What to expect at Nacro Education
At Nacro Education, we support you to achieve your ambitions. Through our apprenticeships, vocational, and technical courses, we’ll ensure you have the employability skills and knowledge you need to progress into the world of work or higher levels of study.
Our approach to learning
We recognise that every student has a different learning style. Our study programmes are designed with you in mind. We work with leading industry experts, and collaborate with businesses to ensure every course is crafted to give you the skills and confidence you need.
Our expert tutors will support and guide you throughout your course, ensuring you achieve your potential and have the qualifications you need to succeed. We want you to be who you want to be. That’s our approach to learning.
Welcome to Nacro Education community
Being part of Nacro Education means you’re part of our learning community. We want you, and every other member of our community, to maximise the opportunities and learning experiences available, to help you broaden your skills – both personally and professionally.
We ask every person to adhere to our student charter, an agreement outlining what we’ll provide for you, and what you’ll bring to our community.
Our student charter
- Make every lesson enjoyable and challenging
- Set work which reflects our high expectations
- Be prompt and well prepared
- Not cancel lessons without ensuring work is set
- Negotiate and monitor targets with you
- Give you regular, timely feedback so that you know how to improve
- Foster employability skills of reliability, tenacity, and teamwork
- Set work which helps prepare you for exams and assessments
- Treat you with respect and help to make the learning environment a safe and inclusive place for everyone
- Celebrate your achievements with you.
- Take an active part in every lesson and demonstrate a positive attitude to learning
- Take responsibility for your own learning and stretch yourself to do more than you think you can
- Attend all lessons promptly and be well prepared
- Explain unavoidable absence and ensure missed work is covered
- Negotiate and monitor your own targets
- Act on feedback
- Practise employability skills
- Complete all work set on time
- Treat others with respect and help to make the learning environment a safe and inclusive place for everyone
- Take pride in your achievements.
Be safe. Be respectful. Be ready to learn.
Apply for a course today
Term times
Find your Education Centre’s study term, half-term, and holiday dates below
Academic year 23/24
Autumn 2023
4 September 2023 – 20 December 2023
Half-term
23 October – 27 October 2023
Inset days
9 November 2023
12 December 2023
Spring 2024
8 January 2024 – 28 March 2024
Half-term
12 February – 16 February 2024
Bolton and Newcastle only
19 February – 25 February 2024
Inset days
8 February 2024
Easter break 2024
14 April – 21 May 2024
29 March – Good Friday
1 April – Easter Monday
Summer 2024
8 April 2024 – 19 July 2024
Inset days
10 July 2024
Half-term
27 May – 31 May 2024
Academic year 24/25
Autumn 2024
2 September 2024 – 20 December 2024
Half-term
28 October – 1 November 2024
Spring 2025
6 January 2025 – 4 April 2025
Half-term
17 February – 21 February 2025
Newcastle only
24 February – 28 February 2025
Easter break 2025
18 April – Good Friday
21 April – Easter Monday
Summer 2025
22 April 2025 – 18 July 2025
Inset days
9 July 2025
Half-term
26 May – 30 May 2025
Academic year 23/24
Autumn 2023
4 September 2023 – 20 December 2023
Half-term
23 October – 27 October 2023
Inset days
9 November 2023
12 December 2023
Spring 2024
8 January 2024 – 28 March 2024
Half-term
12 February – 16 February 2024
Inset days
8 February 2024
Easter break 2024
14 April – 21 May 2024
29 March – Good Friday
1 April – Easter Monday
Summer 2024
8 April 2024 – 19 July 2024
Inset days
10 July 2024
Half-term
27 May – 31 May 2024
Academic year 24/25
Autumn 2024
2 September 2024 – 20 December 2024
Half-term
28 October – 1 November 2024
Spring 2025
6 January 2025 – 4 April 2025
Half-term
17 February – 21 February 2025
Middlesbrough only
24 February – 28 February 2025
Easter break 2025
18 April – Good Friday
21 April – Easter Monday
Summer 2025
22 April 2025 – 18 July 2025
Inset days
9 July 2025
Half-term
26 May – 30 May 2025
Please visit the Totton College website for more details on term dates.
Information for students
As a student within Nacro Education, we’re not only help you with your studies, but all aspects of student life. From funding, to timetables, our supportive staff are available to advise and guide you through the whole process of application to starting your course.
How do I fund my course?
If you are a UK citizen and have been resident for the last three years you will not need to pay tuition or examination fees. If you are an EU/EEA national and were resident in the UK before the 1st January 2021, please advise us about your current settled or pre-settled status.
