Our 2025 Ambition

Our mission is to inspire positive change through adult education and this is central to all we do.

Providing adults with an opportunity to learn and raising the aspirations of some of the nation’s most disadvantaged communities is vital if the UK is to bridge the current skills and productivity gap which evidence shows is holding back the economy.

Northern College, the only adult residential college in the North, is in a unique position to be able to offer essential skills for adults and employers in our region and beyond through flexible and accessible modes of delivery – residential, blended, evenings and weekends.

We have a proud and celebrated history of providing educational opportunities for those adults that have returned to learning. For many, we provide a platform to engage people back into education with the aim of designing a supportive and purposeful learning pathway.

Our work with community and employer partners ensures our provision responds to the needs of all our stakeholders and allows us to reach out to adults who may not have had the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

The College is based in Wentworth Castle, a Grade 1 listed building located in Barnsley, set in beautiful gardens and parkland and providing an immersive experience for adults, away from the pressures of everyday life.

Our specialist adult teaching and support team has the experience, success and progression of every student at the forefront of everything they do, whilst our residential accommodation with its associated support services provides the wrap around that is core to Northern College, and for many students, is crucial to their success.

On campus, adults work together for an intensive period of time, rebuilding their confidence to learn, engaging with likeminded peers and becoming part of an adult learning community. Our students regularly report that residential study at Northern College generates an excitement for learning resulting in life changing experiences driving positive change at work, at home and within their community.

Emma Beal
Principal and Chief Executive