New NPAs in Sports Coaching
We’ve developed new National Progression Awards (NPAs) in Sports Coaching at SCQF Levels 5 and 6 which are jointly certified with sportscotland and the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).
The NPA at SCQF Level 5 will introduce the role of a coaching assistant within a supervised setting. Learners must be at least 14 years old upon completion.
The NPA at SCQF Level 6 will introduce learners to the role of a coach within a supervised setting. Learners must be at least 16 years old by completion.
Support for centres
Centres interested in delivering these courses will need to request a letter of support from sportscotland before seeking approval from SQA. You must receive SQA approval before you can deliver these qualifications.
We’ll schedule central approval events to support you through the approval process, and we’ll provide more information about these events soon. The deadlines for submitting applications and the sportscotland letter of support for these events are:
• Friday 30 May 2025
• Friday 26 September 2025
• Friday 5 December 2025
• Friday 27 March 2026
We will process applications received out with these deadlines within 6-8 weeks, in line with our standard service level agreement.
You can find information on the course content, and details of the centre approval process - including links to request a letter of support from sportscotland - on the NPA Sports Coaching webpage.