The National Extension College was founded by Michael Young and Brian Jackson as an educational charity in 1963 to widen participation in education, and to promote lifelong learning. Michael Young, wrote: “we were searching for education without institution, learning while earning, courses which people of all ages could take in their own time, at their own pace.”

Michael Young didn’t have a global pandemic in mind when thinking of the importance of being able to provide “education without institution”, but in response to this Covid-19 crisis, we have seen home education and online learning come into the centre stage. Many parents have had to take on the role of primary educator within the home, facilitating their childrens’ learning . Now that lockdown measures are being eased and some measure of normality returns, all of us are facing some challenging decisions as we try to picture what the future in this ‘new normal’ will look like.

Is home education for you?

NEC is as committed as ever to supporting lifelong learning. Whilst we cannot determine whether a home or school environment for learning is the best option for your family, for those looking for an alternative or are already homeschooling, NEC is here to help bridge the gap between home education and National Qualifications.

We are committed to providing flexible course options to help you tailor your education to suit your goals including GCSEs, AS levels, A levels and professional qualifications such as bookkeeping and management. Our high quality distance learning courses will help you further your aspirations and start opening doors to your future, with core subjects such as maths and English language, humanities, science, modern foreign languages and social sciences. We believe that having a wide range of interests and studying a mix of subjects is key in equipping students with different skills and lenses through which they can understand the world around them, achieve their potential and attain the grades that they are aiming for.

What are people studying at the moment?

At the moment our most popular A level courses include sciences such as biology and chemistry, maths, and psychology. Understandably, the medical profession and those working in hospitals around the globe have been at the forefront of all of our minds. The popularity of these subjects suggests that people are returning to education in order to pursue healthcare related careers, filling gaps in their qualifications in order to move on to further training.At the same time, the trends for GCSEs this year show the popularity of maths, biology and Spanish as well as the rising popularity of GCSE Astronomy – a subject not offered by most schools, but ideal for students interested in space and the Universe. This subject is a  useful precursor to A levels such as physics and maths.

Both the physical and social sciences have always been popular with NEC, but humanities are just as valuable for a variety of career paths, even those traditionally thought of as science focused. The rising popularity of A level History of Art demonstrates this, equipping students with the tools they need to read images in the world around them, promoting visual literacy and a critical eye that can be useful in many other careers, including law and medicine.

How can NEC help you on your home education journey?

So, whether you are a parent looking for online courses developed by experts that will help you educate your children at home, or you are an individual looking to retrain, we can guarantee a wide range of subject choice and over 55 years’ of experience helping students to achieve their goals.

Our courses are designed to suit you and you can get started straight away, so if you are looking to enrol or have questions about home education, please get in touch or learn more with our brand new free NEC Guide for Home Educators.