Colin was a 12-year-old student from the Middlesbrough area who had been out of mainstream education since the early part of Key Stage Two…

Colin had also tried attending alternative provisions, but “had trouble” with it. He was completely disengaged from education. It was decided that Colin and his family would try online learning with the Nisai Virtual Academy (NVA) in November 2009. He had been removed from previous provisions due to, in Colin’s words, “fighting and arguing and doing no work.”

The NVA was suggested as a final attempt for Colin to get the education he deserved, in a way he could cope with. He was very anti-education when he joined Nisai, and would not sit any exams due to his past experiences, but would attend the live lessons.

Three years on and Colin is still an active member of the Nisai Virtual Academy and has recently passed three Level 1 qualifications (the equivalent to D-G grade GCSEs) in Literacy, Numeracy and ICT. He is now on his way to achieving Level 2 (A*-C GCSE equivalents) qualifications in the same subjects. When asked about what he felt he has achieved since attending the NVA, Colin said: “I have gained more self-confidence in my learning and abilities in spelling.”

As a young person who was completely disengaged from education, the NVA has made it possible for him to access education and achieve qualifications and even helped alter his point of view on education as a whole.

“Whilst I still would be unable to join a mainstream school, my attitude towards learning has changed a lot thanks to Nisai,”

Colin said he would not hesitate to recommend Nisai to other students in a similar situation.