
Known for their distinctive brown uniforms, perfect manners and exceptional cooking, the students of the Norland College are nothing if not traditional.

But trainees at the elite nanny school in Bath, Somerset, are also being equipped with the cutting edge skills needed to keep children safe in a more violent world.

Over the last few years the prestigious institution - which has supplied minders to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Mick Jagger, among other A-listers - has taught its students how to spot fend off attackers and escape an ambush. Now they are also taking lessons in counter-terrorism, cyber crime and online safety.

Photographs capture the women swapping their smock dresses for trousers and polo shirts as they learn how to drop kick, chop and punch potential attackers.

Take that! Students at Norland College practise their kicks as they learn how to fend-off attackers in a self-defence class

Quick getaway: Student Abi Harris spins a car around the skidpan in an evasive driving class, another course on offer

Modern threats: Students are given lectures by counter-terrorism and security experts at the prestigious school

Royal pick: Nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, a Norland College graduate, holds Prince George up to the window of Buckingham Palace as he watches the Trooping the Colour in 2015. She was hired by Prince William and Kate in 2014

They also attend lectures by counter-terrorism and security experts to ensure they are in the know about the latest threats to their high net-worth charges.

For their evasive driving lesson, the nannies-in-training spun around a racing circuit in nearby Wiltshire.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, social media now plays a key part in the school's curriculum.

Former head of UK Counter Terrorism, Brigadier Paul Gibson, focused on how to avoid giving away sensitive data which could be used to commit a crime.

Norland student Natalie Sedgman said: 'It was really interesting for us to understand that the smallest piece of information could potentially lead to a dangerous situation.

'I feel a lot more aware of how much information can be collected from every day online activity.'

Modern skills: Trainee nanny Caroline Bullen strikes her instructor Andy Tombling as her peers look on

Stay away: Trainee Caroline Hympas practises how to keep the buggy out of reach of an approaching man

Practical: Dressed in their distinctive brown uniforms, trainees Philippa Fitzherbert, Georgina Melson, Charlotte Steadman and Victoria Palmer learn route planning and map skills

NORLAND NANNIES: A HISTORY Norland College, founded in 1892 by Emily Ward, is a leading provider of childcare training. Its alumni include Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, nanny to Prince George. Emily Ward introduced a uniform so Norland graduates would be recognised as professionals and not mistaken for housemaids and it is still a strong part of the college's tradition. Steeped in tradition: Trainees are seen with children at workstations in an early photo taken at the 125-year-old school Prim and proper: A Norland nurse stands with two prams as she takes her charges for a day out at the park in 1933 The founder focused her training on the principles of Friedrich Froebel, the German educationalist who developed the 'kindergarten system'. Its Early Childhood Studies course concentrates on numerous aspects of childhood. Students study elements of social science, psychology, child health, history, literature and education. It also trains its students - known as 'Norlanders' when they graduate - how to work with families, develop a child's math skills and become a whizz in the kitchen and teach a child not only how to cook, but how to cook healthy meals. Along with the traditional skills of cooking, sewing and first aid, new subjects on the curriculum include Taekwondo, self defence, skidpan driving - and escaping from paparazzi. Valuable skills: Norland College students work at their sewing stations in the uniform work room in an early photograph from the school Advertisement

Brigadier Gibson said: 'By understanding how a pattern of life is established through social media and direct observation, mitigating actions can be put in place to best protect the nannies and their charges.'

In 2014 Prince William and Kate became the latest in a long line of royals to entrust their children to a Norland College graduate when they hired Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo to look after Prince George.

Sir Mick and his ex-wife Jerry Hall also hired a Norland nanny to look after their children Lizzie, 30, and James, 29.

Dr Janet Rose, principal of Norland College said: 'The majority of our students go on to become nannies for a wide range of families, each with different circumstances, but the common factor is that our children are our most precious possessions.

On the lookout: Student Natalie Sedgman is followed by an unknown man in a reconstruction

Online attacks: Modern Norland nannies must also be aware of the dangers posed by social media and cyber crime

'We teach our students that the safety and well-being of the children is their priority.

'All of our training is about equipping our students with the knowledge and skills they need to care for children in a modern age.'

She added: 'When Emily Ward set up Norland 125 years ago, she was revolutionary about how childcare as a profession was viewed, and was always thinking about the particular needs of children and their families.

'I think she would feel proud of the way we are moving the curriculum forward to meet modern day challenges.'