General

General

A Head Teacher’s Priorities for 2024

Head teachers in secondary schools are steering through an intricate landscape of advanced planning, critical evaluation, and strategic decision-making. This period is pivotal, marking…
General, Lifelong Learning, Policy and Campaigns

University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education offers tuition fee bursary for NEC A level students

Applications open now  Continuing the relationship that began in 2021, the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) and NEC are once again collaborating to offer…
General, Our Courses

What is the difference between GCSEs and IGCSEs?

When it comes to navigating education systems as a traditional student, distance learner or parent, there are many terms and qualifications that can cause…
General

What careers can computing lead to?

Does the idea of a career in computing appeal to you? In this post we will be diving into everything you need to know…
General, Policy and Campaigns

Rapid change and the need to upskill and reskill means more of us are likely to be second-chance learners

Traditional providers alone can’t solve inequality “The next government must fully embrace ‘second-chance’ education in the drive to reverse the decline in social mobility.”…
General, Lifelong Learning

What Qualifications Do I Need to Be a Nurse?

Have you decided that this year is the year you finally take that leap towards a new career? Are you considering a career in…
General

Happy Holidays from NEC

A message from our CEO Esther Chesterman: As the year comes to a close, I want to wish all our wonderful students, partners and…
General, Guest Blogs

National Extension College: Bringing education to you

For over 60 years, National Extension College (NEC) has worked towards the goal of transforming lives and opening up new educational possibilities for people…
General, Home Schooling, Lifelong Learning

Why is it important to study maths?

In today’s world where technology is so openly available, it’s easy to assume that maths skills aren’t as in high demand and worth continuing…
General, Home Schooling, Our Courses

Why Study an AS Level?

An AS level (Advanced Subsidiary level) acts as a great stepping stone between GCSEs and higher education. Yes, A levels are typically more well…
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General

Happy 50th Birthday OU!

‘We are thinking rather of the people who cannot turn up regularly for ordinary classes, above all of married women housebound by their children,…
General

English Language Day 2019

23rd April has special resonance in England. It’s St George’s Day (England’s patron saint) as well as the traditional date on which to celebrate…
Home Schooling, Student Stories

A home educator’s journey – Part 7: GCSE Revision at home

This post was originally published on April 17th 2019 and updated on March 23rd 2020. Anna and Lucy are a mother and daughter who…
General

How to study maths

What is Maths? People often talk about maths as if it were a great mystery. ‘I can never understand maths.’ ‘You can do maths!…
General

How to tackle stress during exam revision season

Exam revision can be a stressful time. It’s the culmination of all your hard work studying for your A levels or GCSEs and the…
General

Second-chance learning in prison

About the author: David Breakspear was released from prison in June 2017. While there, with the help of funding through organisations like The Prisoners’…
General

Our top 5 April Fools’

To celebrate April Fools’ Day we’ve been looking back on some of our favourite pranks and hoaxes. Here are 5 of the best: BBC…
General

World Poetry Day 2019

Today’s guest blog celebrates World Poetry Day and is written by NEC tutor Tracey Jones.  World Poetry Day is a celebration of poetry in…
General

The HG Wells’ Biology Textbook

In 1893, HG Wells would publish his first book. It was not The Time Machine or War of the Worlds. It was a textbook:…
Home Schooling, Student Stories

A home-educator’s journey, part 6: Using learn@nec and Tutor Support

This post was originally published on February 22nd 2019 and updated on March 23rd 2020. This is the sixth in the series of ‘A…
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