National Professional Qualifications

National Professional Qualifications


NPQ Programmes 

Saffron Teaching School Hub is delighted to be working with Teach First as our NPQ Lead Provider. A full list of our NPQ programmes is available here.

Expressions of Interest for NPQ programmes starting in Autumn 2025

Applications for the April 2025 cohort are now closed. 

We are now taking Expressions of Interest for our NPQ programmes starting in Autumn 2025. To express your interest, please complete the form below:

If you have any questions, please contact us at saffrontsh@saffron.academy.


NPQ Costs and Funding

DfE - Funding for National Professional Qualifications

In this section, we have summarised the key funding headlines from the DfE page.

Please note: being eligible for an NPQ scholarship does not guarantee a place, as funding and places are limited.

Funded NPQs

Scholarships are available to teachers and leaders from state-funded schools and state-funded 16 to 19 educational organisations for the following NPQs: 

For the Early Headship Coaching Offer, funding to cover the course fees are 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. 

Funding for target scholarships

Scholarship funding for the full suite of NPQ programmes will be available to teachers and leaders from:

  • The top 50% of state-funded schools in England that have the highest proportion of students attracting pupil premium, as set out in the eligibility lists
  • The top 50% of state-funded settings in England that have the highest proportion of students eligible for disadvantage funding 

For the Early Years Leadership NPQ, highly disadvantaged early years settings will also be eligible.    

The DfE has published a list of schools, 16-19 settings and Early Years settings which are eligible for funding for spring 2025. Details can be found on the DfE funding page here.

Saffron Teaching School Hub will alert all eligible schools within our Hub area.

Non-Funded NPQs

For non-funded NPQs or school settings, the overall costs for each programme are detailed below: