Autumn 2026 cohorts: funding information announced 18 May 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.

For all other NPQs, scholarship funding is available to schools on the eligibility list.

Please note:

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.

Applications open on 23 June via Ambition Institute (application): How to apply for a National Professional Qualification | Ambition Institute and the DfE (funding eligibility check): https://register-national-professional-qualifications.education.gov.uk/

Skip to:

• What NPQs are on offer?
• How do I apply?
• Is there funding?
• How much do NPQs cost if I can't get funding?
• Tell me more about the programmes.

The Julian TSH is delighted to be partnering with Ambition Institute to deliver our NPQs.

 

 

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.

If you are unable to access funding for your NPQ, these are the costs:

• Specialist NPQs: £899 per participant
• NPQSL and NPQEYL: £1,139 per participant
• NPQSENCO: £1,332 per participant
• NPQH: £1,949 per participant. 

Why Ambition Institute?

We are excited to expand our partnership with Ambition Institute, having worked with them as a delivery partner since the early roll-out of the ECF-based induction programme in 2020. Ambition Institute is a charity with one purpose: "to help educators serving children from disadvantaged backgrounds to keep getting better". Their mission is to support teachers and school leaders at every stage of their careers, helping them to keep getting better.

Why NPQs?

NPQs complete the DfE’s golden thread, running from initial teacher training through to school leadership, rooting teacher and school leader development in the best available evidence and collective wisdom of the profession. You can read more about Ambition Institute's NPQs here.

How will I learn?

Every NPQ is delivered through a blend of online sessions, face to face workshops, and self-guided learning accessed through Ambition Institute's learning portal, StepLab. This allows you to structure your learning flexibly and to suit your lifestyle.

How are NPQs assessed?

At the end of your course, you will sit an open-book assessment in which you respond to a short case study. You will have an eight-day window in which to complete the assessment.