The National Professional Qualification for Headship is a professional qualification for aspiring headteachers. The qualification was introduced in 1997 by the newly elected Labour government, following a commitment in their manifesto to introduce a mandatory qualification for head teachers. Initially voluntary, the first group of people were awarded the qualification in July 1998. The legal requirement and qualification became mandatory on 1 April 2004. Until 8 February 2012, holding the NPQH was a mandatory requirement for all newly appointed English and Welsh school head teachers. It is taught via blended learning at centres all over the country, and administered by the National College for Teaching and Leadership which has centres in Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Ruddington.