Norland College is a British higher education provider based inBath,Somerset. The college specialises inchildcare, and is widely known for its prestigious training ofnannies,nursery nurses and other childcare professionals, who are employed worldwide.
Norland nannies are seen as a status symbol[1][2] and are popular among celebrities and royals.[3] Alumni are termed "Norlanders".[2] Norland offers a three year degree programme: the BA (Hons) in Early Years Development and Learning, followed by a one year Norland diploma programme. In March 2019, Norland was awarded Taught Degree Awarding Powers by thePrivy Council, which allows it to offer the degree through their institution, as well as enabling it to mark all student assessments internally.[4] Awards were previously in association with theUniversity of Gloucestershire.[5]
Norland was founded in 1892 byEmily 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 usingcorporal punishment as much as possible.[6][7]
Throughout its history, Norland has been based at various locations throughout theUnited Kingdom, notablyChislehurst inKent andDenford Park nearHungerford inBerkshire, and is currently based inBath. Originally, Norland contained daycare and boarding facilities for infants alongside the training college for nannies. Norland in its current iteration inBath is solely an educational institute.[citation needed]
In February 1999, the first male nanny trainee was accepted, and in 2012 the first male undergraduate was admitted.[8]
In 2005–2006, a documentary calledNanny 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.[citation needed]
Norland opened a nursery in the summer 2009, but it closed in 2013 for financial reasons.[9]
From cooking and nutrition, to sewing and hairdressing, to theatre courses and self-defence, to lectures on sleep, neuroscience and child psychology […] the students learn how to play in the great outdoors, and how to drive in adverse conditions in order to keep their charges safe from the paparazzi and other potential dangers.
Students obtain a three-year BA in Early Years Development and Learning or BA Early Childhood Education and Care, followed by a fourth year working in a family on a similar trainee basis. This year is called the Newly Qualified Nanny (NQN) year[11] 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 theRoyal United Hospital 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.[12]
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.[13]
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