National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL)

Choose our NPQ for Early Years Leadership and you’ll be joining over 35,000 teachers and school leaders (as of May 2025), who have decided on an Ambition NPQ since they launched in 2021.

Evidence informed curriculum
Our carefully sequenced and evidence informed NPQ is designed around the key problems you face. You’ll develop your knowledge and understanding of what high-quality, early years education and care looks like.

Access the latest early years research
Our NPQ for Early Years Leadership includes core research areas like how early years leaders can deliver and sustain change, factors affecting child development and the importance of a positive culture to improve outcomes.

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. On average just one hour per week to engage in our NPQEYL.

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 NPQEYL.

Join our charitable mission
We support teachers and school leaders at every stage of their careers, helping them to keep getting better. We are a charity providing training and professional development based on the most rigorous research and evidence about what really works.

To apply, you need to be an early years practitioner who is qualified to at least level three, with a full and relevant early years or teaching qualification.

NPQs are not suitable for active Early Career Teachers.

You will be, or will be aspiring to be:

• A manager of a private, voluntary or independent early years setting
• A headteacher of a school-based or maintained early years setting
• An early years foundation stage leader in a state funded school (roles could include early years/KS1 phase leader, assistant or deputy headteacher, or class teachers aspiring to leadership)
• A childminder with leadership responsibilities.

If you have any questions, email [email protected] and a member of our team will be in touch with next steps.

Funding for autumn 2025 is targeted for those teachers and leaders who work in the most challenging schools or educational settings, serving more disadvantaged communities.

For the NPQ for Early Years Leadership, funded scholarships are available for those who meet the following criteria:

• Be an early years practitioner who is qualified to at least level three, with a full and relevant early years or teaching qualification.
• Work in 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.

Suitable applicants from highly disadvantaged private, voluntary, independent (PVI) settings, Ofsted-registered early years childminders and maintained nursery schools will also be eligible to apply for a funded place.

If you do not work in an eligible school, the NPQ for Early Years Leadership costs £1,139 plus VAT.

RISE intervention schools
You may be eligible for funding if you work in a school that is eligible for targeted regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) intervention.

Check your setting's eligibility
If you're unsure whether you will qualify for this 'pupil premium' based on funding, please use our eligibility checker tool.

Can't find your setting?
If you are a state school with a nursery who is appearing as not eligible for funding for this NPQEYL or a childminder, please contact us directly at [email protected]

Get in touch to find out more.

Self-funded payment options
If you are unable to access a DfE funded scholarship, you can pay for your NPQ.

We will invoice the school/trust contact you provide in your application directly. Depending on your school type, they maybe be able to reclaim VAT.

If you are unable to come to an arrangement with your school, we can invoice you directly, but you will not be able to reclaim VAT.

Unfortunately, we do not offer payment plans for our NPQ programmes.

The cost of your programme must be paid in full before the start of your programme. We are unable to offer refunds once you start the programme.

DfE funding restrictions
Due to DfE funding being limited, being eligible for an NPQ scholarship does not guarantee either suitability for the course or that a funded course place is available.

If funded places are not available, you can:

• Approach a different NPQ provider to enquire about the availability of funded course places
• Choose to join your chosen providers waiting list
• Choose to pay for a course place

Our NPQ for Early Years Leadership course follows the Department for Education’s National Professional Qualification: Early Years Leadership Framework.

You will learn how to:

• Set a strategic direction for your early years setting and apply ambitious standards for all children
• Champion evidence-based practice
• Plan and deliver care and a high-quality curriculum to support children’s development
• Establish communication, language and literacy approaches to support children’s learning
• Make sure all children experience success
• Identify children who need support and make appropriate referrals
• Create an environment for all children and colleagues where everyone feels welcome and safe.

Note: programme content is subject to change.

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 up to four months (subject to change by the DfE).

During this time:

• You’ll be given an eight-day window to complete the case study.
• Participants can sit the assessment twice, if they need to.
• You need to complete 90% of the programme and pass the assessment to gain the qualification.
• We will offer a live clinic in advance of the assessment window to support you.

Join a local cohort with one of our regional partners and benefit from our expert curriculum design along with a tailored experience linked to your local context.

If you are unable to find a local cohort, you can join Ambition’s national cohort and gain a national network of peers. Either way, we work to give you the best possible experience.

Conference one for Ambition’s national NPQEYL autumn cohort will take place Wednesday 19 November and will be held at Hollywell Park Conferences, Loughborough University. Partner cohort locations and dates may vary.

Find a cohort that’s local to you in our list of partners here.

Applications are now open for November 2025 cohorts. Apply here

To apply, you need to be an early years practitioner who is qualified to at least level three, with a full and relevant early years or teaching qualification.

NPQs are not suitable for active Early Career Teachers.

You will be, or will be aspiring to be:

• A manager of a private, voluntary or independent early years setting
• A headteacher of a school-based or maintained early years setting
• An early years foundation stage leader in a state funded school (roles could include early years/KS1 phase leader, assistant or deputy headteacher, or class teachers aspiring to leadership)
• A childminder with leadership responsibilities.

Until you've completed the DfE registration, available from 8 September 2025, your application and funding will not be confirmed.

Conference one for Ambition’s national NPQEYL autumn cohort will take place Wednesday 19 November and will be held at Hollywell Park Conferences, Loughborough University. Partner cohort locations and dates may vary.

Childminders
Please complete our enquiry form here and provide us with the name of your setting and your postcode.

Teacher Reference Number
To apply for an NPQ, you will need a Teacher Reference Number (TRN). If you do not have a TRN, you can request a temporary one. You can find out how to do that here.

If you have any questions, email [email protected] and a member of our team will be in touch with next steps.

Who is the NPQEYL programme for?
The NPQ for Early Years Leadership is designed for early years practitioners who are qualified to at least level three, with a full and relevant early years or teaching qualification.

You will be, or will be aspiring to be:

• A manager of a private, voluntary or independent early years setting
• A headteacher of a school-based or maintained early years setting
• An early years foundation stage leader in a state funded school (roles could include early years/KS1 phase leader, assistant or deputy headteacher, or class teachers aspiring to leadership)
• A childminder with leadership responsibilities.

How long does the NPQEYL programme last?
The NPQ for Early Years Leadership is a 12-month programme, with a mixture of live, facilitated sessions and self-directed learning.

How does the NPQEYL programme accommodate busy schedules?
The NPQ for Early Years Leadership is designed to fit around your schedule with a 'little and often' approach that aligns with insights from the science of learning.

What does the NPQEYL cost? The NPQ for Early Years Leadership is DfE-funded for teachers and school leaders who work in the most challenging schools or educational settings, serving more disadvantaged communities in England. Find out more about the eligibility criteria in the 'Funding' tab.

Are there any specific requirements to enrol on the NPQEYL programme?
To be eligible for the NPQ for Early Years Leadership, you must be a serving teacher or early years practitioners in a school or eligible setting in England.