Home Schooling

Homeschooling or Home Education; is there a difference?

Homeschooling and home education are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. In this blog post, we…

The STEM home educator’s guide to navigating Biology Week and World Space Week

STEM educational weeks are only marginally better than buses: you wait for one and then suddenly it’s both Biology Week and World Space Week…

Many students leave school due to ill health. Is distance learning the answer?

Many students who have had to drop out of school due to illness find that distance learning works for them as a flexible alternative…

Working together for our students

In 2016 the National Extension College became Tutors & Exams‘ first learning partner. Since then we have been working together to make booking exams…

Bouncing back and moving forwards: how NEC can help with home education in an uncertain world

The National Extension College was founded by Michael Young and Brian Jackson as an educational charity in 1963 to widen participation in education, and…

A home educator’s journey – Part 10: “You have nothing to lose and everything to gain”

In part 10 of our ‘home educator’s journey’ series, Lucy discusses how the self study skills she developed through NEC prepared her well for…

My experience with GCSE Maths

Rebecca studied GCSE Maths, Psychology and English Language with NEC.  In Year 8 I was hospitalised with Crohn’s Disease along with my twin sister….

A home educator’s journey – Part 8: Studying GCSE Maths

Anna and Lucy are a mother and daughter who are sharing their experiences of online distance learning and home education. In this edition of…

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…

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…

Other articles...

Issues around School Refusal

In this blog post, we summarise a podcast hosted by the CEO of the National Extension College, Esther Chesterman, and Samreen Shah, Head of…

Jeremy’s stepping stone to studying Natural Sciences at university

NEC has been working with our partners to provide a series of free webinars on our YouTube channel for anyone interested in studying a…

Access to education for marginalised students: Exploring access arrangements

In this blog post, we delve into a thought-provoking podcast episode that focuses on the topic of access arrangements for students with special educational…

Meet the recipients of the Russell Kane Scholarship

In July 2022 NEC launched the first annual Russell Kane Scholarship Programme.  Russell Kane, now a multi-award winning comedian, TV and radio presenter, actor,…

Free online events

We work with a range of partners and experts to bring you a calendar of virtual events. Book your free tickets and learn more…

What happens when there aren’t enough students to fill a classroom?

Every summer there are dismaying articles about the decline in modern foreign languages in schools. Not to mention the drop in language learning during…

Missing out on a September college start sparked new opportunities for aspiring doctor

Ubayd gained high grades in all ten of his GCSEs and was accepted into Luton Sixth Form College. However, due to family circumstances, he…

News adding to your stress?

We understand that external factors can affect your study. Whether it’s the war in Ukraine, issues in your personal life or something you read…

NEC In Conversation: Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards

It’s not every day that you get the chance to speak to a national treasure! Eddie the Eagle studied with the National Extension College…

Three must-read books for art history students

A few years ago, we launched our interactive A level History of Art course. Since then we have seen students of all ages from…