Funding for national professional qualifications (NPQs)
Funding for courses and schools to help teachers take NPQs for their professional development.
Applies to England
National professional qualifications (NPQs) are flexible professional development courses for teachers and leaders to improve skills, progress careers and deliver improved outcomes for schools.
You may be able to get your NPQ course fees paid for by the Department for Education (DfE). This is called scholarship funding.
You do not need to apply for funding.
When you register for an NPQ, DfE will tell you if you are eligible for funding.
Scholarship funding for 2023 to 2024
The following criteria applies for the 2023 to 2024 academic year.
Scholarship funding is available for NPQ courses and the early headship coaching offer, for 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
Leading teacher development NPQ funding
For the leading teacher development NPQ, scholarship funding is also available for people who are, or will be, taking on the role of lead mentor for an initial teacher training provider accredited to deliver initial teacher training from September 2024.
Early years leadership NPQ funding
For the early years leadership NPQ, scholarship funding is also available for some early years professionals.
You need to be, or be employed by, one of a:
- 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
Targeted support funding
If you started your course in October 2023 or February 2024, your workplace may have been eligible for funding to support you to do your NPQ. This is called targeted support funding.
Targeted support funding is available for smaller schools and primary schools whose NPQ course started in October 2023 or February 2024. This money goes directly to schools to support participants to do an NPQ. It’s not available for the early headship coaching offer.
Scholarship funding for autumn 2024
Funding for autumn 2024 will target those teachers and leaders who work in the most challenging schools or educational settings, serving more disadvantaged communities.
Scholarship funding to cover 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 to 19 educational settings identified as having high disadvantage
For the early years leadership NPQ, highly disadvantaged early years settings will also be eligible.
Scholarships will continue to be available to all teachers and leaders from publicly funded schools and 16 to 19 educational organisations for the following NPQs:
- leading primary maths
- SENCO
- headship
For the early headship coaching offer, funding to cover the course fees will be available if you are in your first 5 years of headship in England in a state-funded school or state-funded 16 to 19 organisation. You should also be doing or have done the headship NPQ.
Check if you are eligible for the course
You should check the course eligibility criteria before you register. You may meet the funding criteria but not the course eligibility.
You can find out how to check the eligibility of your workplace for autumn 2024 when registration opens later this year.
Learn about NPQs and the early headship coaching offer
Funding restrictions
You can only receive scholarship funding for each NPQ once.
If you receive scholarship funding but then withdraw from or fail your programme, you cannot receive scholarship funding for the same NPQ again.
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.
Last updated 21 March 2024 + show all updates
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Updated with details of scholarship funding for autumn 2024.
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First published.