"free" schools...

[ButterPieify]

Has anyone set up a small free school? I'm in the "just an idea" stage, and need to do my research before going any further, getting experts involved, etc...

Considering creating a small school that is geared towards flexischooling, but open to all. Have a kind of resource centre with teachers on hand to help with projects etc and timetabled formal lessons in a classical style taking up about half of a full time pupils day.

My main inspirations are:
this part time small school

The QI school

The Well Trained Mind

Summerhill

Charlotte Mason Education

What do people think? This would be in the north east, probably Newcastle.

Oh, and completely secular. Faith is a private matter, not one that should impinge on education.

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You'd have to be in a reasonably populous area in orde rto get a critical mass of parents interested, I believe, The part-time mainstream schooling idea has legs (though tbh I'd not be happy if my primary went down that route as I don't think it's fair on the full-time pupils but I appreciate that's not what you're proposing!).

The QI schooling idea sounds sort of Montessori, doesn't it? Again, I personally wouldn't go for it because the new 'base level' (Eng Bac) isn't covered at all in the subjects suggested, Such schemes, like HE, would work well with a well-educated and committed enough educator at the helm but successful otcomes rely heavily on a clever, self-motivated DC. It's all very well to cite a list of famous, successful often 'off-beat' people who barely attended mainstream schooling but what about all the 'Joe-normal' who wouldn't necessarily reach for the algebra book if they were allowed the option of not to? For me, personally, MS suits us purely because my DSs are MS. They need to know what they need to know and how to learn it- and have some sort of testing mechanism at the end of it to motivate them!

Let us know how your ideas develop!

Would it be primary, secondary or both? Would you be offering facilities to take exams? Would GCSE courses be available eg science? We are in the North East but a bit of a trek from Newcastle!

I'm currently thinking all ages, maybe lessons could be loosely divided into 3 or so levels, but kids would be welcome in any, within reason (encouraged to stretch themselves though)

Exams would be one of the major benefits- being a state school would allow us to have access to exam funding. Maybe we could link up with larger schools to borrow equipment if needed (although with things like science, maybe industry and the local universities would be better)

Ultimately, it would change to fit the pupils and parents involved. I think we would have planning meetings where we would talk about what we would like for the next term and then work out how best to offer it.