Today the DfE has updated their National Professional Qualification scholarship eligibility for state-funded schools and colleges. Teachers and leaders employed in state-funded schools, and state-funded organisations that offer 16-19 places, in England will be able to access a fully-funded NPQ from autumn 2021. This is to support teachers and pupils following the disruption to learning faced as a result of COVID-19.
Previously, NPQ scholarship funding was limited to the National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD) and the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) for headteachers in the role for less than two years, unless the school was in the top 30th percentile for the Pupil Premium. Now, all NPQ programmes attract scholarship funding for state-funded schools and colleges.
If you are interested in undertaking an NPQ programme, your first step will be to sign up with a provider. To register with Bradford Teaching School Hub, please complete our online form via this link.
Once you have selected your course and provider, you will need to register for your programme using the DfE’s Online service. Bradford Teaching School Hub is partnered with Ambition Institute.
Applications for November 2021 cohorts have been extended to Sunday 17th October 2021. Applications for February 2022 cohorts are now being accepted. We have limited capacity for November starts. New/recent applicants may be asked to join February 2022 cohorts.
The DfE will apply new eligibility criteria to all new registrations on their online service from 12th October, and retrospectively to registrations submitted before this change of criteria. The DfE will email all participants who have become eligible for funding under the new criteria to inform them that they are now eligible for DfE NPQ scholarship funding. The DfE will inform them that DfE have automatically updated their funding status, that their provider will be informed of this change, and that they do not need to take any further action. These communications will be sent throughout the day on Tuesday 12 October. If you have any enquiries about the change in funding status, please contact the DfE helpdesk: continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk.
Access to funding remains conditional on successful validation of participants’ registration information against Teaching Regulation Agency records, so you must ensure that the information supplied to your NPQ provider matches your teacher record. You can check and update your record via the Teaching Regulation Agency’ Teacher Self-Service Portal.
If you are not eligible for scholarship funding, you can still undertake an NPQ and should contact your local teaching school hub (Bradford Teaching School Hub: tshub@exceedacademiestrust.co.uk).
As part of the government’s long-term education recovery plan, £184 million of new funding for NPQs was announced on 2 June 2021 to be spent over the course of this parliament.
Full details of the announcement are available here. Download the DfE leaflet here.
Best wishes
Paul
Paul Butler
Director of Bradford Teaching School Hub
