The National Citizen Service (NCS) was born from the Big Society movement in 2012 following a pilot. Currently, the summer programme consists of three activities for 15-17-year-olds over a four-week period. They undergo a residential week of activities, a week developing life skills and a week doing some kind of community project.

A great deal of money has gone into this programme – around £1.3bn invested in the Spending Review period 2016/2020 – and its expansion has been very fast. This has led to questions about its quality and expensive unfilled places.