The short answer
Thames Valley (under the joint Thames Valley and Wessex GP School policy) treats an SCA course as a green, automatically fundable curriculum requirement: one per resident doctor, taken in ST3, ideally RCGP accredited. The school steers trainees to its regionally funded courses first and warns that expensive commercial packages are generally not reimbursed, so prospective approval matters more here than the headline entitlement suggests.
How much you get
The policy's green list of automatically funded courses includes "SCA course ST3 *Ideally RCGP accredited. 1 per GP resident doctor for ST3 year" (Study leave for GP resident doctors, Thames Valley and Wessex GP School, March 2026). No per-course cash cap is published. The FAQ sets the entitlement across training: "a maximum of 1 AKT preparation course/resource claim and 1 CSA/RCA preparation course/resource claim throughout the course of their training programme".
Two funding realities sit alongside that. The school asks trainees to "book onto our regionally funded courses in the first instance", approving other courses where attending the funded regional offer was not possible. And it flags that "more expensive commercial packages" will in general not be reimbursed "apart from in exceptional circumstances".
Does it cover SCA prep courses?
Yes, as a curriculum-level entitlement rather than a discretionary favour, which is a strong position. The accreditation wording matters: "ideally RCGP accredited" is a preference, not a requirement, so non-accredited courses are claimable, but an accredited course faces less friction. This preference is worth reading alongside the FAQ, which approves other courses where it was not possible to attend the funded regional offer. RCGP-accredited courses have a limited number of places and run to a fixed timetable, so if an accredited course cannot take you before your sitting, that is a legitimate, practical basis to put a non-accredited course to your TPD: name the accredited option you tried, note that its places or dates did not fit your exam date, and frame the alternative as the same curriculum requirement. On subscriptions the policy is precise: annual or monthly subscriptions are not included, however "if as part of the course cost a subscription package for year is included, that is acceptable". A course that bundles ongoing access qualifies; a bare subscription does not.
The policy notes national study leave guidance is expected, at which point this document will be updated: worth rechecking before a claim late in 2026.
Is the SCA exam fee itself reimbursed?
Not from the study budget: leave for the exam day comes from your study leave allowance, but the fee is separate. Under the June 2026 resident doctor contract agreement, doctors in England can reclaim their first two SCA attempts for exams sat from 1 April 2026, through their employing trust. Details: Is the SCA exam fee reimbursed?.
How to claim
- Check the regional TV and Wessex exam course offer first.
- Get the course on your PDP with ES approval, then apply through the South East study leave process (the Thames Valley resident doctor flowchart, June 2026, sets out the steps) before booking or paying.
- Claim with receipts after attending.
NHS study budget
Most trainees can claim our Complete SCA Course on the NHS study budget.
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Deaneries decide locally
Most English deaneries fund one SCA preparation course (typically up to £600, code GP0001), but each applies its own rules: some fund two, some cap at £500, some run named lists, and the devolved nations differ again. Select your deanery above for the specific position, with the policy evidence quoted.
“National default: one preparation course per exam, up to £600 (GP0001)”