On 21 March, the DfE released NPQ funding information for new participants starting in Autumn 2024. 

The scholarship funding is capped at 10,800 places nationally, and Lead Providers will be given scholarship allocations, which they will then share with their delivery partners.

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, up to the cap of 10,800 places, for the following NPQs:  

• leading primary maths   

• SENCO   

• headship   

Funding for these 3 NPQs is also available to:

• hospital schools
• young offender institutions
• staff working in local authority virtual schools (local-authority-run organisations that support the education of children in care)
• other local authority staff with a responsibility to deliver curriculum content (for example, local authority supply or peripatetic teachers)

For the leading teacher development NPQ, scholarship funding is 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.

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. 

If you are unsure of your school’s/ setting's scholarship funding eligibility, please contact: npqs@hisptsh.org

NPQ course eligibility  

You should check the course eligibility criteria before you register. You may meet the scholarship funding criteria but not the course eligibility criteria. 

Click here to check the scholarship funding eligibility of your workplace/ setting for Autumn 2024.

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.