Norland College in United Kingdom

Founded in 1892 by educational pioneer Emily Ward, Norland was the first educational establishment to offer any kind of childcare training. Emily Ward recognised the need for early years childcare to be more structured, centred around the child, loving and nurturing. Prior to the introduction of formal training at Norland, children would be cared for by ‘untutored’ housemaids before going to school. Training at Norland was based on the founding principles of Fröbel, the German educationalist best known as the originator of the ‘kindergarten system’, and adapted to be more relevant to the needs of young children and their families.

Emily Ward opened Norland on 25 September 1892. Her recently discovered notebook contains over 120 pages of first-hand accounts of the founding days of the Norland Institute, as it was first known, from 14 May 1892 through to 6 November 1919. The handwritten pages contain personal insights into her life during the period and, along with newspaper cuttings, invitations and documents carefully secured onto the pages by Emily, give a unique insight into the time. Emily Ward’s legacy is immortalised through the Emily Ward Bursary, which provides students with the opportunity to obtain a grant towards the cost of their tuition fees.