Funding your NPQ
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. Funding for Spring 25 has not yet been announced.
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 (expected to be in July).
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.
Costs
The table below outlines the costs for NPQs for colleagues not employed in state-funded schools:
| NPQ | UK Price if not eligible for scholarship |
| Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD) | £899 |
| Leading Behaviour and Culture (NPQLBC) | £899 |
| Leading Teaching (NPQLT) | £899 |
| Leading Literacy (NPQLL) | £899 |
| Leading Primary Maths (NPQLPM) | £899 |
| Senior Leadership (NPQSL) | £1139 |
| Headship (NPQH) | £1949 |
| Early Headship Coaching Offer (NPQEHCO) | £TBC |
| Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL) | £1139 |
| Special Educational Needs Coordinator (NPQSENCO) | £1139 |
Apprenticeship Levy for NPQs
Ambition Institute have decided not to accept the Apprenticeship Levy for any of the NPQs. This is because we do not believe it is possible to combine the programme design and delivery of the new NPQ suite with the apprenticeship levy.
The NPQs are designed to be flexible and to work around educators' busy schedules, whereas the apprenticeship levy has extra demands, including 1:1 apprenticeships, tutor meetings and portfolio preparation.
The apprenticeship levy also requires participants to have 20% 'off the job training', which would mean a day a week out of school for the duration of the programme. We think it is undesirable to take teachers and school leaders out of their schools to complete an NPQ at any time but particularly at a time of educational recovery.
Pre-Autumn 2024 - now closed
DfE-funded scholarships were available to schools across England, including all state schools and state funded organisations that offer 16-19 places.