NPQSENCO

Why this programme?

Choose our NPQ for SENCOs and you’ll be joining over 29,000 teachers and school leaders who’ve selected one of the new and reformed Ambition Institute NPQs as of March 2024.

Evidence informed curriculum

Our carefully sequenced and evidence informed NPQ is designed around the key problems you face. You’ll learn to implement tailored SEND strategies related to your school’s context.

Access the latest SEND research

This includes core school leadership domains like teaching, behaviour and culture, alongside specialist SEND knowledge on topics like identifying need, running effective intervention and working within the law.

Train to your timetable

Our ‘little and often’ approach means you can engage with our NPQs around your busy timetable, with minimal time needed out of school.

No large project

Plus, on our NPQs there’s no large project at the end. Instead, you’ll sit an ‘open book’ assessment with support via two on-demand webinars and a dedicated, live assessment preparation clinic to help you get the most from your NPQ.

Benefits for you

Excel as a SENCO

Learn how to become a strategic leader of SEND. You’ll discover what good SEND provision looks like and work with other staff to support your school to meet the needs of all pupils, whilst working confidently within statutory guidance.

Establish a positive culture

You’ll lead on establishing and sustaining a positive, safe and supportive culture across your school for all pupils.

Develop a strategic SEND provision

Learn how to contribute to and implement a strong and robust SEND strategy and support the delivery of effective provision, working with other agencies and specialists for pupils with SEND, and their families.

Designed by SEND experts

Benefit from a programme which is designed and delivered by SEND specialists including current SENCOs and experts from across the sector.

Invest in your future

Ongoing professional development helps you to grow and thrive as a SENCO. You will follow an evidence-informed framework and gain a professional accreditation at the end of the programme.

Learn at your pace

This programme is designed to fit around your leadership role and much of the work can be completed in bite-size chunks around your existing work timetable. 

Connect with your peers

You will train alongside other SENCOs from similar school contexts. You can share your experiences and build a strong support network.

Benefits for your school

Develop your school’s SEND provision

Your SENCOs will learn strategies and solutions to implement a strong SEND provision across your school. This includes creating an effective school-wide culture and supporting the development of a positive, safe and supportive school environment where all pupils can thrive.

Access the latest SEND learning

Teachers and leaders will bring more evidence-based teaching and learning into your classrooms, meaning high quality teaching and improved outcomes for all pupils, including those with SEND.

Create a ‘golden thread’

The NPQs are all aligned. So, no matter what career stage your teachers are at, by joining this programme, they will benefit from an evidence-based framework. They will also share a common language with other NPQ participants that they can pass on to colleagues.

Identify future leaders

Competent and confident leaders who excel in their roles will be more likely to apply for senior positions in your school when they arise.

Retain your teaching talent

By allowing teachers to develop and nurture their talents in specialist areas such as SEND, you are investing in their future. This will boost their confidence, making them feel supported and less likely to apply for jobs elsewhere.

Tap into a network

Your teachers will train alongside peers from other schools with similar contexts, supported by facilitators that fully understand your school’s needs.

What you’ll learn
This programme follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification (NPQ): SENCO framework.

On this programme, you will learn how to:

• Contribute to establishing and sustaining a positive and supportive culture across the school for all pupils.
• Support senior leaders to ensure staff and governors enact statutory guidance.
• Support teachers and support staff to understand the importance of expert teaching for all pupils and to implement a graduated approach in the classroom, subject or domain effectively.
• Support the delivery of effective provision for pupils with SEND and their families, and be able to review, monitor, evaluate and improve the impact of SEND provision.
• Work with staff, specialists and other agencies to assist the school in meeting the needs of all pupils.
• Implement an efficient SEND identification process across the school which ensures that barriers to learning are identified and addressed at the earliest opportunity.
• Work with and equip fellow leaders with the skills to establish and sustain effective curriculum planning that enable teachers to plan, adapt and teach effectively for all pupils.
• Support the development of a positive, safe and supportive environment for pupils across the whole school.
• Ensure all pupils feel motivated in school with a supportive setting to enable them to reach their aspirations and potential.

Note: programme content is subject to change.

How you’ll learn

Our NPQ for SENCOs is designed so you can engage in live, facilitated sessions alongside modules you can complete at any time.

The first cohort will start in October 2024. Partner cohort locations and dates may vary.

Over 18 months, our NPQ for SENCOs includes: 

• Two full day conferences (6hrs each).
• Nine courses (each course lasts six weeks and loosely aligned to a school half term).
• Each course includes six modules.
• Seven two-hour clinics (facilitated sessions).
• One two-hour assessment clinic.
• Five communities (1hr 15mins group sessions). 

