NAMSS Online sessions are free to all our members

Our 26/27 programme is already looking great and we’ll add more events throughout the year in response to members requests, issues which arise within the FE sector and national or international events which have the potential to affect our students.

Our NAMSS Online programme features 3 types of sessions:  

Professional Networks – these sessions focus on key topics and enable members to hear from a subject expert on the NAMSS Executive Team as well as ask questions and share their own experiences and practices.   We have Networks for: Admissions; Careers; Safeguarding; Student Engagement; Student Finance; Tutorials.

Share Practice*- hosted by NAMSS members, these sessions are an informal opportunity for participants to listen to peer’s experiences, ask questions, make suggestions, talk about what doesn’t work, as well what does and (as their title suggests) share practice.  These events cover a broad range of topics across the year and we already have dates booked in to look at: How Student Services Lead an Enhanced Curriculum That Sticks; Reducing behaviour proactively without the need for behaviour management; Supporting State School Students into Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science.

Knowledge Hub – these, often longer, formal sessions are hosted by a member of the NAMSS Executive Team who is usually joined by an external expert. The events focus on providing participants with important in-depth information and most hosts will also allow time for questions.  We have 3 Hub sessions during the Autumn Term’s looking at: embedding the Enrichment Framework; thinking about Erasmus; Inclusion.

The majority of our NAMSS Online sessions are recorded and the link shared with our named members.   Most hosts are also willing to share a copy of their slides and the resources they refer to.

Booking on is easy and members can do this via the link shared regularly on our email network or via our website.

If you aren’t already a NAMSS member, you can find details of all our packages here.

*These sessions are not endorsed in any way by NAMSS nor are they instructional events; they are a facilitated group discussion.

We’re so excited to be supporting the Hyfa Foundation in their ambition to make a genuinely impactful, scalable financial education platform for 16-25-year-olds; Money Mentor.

We aim to bring practical understanding of how programmes can be introduced successfully within colleges and other post-16 settings.  Our sector insight will help us shape Money Mentor’s content, implementation and engagement approach so that the platform is relevant to learners, practical for student services teams and straightforward for colleges to adopt.

As Money Mentor develops, NAMSS intends to support the initiative through sector insight, appropriate member engagement and awareness of the platform once it is ready for use.

Money Mentor is not being built in isolation. It is being shaped with the expertise of organisations that understand young people, colleges and the realities of delivering meaningful financial education.

As our Chair, Lisa Humphries says…..”NAMSS are delighted to support Money Mentor’s plan to build a learning platform for 16-25 yr olds.  Our member organisations reach over 1 million learners and delivering practical financial education to these young adults in an engaging way is something we care deeply about.”

We’re incredibly excited to support Hyfa as they work towards giving young adults across the UK the financial knowledge, confidence and capability they need.

Following the success of our first cohort in 25/26, we are delighted to open applications for a second cohort of the NAMSS Leadership and Management Development Programme (LMDP) which will start in January 2027.

In an ever-changing FE and HE landscape, leadership in Student Services has never been more vital and the programme has been designed to give all participants an in-depth understanding of key areas of leadership which will support their professional development as Student Services Managers or aspiring leaders. The programme is aimed at staff who are early in their career, keen to develop their knowledge, networks and competencies, and who want to upskill in their career path.

The LMDP will bring together NAMSS members from across the country for sessions that will include taught material, interactive workshops and activities, and in-person engagement. We want the cohort to be able to share and learn from each other’s experiences and institutional approach, as well as learners conducting their own individual research projects and presentations as part of the programme structure.

Coaching, development and mentoring support has been built into the programme design through dedicated 1:1 slots, which will take place with each learner at least twice across the programme length. These sessions will be with Counterculture trainers and/or NAMSS Executive Board members, and are designed to support learners to reflect on the goals they will set for themselves at the cohort launch, and check in on progress for their personal research projects.

The 14-month development journey will cover key content, including:

• History of FE
• Strategic thinking and influencing
• People management and challenging conversations
• Governance and reporting
• Policies and financial literacy
• Quality assurance and measuring impact
• Personal growth and development

Applications are now open and will close at 9am on Monday 9 November 2026.

Find out more and apply here. 

🚀 Empowering the Next Generation of Student Services Leaders

Our Deputy Chair, Joe Baldwin, is running the Manchester Half Marathon on Sunday 31 May to raise money for the Unloc Changemakers Fund. This fund provides micro-grants to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, giving them the resources and support they need to turn their brilliant ideas into real community projects.

Training is well underway and the sponsorship has started to come in. If you would like to donate to this great cause and to motivate Joe in the lead up to the race click here.

🚀 Empowering the Next Generation of Student Services Leaders

We are incredibly proud to officially launch the NAMSS Leadership and Management Development Programme (LMDP)

In an ever-changing FE and HE landscape, leadership in Student Services has never been more vital and the programme has been designed to give all participants an in-depth understanding of key areas of leadership which will support their professional development as Student Services Managers or aspiring leaders. The programme is aimed at staff who are early in their career, keen to develop their knowledge, networks and competencies, and who want to upskill in their career path.

