NPQ SENCO
National Professional Qualification for SENCOs
We are delighted to be partnering with Teach First to deliver this programme.
This NPQ will be the mandatory qualification for SENCOs from September 2024. The 3-year window to complete the mandatory qualification on taking up a SENCO post will remain following the introduction of the NPQ for SENCOs.
For further information, please refer to the DfE's Transition to NPQ for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators.
SENCOs meet their statutory requirement on receiving the outcome of their NPQ. Participants should allow up to 4 months on top of the 18 months of study to receive their outcome.
Programme cost
Funding for Cohort 5 has changed.
DfE Funding Information for 2025 to 2026 Cohort
Scholarships will continue to be available to all teachers and leaders from state-funded schools and state-funded 16 to 19 educational organisations for the following NPQs:
- NPQ SENCO
- NPQ Headship
Funding for target scholarships: limited scholarship places are also available for targeted schools. The list of eligible schools is available here: DfE Eligibility Lists
For non-funded school settings, the cost of the NPQ in Leading Teaching is £1,265.
Please see the funding information on our main NPQ page here.
Who is this course for?
This course is for:
- Special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs)
- Teachers interested in developing expertise in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or undertaking a SENCO role in future
- School leaders
Course overview
This 18-month course will enable you to:
- Co-ordinate special educational needs (SEN) provision throughout your school.
- Work alongside other leaders to build a school culture in which pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can participate meaningfully in the full life of the school, achieve ambitious outcomes and make successful transitions to their next steps.
This course will:
- Take between 18 and 22 months to complete (18 months taught and 3 to 4 months assessment window)
- Involve an average of 1 to 2 hours of study each week
- Be a mix of self-study and group sessions
- Have a written assessment