The content is delivered through blended learning. This includes a mix of real-time, interactive online sessions and self-guided modules you complete in your own time.

The programme includes facilitator-led sessions with your peer group that focus on decision making. The programme starts with a one-day live conference.

Note: programme content is subject to change.

Assessment
Our NPQ courses no longer include a large project at the end. Instead, you’ll sit an ‘open book’ style assessment in which you respond to a short case study.

The assessment window starts at the end of the 18-month programme and runs for three months.

During this time:

We will offer two webinars and a live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you.

You’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.

There are two assessment windows every year, and participants can sit the assessment twice, if they need to.

You need to pass the assessment and engage with 90% of the course to qualify for the NPQ accreditation.

Scholarship funding for autumn 2025

Scholarship funding is available for teachers and leaders in publicly funded schools (including maintained nursery schools) and 16 to 19 educational settings in England for the following NPQs:

• special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs)
• headship

Funding for these courses is also available to:

• schools eligible for targeted regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) intervention
• hospital schools
• young offender institutions
• local authority virtual school headteachers, staff in a defined deputy headteacher role and staff in direct teaching roles
• other local authority staff in direct teaching roles – for example, local authority supply or peripatetic teachers

Scholarship funding is also available for the following NPQs based on disadvantage criteria:

• leading teaching
• leading behaviour and culture
• leading literacy
• leading primary mathematics
• senior leadership
• executive leadership
• early years leadership
• leading teacher development

For these NPQs, scholarship funding to cover the full NPQ course cost will be available to teachers and leaders from eligible schools and 16 to 19 settings that have high levels of disadvantage. 

For the NPQ in early years leadership, highly disadvantaged early years settings and maintained nursery schools will also be eligible. 

For the NPQ in leading teacher development, scholarship funding is also available if you’re taking on the role of lead mentor for an initial teacher training (ITT) provider accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024.

To be eligible, your school or setting must be on one of the disadvantage eligibility lists.

Eligibility lists

Details of eligibility lists based on disadvantage are set out as follows.

Schools

The top 50% of publicly funded schools that have the highest proportion of students attracting pupil premium. This does not include maintained nursery schools.

Further education

The top 50% of 16 to 19 settings where the highest proportion of funded students attracting a disadvantage uplift. This is based on a combination of disadvantage block 1 and block 2 funding.

Early years

The top 50% of early years settings where the highest proportion of children get early years pupil premium or disadvantaged 2-year-old entitlement funding.

This includes private, voluntary, independent (PVI) settings, Ofsted-registered early years childminders and maintained nursery schools.

These settings are eligible for the early years leadership NPQ only.

Maintained nursery schools are also eligible for headship and SENCO NPQs regardless of disadvantage.

Schools eligible for targeted RISE intervention

This includes schools that:

• were previously scheduled for structural intervention after 1 January 2025 but have since had this intervention revoked
• are stuck schools – a stuck school is defined as a school that was graded Requires Improvement or equivalent at its most recent Ofsted inspection, and was also graded below Good at its previous inspection and is still within the same structure

The eligible settings are fixed for the autumn 2025 recruitment period.

Early headship coaching offer

For the early headship coaching offer, you can get funding to cover the course fees if you’re both:

• in your first 5 years of headship in England in a state-funded school or 16 to 19 organisation
• currently doing, or have completed, the NPQ for headship

Funding restrictions 

You can only receive scholarship funding for each NPQ once.

If you receive scholarship funding but then withdraw from or fail a course, you cannot get scholarship funding for the same NPQ again.

Being eligible for an NPQ scholarship does not guarantee that:

• the course is suitable for you
• a funded course place will be available

NPQ providers determine suitability through their application processes.

The total amount of scholarship funding is limited, so some eligible teachers and leaders may not secure a funded place. Check with your provider before you register to see if a funded place is available.

NPQ providers manage applications for the courses they deliver and may prioritise applications according to the number of funded places they have available. For example, priority will be given to applications for the NPQ for SENCOs to those needing to take the NPQ as a mandatory qualification for their role as a SENCO.

If a funded place is not available

If funded places are not available with your chosen NPQ provider, you can:

• contact another provider to enquire about funded places
• join your provider’s waiting list
• self-fund your course place

Find out more about providers and the NPQ courses they offer.

Legacy NPQs 

If you received scholarship funding for a legacy NPQ before November 2021 and withdrew from the programme, you’re still eligible for scholarship funding for the current NPQs.

To apply for the NPQ for SENCOs, you must be or a current or aspiring SENCO, or a school leader such as a senior leader or headteacher.