To ask you about schools with ‘alternative’ educational philosophies?

[peepeelongstocking]

Not really an AIBU, but I love reading about these schools. So far I’ve read about:

• A. S. Neill’s Summerhill
• Steiner/Waldorf schools
• the London Acorn school
• Sands
• Bedales
• New Forest small school (and other ‘small schools’)
• Montessori

Any other interesting ones? They’re my current obsession

I went to a slightly alternative and very arty boarding school. Not Summerhill at all, but no one really minded whether you went to lessons.

Some kids (including me) thrived there, either because they learned self-motivation or because they could devote themselves to arty things without any pressure if they weren't academic.

But there were tonnes of kids in the middle who git middling grades and could have done so much better had anyone pushed them.

As a PP mentioned - everyone basically landed on their feet after school because people tended to have enough money to let them fart around being canapé designers or whatever so no one cares what A Levels they got.

@notafanoftheman

The problem I have with Summerhill is it’s all very well prioritizing happiness over qualifications bla bla bla but that only works if you’ve got enough family cash to insulate you from real life.

Or, like my in-laws, you might have the attitude that education is wasted on girls anyway, because their job is to be Volkish mothers and wives. Which fits right in with Steiner.

Film tip: "Most likely to succeed". Great film asking excellent questions. I wished I could send my kids to HighTechHigh...