The National College
Online CPD, safeguarding training, policies and appraisal software for school staff.
Trial: Anyone can create a free account at nationalcollege.com/login. Schools see membership prices after entering an email.
- schools worldwide, according to The National College
- 54,000+
- active users
- 1.3M+
- courses, webinars, podcasts and parent guides
- 5,000+
- industry awards
- 21
About The National College
The National College is an online platform for the whole staff of schools, trusts, nurseries and colleges, run by National Education Group Ltd in Sheffield. It has a library of 5,000+ courses, webinars, podcasts and parent guides, with statutory training such as safeguarding, online safety and health and safety, plus tools for policies, governance, appraisal and AI. Staff log in at nationalcollege.com/login with their email or a Microsoft or Google account; the school sets them up under its membership. Whole-school plans (Core, Essentials, Professional and Advanced) are priced after you enter an email, and the single courses we checked cost £120 to £300 + VAT for one person. The founders still run the company, and Synova has backed it since 2021.
The National College sells memberships to schools and groups so that every member of staff can take training on one platform. The core of it is Professional Development: statutory and role-specific courses, webinars and podcasts on safeguarding, online safety, SEND, mental health, health and safety, curriculum and teaching. Leaders assign courses, send automatic reminders and see completion reports. Other modules add policy and governance management, appraisal, an AI assistant for teachers and leaders, and group dashboards for trusts.
National Education Group Ltd was registered on 25 April 2017 as National Online Safety Ltd and took its current name in June 2018. Neil Gamewell, Joe Stoney and James Southworth founded it and remain on the board; Gamewell is CEO. In October 2021 the private equity firm Synova bought a minority stake, according to Unquote, and Synova’s fund is now the person with significant control at the top of the group. The company says more than 150 people work for it.
The group grew by buying other school software: The School Bus and BlueSky Education joined in 2024 and brought policies and appraisal, and Governors’ Virtual Office joined in 2026 for governance. The Leadership & Governance service is run by Hub4Leaders Limited, another group company. The National College has won the Bett Award for Leadership & Management Solutions in 2024 and 2026 and Supplier of the Year at the Education Resources Awards four times in five years.
History
- 2017 National Online Safety Ltd is incorporated on 25 April, with the aim of giving every educator access to professional development.
- 2018 The company is renamed National Education Group Ltd in June.
- 2021 Named Bett Company of the Year.
- 2021 Synova takes a minority stake in National Education Group in October.
- 2023 National Online Safety wins the first Online Safety Award at the Education Resources Awards on 18 May.
- 2024 Wins Leadership & Management Solutions at the Bett Awards. The School Bus and BlueSky Education join the platform.
- 2025 Launches Teacher & Leader AI. Wins Supplier of the Year at the Education Resources Awards for the third time in four years.
- 2026 Wins Leadership & Management Solutions at the Bett Awards again. Governors’ Virtual Office joins the platform.
Leadership
- NG Neil Gamewell Co-founder and CEO
- JS Joe Stoney Co-founder and Enterprise Director
- JS James Southworth Co-founder and non-executive director
- SR Steve Robertson Chief Financial Officer
- SI Stephane Israel Chief Commercial Officer
- RM Richard Mansfield Chief Technology Officer
- MR Mustafa Roomi Chief Product Officer
- KW Katie Williams Chief People Officer
Roles from the About us page of The National College on 30 October 2026. Gamewell, Stoney, Southworth and Robertson are directors of National Education Group Ltd at Companies House.
How schools use The National College
- courses, webinars and guides
- 5,000+
- average rating from educators
- 4.7
- of refreshers after a full course
- 24 months
- Weekly Briefing
- Learning plans
- Automated tasks and reminders
- Policy Manager
- Compliance report
- Governance Manager
- Appraisal Manager
- Objective setting
- Teacher & Leader AI
- Group dashboard
- Subtitles in 12+ languages
- Sign in with Microsoft or Google
Training topics
Statutory training5
- Safeguarding and child protection
- Designated safeguarding leads
- Online safety
- Health and safety
- Data and GDPR
Wellbeing and inclusion4
- SEND
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Behaviour and attendance
- RSHE
Leadership and teaching5
- School leadership
- Trust leadership
- Governance
- Curriculum and pedagogy
- Estate management
Knowledge hubs and topics listed on nationalcollege.com on 30 October 2026. Content is written for nurseries, primary, secondary, independent, special and international schools and further education.
Video, blogs and resources
Products
- Professional Development The Core membership: a library of 5,000+ courses, webinars, podcasts and parent guides, learning plans, a CPD log and CPD reports for the whole staff. Professional Development
- Safeguarding courses Certificate courses for staff, DSLs, governors and early years, written in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. The staff certificate has 9 modules and takes 1 h 27 min. Safeguarding for Staff
- Leadership & Governance Policy Manager with legally verified policies, a compliance report and Governance Manager for board meetings, documents and decisions. See plans
- People Development Appraisal Manager, objective setting and a performance tracker that link each person’s development needs to CPD. People Development
- Teacher & Leader AI An AI assistant inside the platform with prompts for planning and admin, which the company says meets the ISO 42001 standard. Teacher & Leader AI
- Group Management For multi-academy trusts and school groups: a group dashboard, training rolled out across sites, a white-label LMS and an account manager. Group Management
How much is The National College?
- Core After email Professional Development for the whole setting
- Essentials After email Core plus Leadership & Governance
- Professional After email Core plus People Development
- Best value, according to the site Advanced After email All modules except group tools
- Advanced for Groups Quote Personalised price on request
- Single course, personal £120–£300 + VAT three courses we checked; £180 for the Certificate in Safeguarding for Staff
Is The National College free?
Anyone can create a free account. The Resource Hub is marked free, and the Weekly Briefing is part of every membership.
Checked on nationalcollege.com on 30 October 2026, in pounds. The pricing page lists Core, Essentials, Professional and Advanced memberships with “Save 20%” or “Save 50%” for a limited time, but shows the prices only after you enter an email. Single-course prices are for one person and exclude VAT.
The National College for trusts and groups
Book a demo- 01Advanced for Groups adds group dashboards, group dissemination of training and a white-label LMS.
- 02Trusts and large organisations get a dedicated account manager, priority support and tailored onboarding.
- 03The company lists partnerships with BSME, COBIS, ECIS and FOBISIA for international school groups.
Personalised price on request, checked on 30 October 2026.
Latest news
- 2026Bett Awards, Leadership & Management Solutions
- 2025Education Resources Awards, Supplier of the Year
- 2025Bett Awards, Highly Commended, Leadership & Management Solutions
- 2024Bett Awards, Leadership & Management Solutions
- 2024RoSPA Qualification Awards, health and safety
- 2023Education Resources Awards, Online Safety Award for National Online Safety
Contacts and company data
- Legal entity
- National Education Group Ltd, operating as The National College, Isaacs Building, Floor 4, 4 Charles Street, Sheffield, S1 2HS, England
- Company number
- 10738856, England and Wales
- Incorporated
- 25 April 2017, as National Online Safety Ltd
- Status
- Active, last accounts to 31 May 2025
- Business
- SIC 85590, other education
- Parent
- Metal Bidco Limited, 13654356, since 12 October 2021
- Group company
- Hub4Leaders Limited, 08368437, runs Leadership & Governance
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How we built this profile
- Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
- Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 30 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
- Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
- Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.
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