Summary of actions outlined in this article:

• Identify staff that would benefit from an NPQ
• Review the content of the NPQs: www.teachingschoolhub.co.uk/npq
• Check scholarship eligibility
• Register and apply before 12^th October 2021
• Applicant onboards before 15^th October 2021

Scholarships

Most state-funded schools are eligible for DfE NPQ scholarship funding to aid Covid recovery. Those serving the most disadvantaged communities have a more extensive offer than those schools below this threshold based on Pupil Premium data. New headteachers (those in post for less than two academic years) are eligible for scholarships for NPQH, plus the Additional Support Offer. 

At the moment, there are no limits to the number of scholarships a school can apply for, either in total or by programme. We do not know when this funding will be withdrawn (because schools nationally have drawn down all the funds available). We do not know if scholarships will be available in 2022-23 or what the eligibility criteria might be. Schools should only commit to programmes where they are confident the member of staff can access the entire programme and avoid overcommitting their school.

Checking your school’s eligibility for scholarships

I have attached at the end of this article three versions of the Excel spreadsheet published by the DfE:

• One version filtered to show all eligible schools in Bradford
• One version filtered to show all eligible schools in Leeds
• One version providing the names of all eligible schools in England for use by schools that are not in Bradford or Leeds. Please use the ‘Local Authority’ filter to select the LA your school is in to quickly identify whether your school is on the list or not.

Please note: There is no flexibility or right to appeal if your school is not on the list. The list is final and the DfE will not deviate from this.

School included in the list

These state-funded schools meet the criteria of being in the top 30^th percentile for the Pupil Premium. Therefore, these schools are eligible for NPQ scholarships to fund one or more of the following:

• National Professional Qualification for Leading Culture and Behaviour
• National Professional Qualification for Leading Teaching
• National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development
• National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership
• National Professional Qualification for Headship
• National Professional Qualification for Headship with the Additional Support Offer (if they are in the first two years of headship and work in a state-funded school. The ASO is an additional coaching offer funded by the scholarship)
• National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership

School NOT included in the list

These state-funded schools DO NOT meet the criteria of being in the top 30^th percentile for the Pupil Premium. However, these schools are eligible for NPQ scholarships to fund one or more of the following:

• National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development
• National Professional Qualification for Headship (if they are in the first two years of headship and work in a state-funded school)
• National Professional Qualification for Headship with the Additional Support Offer (if they are in the first two years of headship and work in a state-funded school. The ASO is an additional coaching offer funded by the scholarship)

Schools can self-funded places on the other NPQs.

Confirming eligibility

The registration and application process will check and confirm applicant's eligibility for scholarship funding, giving your school reassurance before committing. I’ve attached our step-by step guide to support applicants. You will notice one of the first actions is to register with the DfE before applying for the Ambition Institute licenced programmes via Bradford Teaching School Hub. 

Teacher appraisal

When undertaking teacher appraisal you may identify colleagues to undertake an NPQ. This is an effective way to invest in teacher development.

Applying for an NPQ

Our step-by-step guide (attached) will guide applications through the process. For November 2021 starts, they need to have completed their application (steps 1-3b) by 12^th October 2021. They will then need to complete the Onboarding Form (step 4) by 15^th October 2021. To meet these deadlines applicants need to commence the process imminently. Although there are a number of steps to undertake, this is not a lengthy process although there are times when applicants will need to wait for further information before proceeding to the next step.

I hope this helps you and your school to maximise the scholarship funding and, most importantly, invest in your workforce.