Guest Blogs

Passion and Academics: How Izzy Balances Full-time Musical Theatre Studies with Studying A level Physics

Earlier this year we introduced Izzy who was embarking on a journey to fast-track her A level Physics studies with NEC. In the second…

My Experience as a Marketing Intern with the National Extension College

As an intern with the marketing team at the National Extension College (NEC), I had the chance to dive into a variety of tasks,…

The economics of political parties

By Roy Bowden Roy, a tutor on NEC’s A level Economics explains how A level Economics students can use the manifestos of political parties…

Embarking on a journey: My decision to ‘Fast-Track’ A level Physics with NEC

We’re delighted to share the first in a series of guest posts by Izzy an NEC learner who is sharing her learning journey with…

Homeschooler Andrew’s experience of studying IGCSE Chemistry

Last year, we shared Andrew’s experience of how homeschooling was helping him to balance education and family commitments. We caught up with Andrew to…

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…

Why study Classics as a teacher?

The Classical Association is offering five bursaries for state sector teachers to study A level Classical Civilisation flexibly with NEC. Bursary recipients will be…

The benefits of offering Classics to your students

The Classical Association is offering five bursaries for state sector teachers to study A level Classical Civilisation flexibly with NEC. Bursary recipients will be…

Is education the answer to social mobility? The contribution of the National Extension College.

All political parties talk loudly about their commitment to social mobility and levelling up, but progress over the last decades has been dire and…

Why study A level Geography?

To celebrate the launch of NEC’s online interactive A level Geography, we spoke to lead tutor Alison Leadbetter about why she loves the subject…

Other articles...

NEC’s top courses for classics connoisseurs

The crowdfunded return of Time Team proves support for our interest in hidden histories. Although there has always been an interest in ancient history,…

Changing keys: from jazz guitar at a conservatoire to an engineering degree at the University of Sheffield

Toby left school with a string of A*s at GCSE, but the experience of suffering a bereavement during his exams led him to abandon…

National Work Life Week 2021: finding time for professional development 

National Work Life Week, established by the not-for-profit Working Families, takes place every year between the 11th and 15th of October. It is a…

NEC moves house: bigger premises and a brighter future

The National Extension College (NEC) is delighted to announce its expansion and relocation to new premises in the village of Sawston, Cambridgeshire.  Since its…

National Poetry Day 2021: a whistle-stop tour through NEC English tutor Colin’s favourite poets and poems

Thursday, 7 October is National Poetry Day. To celebrate, we challenged NEC English tutor Colin to pick a favourite poem…  Phew! This is the…

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…

Rediscovering self-belief through A level History of Art

When NEC student Rosa decided to give herself a second chance at further education, it was not for lack of success the first time…

Why study A level Economics?

In March 2016, we published a blog post outlining the benefits of studying Economics or Business at A level. The points we made remain…

Common misperceptions of distance learning

One common misperception is that distance learning students teach themselves, simply watching videos online. However, our courses, whilst flexible in the time that you…

How to stand out on LinkedIn as a student – NEC’s ten-step guide

Logging on to LinkedIn as a student can feel daunting. As the self-described “world’s largest professional network” with over 774 million members dotted across…