Norland College is a British higher education provider based in Bath,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. The college specialises in

childcare Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

, and is widely known for its prestigious training of

nannies A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...

, nursery nurses and other childcare professionals, who are employed worldwide. Norland nannies are seen as a status symbol and are popular among celebrities and royals. Alumni are termed "Norlanders". Norland offers one degree programme: the BA (Hons) in Early Years Development and Learning, previously in association with the

University of Gloucestershire , mottoeng = In Spirit and Truth , established = , type = Public , endowment = £2.4 m (2015) , chancellor = Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie , vice_chancellor ...

. In March 2019, Norland was awarded Taught Degree Awarding Powers by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

, which allows it to offer the degree through their institution, as well as enabling it to mark all student assessments internally. It also offers the prestigious Norland Diploma.

History

Norland was founded in 1892 by Emily Ward. It is the world's oldest childcare training institution. Ward believed in affectionate care which focused on the needs of the child and wanted to train nannies that would devote themselves to their charges and avoid using corporal punishment as much as possible. Throughout its history, Norland has been based at various locations throughout the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, notably

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater L ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and

Denford Park Denford Park is a country house and surrounding estate in the English county of Berkshire, within the civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation whi ...

near

Hungerford Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, west of Newbury, east of Marlborough, northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, and is currently based in Bath. Originally, Norland contained daycare and boarding facilities for infants alongside the training college for nannies. Norland in its current iteration in Bath is solely an educational institute. In February 1999, the first male nanny trainee was accepted, and in 2012 the first male undergraduate was admitted. In 2005–2006, a documentary called ''Nanny School'' was filmed showing a year at Norland. It consisted of 15 episodes (5 per term) and was shown on Discovery Home and Health in October 2007. Norland opened a nursery in the summer 2009, but it closed in 2013 for financial reasons.

Curriculum

Students obtain a three-year BA in Early Years Development and Learning, followed by a fourth low-income year working in a family on a similar trainee basis. This year is called the Newly Qualified Nanny (NQN) year and only graduates of this are awarded their Norland Diploma. Students at Norland rotate terms between lectures in a classroom and placements in families, schools and nurseries, as well as at the

Royal United Hospital The Royal United Hospital (RUH) is a major acute-care hospital in the Weston suburb of Bath, England, which lies approximately west of the city centre. The hospital has 565 beds and occupies a site. It is the area's major accident and emergenc ...

on the maternity ward. They are also trained in tactical driving and self-defence in case they are hired by high-profile clients whose children might need such protection. In addition to being a higher education provider, Norland also functions as an agency that places graduates with families for the duration of the graduate's career.

References

Bibliography

* Penelope Stokes, ''Norland: The Story of the First One Hundred Years'', Publ: The Norland College, 1992.

External links

Norland College Homepage

2022 BBC video on Norland

2002 ''Guardian'' article on Norland
{{Coord, 51.3918, -2.3523, type:edu_region:GB-BAS, display=title Child care skills organizations Education in Bath, Somerset Educational institutions established in 1892 1892 establishments in England