National Professional Qualifications (NPQs).

The Specialist NPQs provide teachers and leaders with more options to keep getting better. 

There are five NPQs which are specialist qualifications:

• NPQ in Leading Behaviour and Culture (NPQLBC)
• NPQ in Leading Literacy (NPQLL) 
• NPQ in Leading Primary Maths (NPQLPM)
• NPQ in Leading Teaching (NPQLT)
• NPQ in Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD)

The leadership NPQs are designed to look at what best practice means for school leadership. They attend to the knowledge and skills school leaders need to help them tackle the persistent problems of their daily roles.

There are four NPQs which cater to teachers in leadership, or aspiring towards leadership:

• NPQ in Senior Leadership (NPQSL).
• NPQ in Headship (NPQH).
• NPQ in Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL).
• NPQ in Special Education Needs (SENCO)

For the November 2026 cohorts, NPQ scholarship funding will be available to applicants from state-funded schools and 16-19 education institutions for the five programmes:

• NPQ for Early Years Leadership 
• NPQ Senior Leadership 
• NPQ for SENCOs
• NPQ for Headship
• Early Headship Coaching Offer (EHCO)

 

NPQ Early Years Leadership funding will also be available for all childminders who are on the  Early Years Ofsted Register. This includes private, voluntary, independent (PVI) settings, Ofsted-registered early years childminders and maintained nursery schools.

For all other NPQs, teachers and leaders from schools in England with the highest proportion of pupil premium students can register for scholarship-funded places. Those from schools on the RISE targeted intervention list or from early years and 16–19 education institutions identified as having a high disadvantage can also register for funded places.

You can find the full DfE eligibility criteria here 

Click here to check if your school/establishment is eligible for a fully funded scholarship.

Scholarships are only confirmed after you complete both:
• An application
• DfE registration 

NPQ scholarships are determined by the Department for Education (DfE). Scholarship funding for any future NPQ cohort has not yet been confirmed by the DfE and is subject to change. 

You will be supported by our team of Visiting Fellows. They are the best local and national leaders, who will bring the content to life through engaging delivery.

Each NPQ is broken down into modules which can be spread across the timetable, whether that is in between lessons, after school, on a commute or at home. And with our ‘little and often’ approach, you will get better faster.

✅ Flexible learning to suit your teachers and leaders’ timetable.

✅ Focused on what they need to know in their role.

✅ Delivered ‘little and often’ so they get better faster. 

Our hybrid delivery model includes face-to-face and online delivery.

Our NPQs are designed with flexibility in mind. 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. 

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.

You need to complete the course to qualify for the NPQ accreditation.

For more information including FAQs click here

The next NPQ cohort will start in November 2026; there will only be 1 cohort for this academic year, 2026/27.

Applications are now open.