Guidance

Funding for national professional qualifications (NPQs): autumn 2026

Updated 18 May 2026

Applies to England

About the scheme

National professional qualifications (NPQs)  are flexible professional development courses for teachers and leaders. They help you to:

• build knowledge and improve skills
• progress careers
• deliver improved pupil outcomes for educational settings

The Department for Education (DfE) pays the NPQ course fees of some teachers and leaders. This is called scholarship funding.

Once you’ve chosen an NPQ course and a course provider, register for an NPQ to check if you’re eligible for scholarship funding. Registration is due to open in June 2026.

DfE pays the scholarship funding directly to the lead provider. You do not need to apply for it separately.

Scholarship funding for autumn 2026

Scholarship funding is available for teachers and leaders in publicly-funded schools (including maintained nursery schools) and 16 to 19 educational settings in England for the following NPQs:

• special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs)
• senior leadership
• headship

Funding for these courses 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

Early years leadership NPQ scholarship

Scholarship funding is available for the early years leadership NPQ for publicly funded early years settings and maintained nursery schools, including:

• private, voluntary, independent (PVI) settings
• Ofsted-registered early years childminders
• maintained nursery schools
• those working in publicly-funded early years educational settings

NPQ scholarships for settings with high levels of disadvantage

Scholarship funding is also available for the following NPQs based on disadvantage criteria:

• leading teaching
• leading behaviour and culture
• leading literacy
• leading primary mathematics
• executive leadership
• leading teacher development

For these NPQs, scholarship funding to cover the full NPQ course cost is available to teachers and leaders from eligible schools and 16 to 19 settings that have high levels of disadvantage. 

RISE scholarships

Schools in the targeted regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) programme are eligible for scholarship funding for all NPQs. Regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE): school support provides further details on the targeted RISE programme and lists schools that are eligible for targeted RISE intervention.

Leading teacher development NPQ scholarship

For the leading teacher development NPQ, scholarship funding is available if you:

• work in a school or setting that appears on one of the disadvantage eligibility lists
• are taking on the role of lead mentor for an initial teacher training (ITT) provider accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024 (this includes those working in non-school settings or in schools not otherwise eligible under the disadvantage criteria)

Disadvantage eligibility lists

Details of eligibility lists based on disadvantage are set out as follows.

Schools

The top 50% of publicly funded schools that have the highest proportion of students attracting pupil premium. This does not include maintained nursery schools.

Further education

The top 50% of 16 to 19 settings where the highest proportion of funded students attracting a disadvantage uplift. This is based on a combination of disadvantage block 1 and block 2 funding.

The eligible settings are fixed for the autumn 2026 recruitment period.

Early headship coaching offer

For the early headship coaching offer, you can get funding to cover the course fees if you’re both:

• in your first 5 years of headship in England in a state-funded school or 16 to 19 organisation, and
• currently taking, or have completed, the headship NPQ

Returning teachers

Qualified primary or secondary teachers returning to teach in a state school in England may be eligible to access NPQs to refresh subject knowledge and teaching practice.

Prospective returners should speak with their return to teaching adviser for more information.

Funding restrictions 

You can only receive scholarship funding for each NPQ once.

If you receive scholarship funding but then withdraw from or fail a course, you cannot get scholarship funding for the same NPQ again.

Being eligible for an NPQ scholarship does not guarantee that:

• the course is suitable for you
• a funded course place will be available

NPQ providers determine suitability through their application processes.

The total amount of scholarship funding is limited, so some eligible teachers and leaders may not secure a funded place. Check with your provider before you register to see if a funded place is available.

NPQ providers manage applications for the courses they deliver and may prioritise applications according to the number of funded places they have available. For example, priority will be given to applications for the NPQ for SENCOs to those needing to take the NPQ as a mandatory qualification for their role as a SENCO.

If a funded place is not available

If funded places are not available with your chosen NPQ provider, you can:

• contact another provider to enquire about funded places
• join your provider’s waiting list
• self-fund your course place

Find out more about providers and the NPQ courses they offer.

Legacy NPQs 

If you received scholarship funding for a legacy NPQ before November 2021 and withdrew from the programme, you’re still eligible for scholarship funding for the current NPQs.