If you have received your pre-settled or settled status you’ll need to provide Nacro with a ‘share code’ to prove your status here in the UK – you can get your code from the UK government website.
Depending on your household income, you may also be able to get help towards travel, accommodation, essential equipment or childcare costs. We offer two kinds of financial support:
The Learner Discretionary Bursary – this can help with course related items. Speak to one of our advisors who’ll discuss your options and advise you on how to apply; we try to help as many learners as possible.
Vulnerable Learner Bursary – this is available if you live in care, are a care leaver, have your own right to Income Support or are on both Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance. If you meet any of the above criteria, get in touch and we’ll guide you through your options.
Please contact your local education centre for more details.
Care to Learn is intended to help young parents under the age of 20 to continue or start their education after the birth of a child. The scheme provides funding for Ofsted-registered childcare provision while the young parent is engaged in a study programme. For more information, and to see if you are eligible, visit the Care to learn website.
We have a long history of providing a supportive and nurturing environment for students with all abilities and ages. Financial support is available to support students with additional needs to continue their education with us. Our Skills for Life team can provide advice and guidance through your application.
Contact your local Nacro Education Centre for more information.
Your bursary will be paid once all eligible students have provided all the required evidence, and once they have their own bank accounts.
Most students will receive free school meals or £3.50 for each day they are timetabled in, paid into their own bank account – one week in arrears. Travel bursary is dependent upon where you live. Your bursary amount will be confirmed once your bursary is approved.
Students must attend to receive the full amount of their bursary.
Studying at Nacro Education
When you study at Nacro Education, it’s not just about your course. We want to ensure a valuable and enriching experience through a combination of vocational training and work experience. Our Get Set! courses are designed in collaboration with industry to ensure you’re ready for your next step.
Your Get Set! course will include:
Vocational subject qualification
Entry Level or a Level 1 or 2 qualification such as BTEC Subsidiary Diploma, 90 Credit Diploma, Diploma, Extended Diploma, Cambridge Technical, City & Guilds or other professional qualifications that provides the main focus for your study programme.
One-to-one support
All learners have access to one-to-one support sessions, where you can discuss any issues, including your future and the steps needed to achieve your goals.
English and maths
These will be a key part of your study programme if you are aged 16-18 at the start of your programme and haven’t achieved a GCSE grade 4 (Grade C) or above in English and maths. Our teachers will work with you to achieve better grades, helping you to progress to the next stage of your education and chosen career.
Work placement and employability
We know how important it is to combine practical work placements and activities with classroom-based study, so there’ll be plenty of opportunities for you to undertake work experience while studying with us. Some study programmes dedicate a particular day each week to work-focused activities while others embed block placements into the academic year. Our specialist staff will support you to find a placement to complement your study programme. Alternatively, you can source your own arrangement.
Enrichment activities
You will be able to get involved in extra-curricular activities in the form of enrichments. From the Nacro Students’ Union to trips and supporting events, these activities enhance your CV and higher education applications
You can join the programme anytime through the academic year, but your course options will be limited the later you join in the year, as you wouldn’t have time to complete the full course.
Most timetables are a mix of full days and half days, typically split over three or four days a week.
Your timetable will be confirmed once you have completed your ‘Basic and Key Skills Builder’ (BKSB) English and maths assessments and enrolled on your vocational course. You will have set days for your vocational classes and these will not change.
Groups are kept quite small with the biggest groups being the English and maths groups. The size of the group depends on how popular the course is that year.
About my course
Work experience is a requirement for most courses, but this work placement could be internal or external. The amount of work experience depends on the offer from an external organisation. We would like you to do 10 days of work experience. This could be over two weeks or spread over a longer period.
This depends on your current English and maths qualifications. If you have a Grade 4 in English and maths, then no. However, if you do not then, yes, English and maths will be added to your programme. We offer GCSE English and maths, but also Functional Skills English and maths (which is recognised by employers). As part of your induction, when we know your grades and ‘Basic and Key Skills Builder’ (BKSB) assessment results, your English and maths levels will be discussed with you.
No. Students can only complete one vocational course, per academic year.
Student services
In addition to career support advisors, we have a dedicated section on iLearn for career advice. Covering everything from job applications, CV writing tips, gap years, and advice for applying to higher education, apprenticeships and employment.
We can help you map a learning or employment pathway for your career or goal, and invite you to regular events to speak to potential employers about your options and opportunities.
We also provide dedicated enrichment activities to help make your personal and professional profile stand out from the crowd. Visit your employment advisor for more details.
We are renowned for our student support services and will be there every step of the way to ensure your learning experience is the best that it can be.