The LMDP will bring together NAMSS members from across the country for sessions that will include taught material, interactive workshops and activities, and in-person engagement. We want the cohort to be able to share and learn from each other’s experiences and institutional approach, as well as learners conducting their own individual research projects and presentations as part of the programme structure.

Coaching, development and mentoring support has been built into the programme design through dedicated 1:1 slots, which will take place with each learner at least twice across the programme length. These sessions will be with Counterculture trainers and/or NAMSS Executive Board members, and are designed to support learners to reflect on the goals they will set for themselves at the cohort launch, and check in on progress for their personal research projects.

The 10-month development journey will cover key content, including:

• History of FE
• Strategic thinking and influencing
• People management and challenging conversations
• Governance and reporting
• Policies and financial literacy
• Quality assurance and measuring impact
• Personal growth and development

Applications are now open and will close on Wednesday 26 March 2026.

Find out more and apply here. 

The All Party Parliamentary Group report lays bare the daunting barriers that prevent far too many young carers and young adult carers from following their ambitions and building their futures.

The report follows a wide-ranging inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers which was supported by Carers Trust as the secretariat for the APPG.

It investigates the finding from the Carers Trust 2023 inquiry that many young carers are missing out on access to higher education, employment and training.

This makes this inquiry incredibly timely in the context of the Government’s ambition for every young person to be earning or learning and following the launch of the Milburn inquiry into youth unemployment.

Read the full report here.

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has commissioned Ipsos and the Education Policy Institute (EPI) to conduct research on how colleges’ gather data on incoming disadvantaged learners and use it to support their transition. They are particularly interested in use of the DfE’s ‘Get Information about Pupils’ (GIAP) tool to access this information.

As part of the research, Ipsos are interviewing staff at FE and Sixth Form colleges. NAMSS is supporting Ipsos by informing our members of the opportunity to share your experience.

What the study is about:

Topics explored in the research include:

• Approaches taken to access/gather learner data
• How learner data is used
• Views and experiences of the GIAP tool (if applicable)
• Perceived outcomes for colleges and learners

Who it will involve:

One or more staff members from a college can take part.

• Staff supporting disadvantaged learners (e.g. Student Services),
• Senior leaders, or
• Staff managing learner data (e.g. MIS staff).

What it will involve:

• A one-hour online interview in January 2026
• Participation is voluntary with a £50 voucher as a thank-you

How to take part:

• If interested, please email UK-PA-GIAP-Evaluation@ipsos.com with your college name and job title.
• Please note that not all expressions of interest will result in an interview.
• You can find more information on the interview here.

Please note that your participation is entirely voluntary, and you are free to decline or withdraw at any time without needing to provide a reason.

There is also the opportunity to take part in a focus group with 1-2 other members of staff at your college if you would prefer this to an interview.

We are delighted to introduce the second edition of our Behaviour Insights Report. Building on the foundations laid last year, this report continues to provide valuable evidence and practical strategies to support student success across the sector. It also serves an important insights into some of the challenges being navigated across the further education and training landscape, which we hope will help to inform and influence policy makers and leaders, as we continue to spotlight the vital work undertaken by a breadth of student services practitioners within the sector.

The past year has brought new challenges and opportunities, and our collective commitment to understanding behaviour remains as strong as ever. By sharing insights and best practice, we aim to empower colleagues to make informed decisions that enhance the student experience and foster positive outcomes.

In response to these findings, NAMSS has again partnered with behaviour expert Paul Dix and his team at When The Adults Change to explore how relational practice can be harnessed to foster trust, empathy, and high standards within college communities. This collaboration has resulted in a set of actionable insights and recommendations designed to support colleges in embedding relational practices into their culture and policies.

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this year’s report. Your expertise and dedication ensure that NAMSS remains at the forefront of promoting effective approaches to student engagement and wellbeing. Together, we can continue to shape environments where every learner has the opportunity to belong, thrive and achieve.

Read the full report here.

The Politics Project FE College Pilot Programme

We are pleased to invite you to take part in a new pilot programme to support Further Education Colleges to get ready for Votes 16.

The Politics Project, in collaboration with the Electoral Commission and the Association of Colleges and NAMSS, will be launching a new package of support aimed at increasing the civic readiness of FE College students

The pilot will include:

– Resources to support students as they register to vote, prepare them for future elections, and consider the role that young people can and should play in politics at all levels.

– Training for staff to deliver democratic education programmes.

– Training and support for communications staff to support student engagement in elections.

– Support to develop College-wide policies on impartiality and engaging with candidates.

We are looking for five colleges to take part in the pilot programme. Each college will receive resources to implement democratic education programming with their students, train staff, and oversee the teaching and learning strategy across the entire college. Each college will choose one staff member who will coordinate the programme, this person will receive consistent support while also providing feedback for future programmes.

If you are interested in taking part in the pilot programme please complete this Interest Form.

As we develop our pilot, we will also be testing some new training materials and resources. If you are unable to be one of our core pilot colleges, but would like to be involved in some of these training opportunities, then please get in touch with Emily Gibson, Head of Education at The Politics Project at emily.gibson@thepoliticsproject.org.uk.