Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: “NAHT has campaigned strongly for all teachers to be able to access fully funded professional qualifications. It’s good that funding for the full range of NPQs is no longer restricted to only some schools.

“Widening the criteria is helpful to allow more teachers and leaders to access the funding that government had already set aside for CPD, but will not resolve the serious leadership supply crisis facing schools.

“The salaries of teachers and leaders have declined against inflation for the last decade, undermining their real value and making teaching uncompetitive in relation to other professional graduate occupations. The government must listen to their independent pay review body, the STRB, and stop constraining them from making the recommendation that they have indicated is needed: that all teachers and leaders should receive a pay uplift.”