About our organisation...
Adult Schools were originally formed in 1798 to teach working men and women to read and write; they were the first dedicated educational provision for adults in Britain. Their emphasis on fellowship and the spiritual nature of education was significant and carried into other institutions. Their use of discussion and concern with democratic ways of working was an important element in the making of 'adult education method'.
Eric Frost, who with his wife Doreen have made outstanding contributions towards developing NASO over the years, has researched the history of our organisation. Please look at the document below to learn about our origins and its underpinning philosophy. For more information on the history of the adult school movement please consult our links page.
Whilst rightly proud of our heritage, NASO has now broadened its purpose to take in other interests and pastimes to educate the 'whole person'.
The three keys in our NASO badge are symbolic and represent our core values of:
- Friendship in a group of concerned and caring people, based on
- Knowledge gained from discussion of the wide variety of topics that make up human experience, leading to
- Understanding of different opinions, making friendship deeper, knowledge richer, care more loving and life more meaningful.
The NASO Centre, our own premises in St Michael's Road, is the hub of our activities in Northampton. We are also able to let out the NASO Centre to other local organisations for their own meetings. This shows our commitment to the local community and also yields some useful income.
For the convenience of visitors, Eric's NASO History is presented in two alternative formats: please choose either a Word Attachment or a PDF Attachment. Please see the 'Newsletters' page for guidance on dealing with these Attachments.