Guidance

National professional qualification targeted support funding: conditions of grant for the 2022 to 2023 academic year

Updated 23 October 2024

Applies to England

1. Introduction

In the 2022 to 2023 academic year, state-funded schools and state-funded 16 to 19 organisations with between 1 and 600 pupils are eligible for national professional qualification (NPQ) targeted support funding, receiving a payment for every teacher and leader they employ taking a NPQ. The targeted support fund eligibility has since been updated, for participants starting in the 2023 to 2024 academic year. You can view the national professional qualification targeted support funding 2023 to 2024: conditions of grant for the 2023 to 2024 academic year for further information.

1.1 Expiry date

Payments for participants starting in the 2022 to 2023 academic year will be made in summer 2023.

2. Eligibility

State-funded schools and state-funded 16 to 19 organisations with between 1 and 600 pupils are eligible for this funding. Targeted support funding is designed to increase uptake of evidence-based professional development among teachers and leaders.

Eligible schools and organisations will receive payment for every teacher and leader they employ taking a NPQ.

The NPQ participant must also meet the eligibility criteria for the department funded NPQ scholarships.

Schools can check how many pupils they have recorded on the Get Information about Schools (GIAS) database.

Eligibility for state-funded 16 to 19 organisations is based on pupil data from the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

Where sixth-form colleges are attached to schools their eligibility is based on the whole school’s pupil data.

Eligibility is assessed at the point of registration and based on the information provided during this process.

Other settings are not eligible for this funding, even though employees may be in receipt of scholarship funding. This includes young offenders’ institutions, virtual schools, local authorities, non-school based early years settings, and hospital schools (unless otherwise listed as a publicly funded school on the GIAS database).

This funding applies to all NPQ courses but does not apply to the Early Headship Coaching Offer.

3. Payments

Eligible schools and organisations will receive £200 per participant to support teachers and leaders participating in the NPQ programme.

There is no need to apply for this funding. It will be paid as part of normal payments from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

Payments will be made in arrears during the summer term following when the NPQ participants began their course. For example, if a participant began in October 2022 or February 2023, their school would receive the £200 payment in summer 2023.

We will pay the 2022 to 2023 allocations to local authority maintained schools in June 2023 and to academies in July 2023. We will make a further payment to independent special schools from July 2023 onwards.

It is the responsibility of the school or 16 to 19 organisation to decide how this funding will be managed. This may include, for example, contributing to: the costs of covering a teacher’s time out of school, travel costs, or technology that supports engagement in the course.

Local authorities must make the grant available to their schools irrespective of any deficit relating to the expenditure of the school’s budget share. Funding for NPQs is not part of schools’ budget shares and is not part of the individual schools budget. It is not to be counted for the purpose of calculating the minimum funding guarantee.

4. Assurance

ESFA has a responsibility to make sure that public funds are properly managed in line with these grant conditions.

As payment will be made in arrears, we reserve the right to ask schools to confirm that the money has been or will be spent in the way intended. Acceptance of the funding will be taken as confirmation.

In advance of accepting any funding, schools will have the opportunity to let us know they do not want to receive this funding or notify us of any changes, for example, the teacher moves to a different school before they start the course. You can notify us of any changes by emailing: continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk.

Schools should keep some record of this grant, but we will not mandate what form this record should take, and trust school leaders to use their judgement.

We reserve the right to conduct any proportionate assurance such as asking for sight of such records and evidence that a participant works or worked at the recipient organisation.

5. Further information

Books, other documents and records relating to the recipient’s accounts shall be open to inspection by the Secretary of State and by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The Comptroller and Auditor General may, under section 6 of the National Audit Act 1983, carry out examinations into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the recipient has used its resources in discharging its grant-aided activities.

Schools, colleges and local authorities shall provide information as may be required by the Secretary of State to determine whether it has complied with these conditions.

6. Variation

These conditions of grant may be altered at any time. Participating settings will be notified of the changes through existing communication channels and updates will be posted on the targeted support funding for national professional qualifications page.

7. Recovery of funding

This funding is being provided under section 14 to 16 of the Education Act 2002 and we reserve the right to audit the expenditure.

We will seek to recover funding that has been paid in error.

Recoveries will be made by invoice or by offsetting the amount against subsequent payments due from the department.

The recipient must notify ESFA immediately through the ESFA enquiry form if it becomes aware of any instance of error, suspected fraud or financial irregularity in the use of the funds.

8. Enquiries

You can send enquiries about this funding to: continuing-professional-development@digital.education.gov.uk.