130-year-old institution Norland College, renowned for producing elite nannies, has been featured in a BBC Reel which goes behind the scenes into what goes into producing such a high standard of child carer.
Based in Bath, Somerset, Norland College was founded in 1892 and retains some of the Victorian traditions of the day, including its uniform styled to the era. However, the college looks to balance this tradition with moving into the 21st Century, and teaches its students not only the typical nannying skills of cooking and sewing, but also lessons in self-defence, advanced driving and cybersecurity to ensure they are ready for modern challenges they may face.
Norland College principal, Dr Janet Rose, tells BBC Reel: “We offer a core three-year BA degree in early childhood education and care. We’ve retained the practical elements that were first set up in 1892 but made sure over time that the curriculum remains relevant to the current era.
“We now have a cutting-edge 21st Century curriculum. We get jokes about James Bond meeting Mary Poppins but what we are doing is raising their awareness. You typically wouldn’t see any education about brain development in 1892 for instance, but we now know how important the early years are. We are laying the foundations for all future development, and it shows how important it is that we get that right.”
Another way in which Norland College is moving with the times is in its acknowledgement of how society is changing. The social norms of 1892 are no more and with that has come an increase in the number of male applicants that apply to the college every year.
Dr Janet elaborates: “We have around 240 applicants per year for 100 places and five per cent of applicants are male. We’ve also recently introduced our first gender-neutral uniform.
“We have a diverse society, and we feel we should be producing students to reflect that diversity.”
As well as considering itself to have a responsibility to remain relevant to changing times, Norland College also ensures that its graduates have the best possible prospects even after completion of their three-year degree. This comes not only by helping them find work, but also by working to educate wider society about childcare and nannying as a profession, and looking to raise its status and reputation.
Norland’s own in-house agency helps newly qualified nannies entering their fourth year find work, and the year functions as a probationary year where those that have completed their core course go out and experience working as a nanny while still receiving training.
Dr Janet says: “Norland has 100 per cent employability. Within a year of graduation, Norland students receive an average salary of £40,000. Within five years, this rises to anything over £50,000 to £65,000.
“We are still working hard to educate the world about the nanny profession. Interestingly, that concept of seeing childcare as a ‘profession’ is still a battle that we are fighting today, because childcare is still viewed by some in society as low status and generally low paid.
“This does not apply to our graduates, thankfully, but we are still fighting that perception.”
Photo by Baim Hanif on Unsplash
