development (scholarship funding is also available for this programme if you are taking on the role of lead mentor for an initial teacher training (ITT) provider accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024)
• NPQ for Leading Teaching
• NPQ for Senior Leadership

There is no cost to you or your setting if your setting and role and/or experience is eligible for funding. Being eligible for NPQ scholarship funding does not guarantee that you will be suitable for the programme or that a funded place will be available, as funding is limited nationally.

See our programme pages for the role and/or experience criteria.

If your setting doesn’t meet the criteria as serving a more disadvantaged community then you will need to pay for your NPQ.

How do I check eligibility?

The Department for Education will update the list of settings eligible for scholarship places in early 2025. Once updated, you’ll be able to use our scholarship checker tool to find out if your setting is eligible.

NPQ scholarship funding is limited nationally. This means that some teachers and leaders may not be able to access a funded place even if they are eligible for a scholarship.

What are the National Professional Qualifications?

The ten National Professional Qualifications are Department for Education accredited qualifications for teachers and leaders. They are designed to develop knowledge and skills in education settings by providing evidence-based professional development on what teachers and leaders need to know to build their expertise.

What else do I need to know about the National Professional Qualifications?

• If someone has completed an NPQ (reformed or legacy) they can do another, so long as they have completed any previous NPQ before starting their next one. You cannot receive scholarship funding for the same reformed NPQ again if you previously withdrew from or failed the programme.
• There’s a NPQ option for almost all teachers and leaders working in your setting(s). All specialist NPQs are open to everyone from classroom teachers to heads of department, phase or subject to the senior leadership team. The leadership NPQs are available to current or aspiring leaders.
• As many teachers and leaders as you like from your school, trust or education setting can take an NPQ at the same time. There’s no limit to the number of staff any organisation can have completing an NPQ, and they can be the same NPQ or different ones. Learning together will increase the impact of professional development in your team.

Applying for a National Professional Qualification

Find out more about our NPQs on our NPQ programme page and register your interest for spring 2025.

For more detail on the funding announcement, visit the Department for Education website.