HC Deb 18 July 2003 vol 409 cc752-3W
Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make it his policy that teachers enrolling in the National Professional Qualification for Headship in September 2003 will have their costs of supply cover and subsistence met in full regardless of the number of pupils at their school. [126967]

Margaret Hodge

Responsibility for the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) was passed to the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) in 2001, including responsibility for setting the level of financial support for candidates on the programme.

Having consulted widely, the college has revised its charging policy for a range of its programmes, including NPQH, and has concluded that financial support for supply cover and travel and subsistence should be withdrawn from NPQH candidates from schools with 150 pupils or more from I September 2003. The college will continue to cover the cost of the course fees for all applicants on the NPQH programme.