If you work with children and families, you already know this.

Things have changed.

Children’s needs are different. Parents are stretched. Schools are doing their best, but the system isn’t built for every child, and the ripple effects from the last few years are still being felt right now.

That’s why I was genuinely excited to sit down with Dr Sam Ballington, founder of the National College for Care and Education (NCCE), for an episode of the Class Business Podcast.

And I’m even more excited to share that NCCE is sponsoring the After Party at the Class Business Awards, because Sam’s values and mission are completely aligned with what we’re building.

This conversation goes deep into:

• Sam’s personal story and what shaped her mission
• how she built NCCE, starting at the worst possible time, right before COVID
• why quality training matters for children, not just adults
• what she’s seeing across education, wellbeing and neurodivergence support
• and why she believes class-based businesses are a huge part of children’s future

You can watch the full interview here.

Meet Dr Sam Ballington: The Founder Behind NCCE

Sam is the founder of NCCE, a specialist college that supports adult learners who go on to work with children and families.

So yes, the learners are adults.

But the real end users, when you think about it, are the children and families those adults will go on to support.

NCCE supports people training and working across:

• early years and education, including teaching assistants and educators
• child and family wellbeing and coaching
• neurodivergence support and family coaching
• play-based therapeutic approaches
• and those running class-based services like sensory and baby-focused provision

What I really love about Sam’s approach is this.

She’s not here for quick fixes or low-quality, tick-box training. She’s obsessed with standards, because if you get the training wrong at the top, the impact lands at the bottom.

On children.

Built on Three Pillars: Play, Equity, and Co-Regulation

Sam shared that NCCE is built around three core pillars.

Play
Because play isn’t fluff. It’s learning, confidence-building, problem-solving and emotional development in disguise.

Equity
Because the current system doesn’t work for every child, and pretending it does helps nobody.

Co-regulation
Because children don’t learn emotional regulation in isolation. They learn it through safe adults, and those adults need support too.

This thread runs through everything NCCE does, and honestly, it’s a message that matters for every single class provider listening to this podcast.

The Business Journey: Starting Before COVID (and Surviving It)

Sam launched NCCE in September 2019.

Which, let’s be honest, is brave, because it was just months before the world shut down.

Oh, and she was also about to embark on a PhD at the same time.

Because why do one hard thing when you can do two?

She described the early days as being a one-woman band for years, building the provision, setting up delivery, finding the right team and getting those first enrolments through the door.

Like many business owners, she credits COVID with being both deeply challenging and weirdly clarifying.

Because if you can survive that, you can survive anything.

Why NCCE Exists: The Gap in Quality Training

One of the most powerful parts of the conversation was Sam’s honesty about the adult learning space.

She’s worked in further education and awarding organisations for years, and she’s seen the reality behind the scenes.

A lot of online learning provision:

• isn’t specialist
• isn’t high quality
• isn’t designed around the learner

And when outcomes suffer in education and wellbeing training, the knock-on effect shows up in the very people we’re trying to protect.

Children.

That’s why NCCE takes a blended approach, combining online learning, live Zoom support, personalised learning journeys and practical assessment with assessors in the field.

No “you must finish by X date or pay extra”.
No conveyor belt learning.

Just proper, supported training that fits real life.

The Personal Story That Fuels the Mission

Sam also shared that her passion for this work is deeply personal.

She experienced adverse childhood experiences growing up, and spoke openly about how different her life might have been if the right support had existed.

That matters.

So many of the best businesses are built because someone has lived the problem and refuses to let others go through it alone.

Sam has turned her lived experience into something positive and practical, creating tools, training and support that adults can use to help children and families.

That’s social impact in action.

COVID, Neurodivergence, and What We’re Seeing Now

I asked Sam what she believes the tangible impact of COVID has been on children and families, and her answers really landed.

First, the emotional impact.

Children learning fear around other people. Staying away. Moving out the way. Panicking when someone approaches.

You might not see it immediately, but it’s there.

Second, the long-term impact.

As a school governor, Sam is seeing this play out now. Children who missed foundational learning in early years are presenting with higher levels of:

• speech and language needs
• social, emotional and behavioural support needs
• additional learning requirements

As that cohort moves into secondary school, many simply aren’t “ready” in the way previous cohorts were expected to be.

This is why demand for NCCE’s neurodivergence training is growing so fast. Parents and professionals aren’t looking for theory.

They’re looking for tools.

Co-Regulation Explained (In a Way That Actually Makes Sense)

If you’ve heard the term “co-regulation” but never fully understood it, Sam explained it in a genuinely practical way.

Co-regulation is about supporting a child through big emotions by:

• being present
• being safe
• not escalating
• not shaming
• and reflecting afterwards

But she also made a point people often skip.

Adults need self-regulation first.

Because you cannot teach calm while you’re dysregulated, burnt out, reactive and running on fumes.

And let’s be honest, that hits home for business owners too.

Sam’s Advice for Class-Based Business Owners

Sam shared two simple but powerful pieces of advice.

1. Protect your wellbeing with time blocking
There’s always something to do. Always.
If you don’t create space away from your business, your nervous system pays the price.

2. Create a calm space in your classes
Not segregation. Not punishment.
A calm space where a child can sit with a trusted adult during a meltdown, feel safe and regulate, without being labelled “naughty”.

That’s the standard.
That’s what children need.

The Big New Launch: NCCE Explore (Coming September)

One of the most exciting announcements in the interview was NCCE Explore, launching in September.

It’s designed for children aged 8–13 and built around:

• gamified quests
• points and challenges
• playful learning experiences
• confidence-building
• wellbeing skills
• real-world future skills

Children feel like they’re playing, but they’re building core skills in maths, English, science, literacy, confidence and wellbeing, plus early business and entrepreneurial thinking.

They’ll also be able to earn certificates through AQA’s unit accreditation system.

It’s not a replacement for school.
It’s future-focused learning that meets children where they are.

Why NCCE is Sponsoring the After Party at the Class Business Awards

When I asked Sam why she wanted to be part of what we’re building, her answer was simple.

She believes learning happens beyond school.

She’s seen first-hand the impact class-based experiences have had on her own children, their confidence, their skills and their growth.

That alignment is exactly why I’m proud to have NCCE involved in the Class Business Awards, and why sponsoring the After Party makes perfect sense.

Because after the hard work, the classes, the emotional labour and the day-to-day reality of supporting families…

We deserve to celebrate.

Watch the Full Interview

If you work with children.
If you support families.
If you’re a provider seeing these changes play out in your classes.

This is a conversation you’ll want to watch.

👉 Watch the full episode with Dr Sam Ballington on the Class Business Academy Youtube channel.

And if this interview resonated with you, share it with another class-based business owner, because they’ll feel seen in this one.