Statement of Contribution to the Public Good
Last Updated: Wednesday, 11th November 2026
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1. Purpose of this statement
This Statement of Contribution to the Public Good sets out how the NDA Foundation’s further and higher education provision delivers benefit to students, communities, industry and wider society, and how public funding supports those outcomes. It is intended as a high-level, public-facing statement of intent and accountability, aligned with sector expectations for education providers and with Welsh and UK public policy priorities around widening participation, skills development, value for money and sustainability.
The Statement should be read alongside the NDA Foundation’s Social Value Commitment and its developing Access and Participation Plan, which provide further detail on delivery, evaluation and enhancement activity.
2. About the NDA Foundation
The NDA Foundation (the Academy) is a not-for-profit education provider based in Nottingham, established over 35 years ago through the National Design Academy (NDA), and more recently the National Motorsport Academy (NMA). The Academy delivers online education globally, from diploma to master’s level, as well as a range of short courses and continuing professional development (CPD) programmes. Its mission is to widen access to inclusive, affordable further and higher education, and to support lifelong learning and professional upskilling.
The Academy is a specialist provider of fully flexible online education in Interior Design, Motorsport Engineering and Motorsport Business. Its courses are either accredited by Ofqual or validated by an established UK university, ensuring that students can access recognised and regulated qualifications with clear progression routes. Alongside regulated qualifications, the Academy offers CPD and short courses that enable students and professionals to update skills, respond to industry change and engage in ongoing professional development.
The Academy delivers a coherent and integrated educational pathway, with further education provision, CPD and short courses acting as key routes into higher education. Multiple entry points allow students to access study at a level appropriate to their prior experience and circumstances, and to progress over time into undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications.
Students can start their studies at any point during the year and learn flexibly around work, caring responsibilities and other commitments, reflecting the Academy’s commitment to education that fits around life rather than requiring life to fit around education.
3. Contribution to the public good through education
The Academy contributes to the public good by expanding access to education, developing higher-level skills, and supporting social and economic participation. Its public benefit is realised through the following inter-related activities.
3.1 Widening participation and access
- Delivering flexible, online and blended provision that removes barriers associated with location, rigid timetables and traditional academic entry routes.
- Supporting predominantly mature students, many of whom are returning to education after a break or balancing study alongside work, caring responsibilities or other life commitments.
- Offering affordable pathways from further education diplomas and continuing professional development (CPD) into undergraduate and postgraduate higher education.
The Academy’s delivery model is designed not only to widen access, but also to support successful continuation, progression and completion for students whose life circumstances can make participation in traditional further and higher education challenging.
Affordability and equality of opportunity are supported through a combination of measures, including access to tuition fee loans where applicable, flexible payment plans for self-financing students, bursaries for students progressing to higher-level study within the Academy, and discounted course bundles.
As a fully online provider, the Academy also reduces the additional costs often associated with study, such as travel, accommodation, childcare and loss of earnings, while offering flexible start points and personalised learning plans that enable students to study at a pace and time that fits around their lives.
3.2 Clear progression routes from FE to HE and beyond
- Providing structured progression from Ofqual-regulated Level 3 diplomas and CPD into validated undergraduate degrees, with clear onward routes to postgraduate study.
- Supporting students to develop confidence, academic skills and readiness for higher-level study through staged progression.
- Enabling lifelong learning through multiple points of re-entry, upskilling and professional development.
3.3 Promotion of education and aspiration raising
- Actively promoting participation in further and higher education through accessible, digitally delivered engagement activities designed to raise aspiration and build confidence among prospective students.
- Using online platforms, websites and social media to communicate the benefits of education, flexible learning pathways and progression opportunities to a diverse audience.
- Delivering employer-led webinars, alumni stories and mentoring initiatives, and online micro-taster courses that enable individuals to explore education and career pathways before committing to formal enrolment.
Employer engagement is embedded across the student lifecycle and plays a key role in widening participation and supporting student success, particularly for students from under-represented backgrounds who may have limited exposure to professional networks or industry norms.
Through partnerships with employers, sector bodies and education providers, the Academy supports aspiration raising, preparedness for study and employability, while helping students to build confidence, professional identity and a sense of belonging within their chosen field.
3.4 Skills development and employability
- Delivering industry-focused curricula that respond to labour-market demand and global skills needs in design and motorsport.
- Embedding employability, professional practice and transferable skills across programmes.
- Working with industry partners to ensure programmes remain current, relevant and future-focused.
3.5 Social mobility and inclusion
- Supporting students from groups that are under-represented in higher education, including those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, disabled students and students from global majority backgrounds.
- Providing inclusive learning environments, flexible study models and tailored academic and pastoral support.
4. Student interests and value for money
The Academy places students’ interests at the centre of its mission, governance and decision-making. As a not-for-profit organisation, any surplus generated is reinvested directly into teaching, learning, student support and infrastructure.
Public funding contributes to:
- sustaining affordable tuition and flexible delivery models
- maintaining and enhancing the Academy’s Virtual Learning Studio
- supporting student wellbeing, academic success and continuation
- ensuring the long-term sustainability and quality of provision.
The Academy is committed to transparency, quality assurance and continuous enhancement, and works in partnership with its awarding organisation and validating university to maintain academic standards and protect the student experience.
5. Stewardship, sustainability and student protection
The Academy recognises that contributing to the public good includes protecting students from institutional risk and ensuring the long-term sustainability of provision. The Academy therefore adopts a deliberately measured and ethical approach to growth, prioritising student outcomes, educational quality and organisational maturity over rapid expansion.
The Academy serves a predominantly mature, part-time and professionally active student population. While this reflects its commitment to widening participation and flexible access, it can also present additional risks to continuation and completion. Improving student outcomes is therefore a central strategic priority.
5.1 Our priorities for the next five years
Over the next five years, the Academy will focus on:
- strengthening academic and pastoral support for students who may be at risk of disengagement
- enhancing the use of data to enable early engagement and targeted intervention
- aligning staffing capacity and tutor workloads to retention, progression and completion rather than recruitment volume
- embedding inclusive learning design and targeted support in line with its Access and Participation Plan intentions.
Growth assumptions are intentionally modest and are driven primarily by improved continuation and completion, rather than increased recruitment. This approach ensures that public funding supports genuine educational benefit, protects student interests and underpins the sustainable delivery of further and higher education.
6. Equality of opportunity and public benefit
The Academy is committed to advancing equality of opportunity and promoting participation in further and higher education. Its contribution to the public good includes:
- removing structural barriers to education through flexible delivery and inclusive design
- providing clear, accessible pre-enrolment information, advice and guidance to support informed decision-making
- developing pathways into education and employment that support students to progress and succeed
- fostering a diverse, international learning community that enriches educational experience and global understanding.
The Academy’s intentions in this area are articulated further within its developing Access and Participation Plan, which sets out priorities for improving access, continuation and completion for students from disadvantaged and under-represented groups.
7. Accountability and continuous improvement
The Academy is accountable for the public benefit delivered through its provision. Governance arrangements provide oversight of educational quality, student outcomes and the effective use of resources.
The Academy emphasises transparency, realistic self-assessment and continuous improvement, recognising that accountability for public funding includes honest evaluation of performance and a commitment to improvement over time. Student feedback, external academic oversight and data-informed review are used to support quality assurance and enhancement.
The Academy demonstrates the scale, duration and resourcing of its contribution to the public good through transparent reporting on student numbers, progression pathways across further and higher education, and sustained investment in academic, pastoral and employability support.
External academic oversight, student feedback mechanisms and data-informed review processes are used to monitor effectiveness, identify areas for enhancement and support continuous improvement. Responsibility for oversight sits within the Academy’s governance structures, ensuring that public benefit is actively reviewed, evidenced and maintained over time.
8. Conclusion
Through its specialist, flexible further and higher education provision, the Academy contributes to the public good by widening access, supporting progression and developing skills aligned to industry and society’s needs.
The Academy’s mission, delivery model and investment decisions are shaped by a commitment to equality of opportunity, student success and sustainable educational provision. By prioritising access, affordability, quality and progression, the Academy seeks to ensure that the public benefit of its provision is meaningful, enduring and responsive to the students and communities it serves.
9. Contact for further information
For further information about this Statement of Contribution to the Public Good, please contact:
Andrea Bedworth-Cook
Deputy Academy Director
Email: deputydirector@nda.ac.uk
National Design Academy
NDA Foundation – Company Number 07654911
Rufford Hall
Waterside Way
Trent Park
Nottingham
NG2 4DP
United Kingdom
Email: info@nda.ac.uk
Website: www.nda.ac.uk
7. Document control information
Document title: NDA Foundation Statement of Contribution to the Public Good
Document status: Approved
Approving body: Board of Directors
Approval date: 11 December 2025
Review date: 11 December 2026