Support can come in many forms, from advice and guidance about a particular issue, to progress coaching, counselling, career guidance and learning support.
We have staff who are available to offer help and advice to all learners wanting to discuss any issues affecting them. Make sure to contact your Education Centre, and speak to your tutor.
You can also see our safeguarding policy for more information.
At Nacro every student on one of our Get Set! courses will get the chance to do a work placement or to have one planned for the future. We’re all about getting you ready for work. Our centres can also offer workplace traineeships to students under the age of 24. As a trainee, you can spend up to six months on a work placement that may lead to a job.
Have your say
At Nacro we work hard to listen to and act upon our learners’ views. There are many ways you can participate. All students can join Nacro’s Students’ Union. We also have a Community Voice Co-ordinator who ensures our leadership team gets your feedback and acts on it.
Email us to find out more.
Enterprise and innovation
Recognising the importance of real work, our specialised programmes give you the skills and experience to move into a job, a traineeship or an apprenticeship at the end of your qualification. We work with employers to simulate the working environment in a wide range of industries, offering you a high-quality work placement and giving you an employment reference.
How else can we support you?
Your local council might help you pay for things like:
- your energy and water bills
- food
- essential items – for example, clothes or an oven
This help is known as ‘welfare assistance’ or the ‘Household Support Fund’. Each council runs their own scheme. You’ll need to check if you can get support and what type of support you can get. Food banks are community organisation that can help if you can’t afford the food you need. You’ll usually need to get a referral to a food bank before you can use it at your nearest Citizens Advice refer you to a food bank. They’ll usually make an appointment for you to discuss your situation with an adviser first.
If you’re struggling to pay your energy bills or top up your prepayment meter, you might be able to get help – for example a fuel voucher or a grant from your energy supplier.
If you can’t pay your rent, explain the situation to your landlord straight away. They might give you more time to pay. You might be able to get benefits to help with your rent, for example Universal Credit or Housing Benefit.
If Housing Benefit or Universal Credit doesn’t cover all your rent, you can apply for a discretionary housing payment (DHP). A DHP is extra money from your local council to help pay your rent. You need to be getting Housing Benefit or the housing costs part of Universal Credit to get a DHP. Contact your local council and ask how to apply for a DHP. You might have to apply by phone or online.
If you are homeless or about to lose your home, your local council may be able to help. If you need to find emergency accommodation, see Shelter’s information. If you are sleeping rough, or worried about someone who is, you can contact Streetlink and ask them for help.
The charity Relate offers support if you are experiencing difficulties with any kind of relationship, including people you live with. Their services include relationship counselling and advice for different types of relationship problem.
Samaritans – Call 116 123
Samarians offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you.
Mind’s Support Line – 0300 102 1234.
This is a safe space for you to talk about your mental health. Advisors are trained to listen to you and help you find specialist support if you need it
Red Cross Emotional and Mental Health Support – 0808 196 3651
The support line provides a listening ear for people affected by a crisis. If you are struggling with your mental health or well-being they can put you in touch with specialist support.
Get Self Help -Information on various aspects of mental health.
Students Against Depression – Information and support on depression.
The Site – Various information, support, chat room, notice board on many topics.
Young Minds – Information and signposting – mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Self Injury Support– Self help and support for females but information for males too.
NHS – Stress, Anxiety and Depression – Practical, useful information, interactive tools, and videos.
“Your mental health is just as important as your physical health”
Breathe2Relax – Help with slowing your breathing
SAM-app – Help with anxiety
7 Cups of Tea – Free, anonymous, and confidential chat with trained volunteer listeners
Childline 0800 1111 – Support for children and young people in the UK, including a free helpline and 1-2-1 online chats with counsellors.
Kidscape 0207 823 5430 – Information and advice for parents, carers and young people with concerns about bullying and abuse.
Bi Survivors – Support and advocacy network for bi+ people who have experienced domestic or sexual violence and abuse.
Galop – Provides helplines and other support for LGBT+ adults and young people who have experienced hate crime, sexual violence or domestic abuse.
0207 704 2040 (LGBT+ hate crime helpline)
0800 999 5428 (LGBT+ domestic abuse helpline)
0800 130 3335 (Conversion therapy helpline)
help@galop.org.uk
If you feel like your wellbeing or someone else’s is at immediate risk, then you should dial 999 and ask for the appropriate service. You can ask to speak to:
- The Police
- The Fire Brigade
- The Ambulance Service
- The Coastguard
Education policies and guides
Find out more about our education policies and guides.
Cookie policy
Modern slavery policy
Privacy policy
Nacro Education centres
Safeguarding
Search all our publications.