Scholarship Funding for Autumn 2026

Details about the autumn 2026 NPQ cohort can be found on GOV.UK. In summary:

• the NPQ for Headship and NPQ for SENCOs will continue to be fully funded, regardless of disadvantage criteria
• the NPQ for Senior Leadership will now be fully funded, regardless of disadvantage criteria
• the NPQ for Early Years Leadership will now be fully funded for participants working in Early Years settings regardless of disadvantage criteria
• the above arrangements apply to participants working in eligible educational settings

Funding for the Early Headship Coaching Offer will continue to be available if the participant is also:

• in the first 5 years of headship
• undertaking or has completed the NPQ for Headship

Scholarships for all other NPQs will continue to be based on disadvantage criteria. 

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. 

Costs

The table below outlines the costs for NPQs for colleagues not employed in state funded schools: