For school leaders who are, or aspire to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school.
NPQH brochure
Duration: 18 months (plus 3 months for summative assessment process)
Hours of study: 81
Cost: Free to those who meet the scholarship eligibility criteria. The cost for school or self-funded participants outside of the criteria is £1,984
Scholarship eligibility criteria:
- are, or are aspiring to be, a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school
- work in a state-funded school or a state-funded organisation that offers 16-19 places in England
OR:
- are a headteacher or head of school with responsibility for leading a school
- are in the first 24 months of headship
- work in a state-funded school or a state-funded organisation that offers 16-19 places in England
NPQH applicants can also apply for our Early Headship Coaching Offer (EHCO). This programme is tailored to your needs and suitable for any stage of NPQH study.
The EHCO will enable you to apply NPQH knowledge and skills to your own context, thrive through building support networks alongside main NPQH groups and sustain your development using social and psychological resources for leadership. Full funding for the EHCO is available for eligible participants. Click here to find out more about the EHCO.

Apply for an NPQH
- Register: To begin your application journey, please complete a registration form via the DfE registration portal to verify your details.
- Apply: Once your details have been validated by the Department for Education (this can take up to 3 working days), you will be added to our database. We will then be in touch to advise on next steps and how to complete your application.
We are now accepting applications for our October 2023 and February 2024 cohorts.