If you're looking for progressive alternatives to conventional methods in education, you’re not alone.
This online hub explores progressive approaches to education which are forward-thinking and aim to equip students with appropriate skills for the 21st century.
We present a variety of options so that parents/carers, teachers, students, policy makers and other professionals can make informed choices. Our directory includes a list of progressive schools and learning communities in the UK, and our Voices section showcases innovation from the state and private sectors.
We are committed to sharing the voices of key stakeholders so that together, we can reimagine education.
Why Do We Need Alternative Approaches to Education?
There are many reasons why progressive alternatives are becoming more popular, and why a growing movement of people are calling for our state education system to be reimagined.
Articles, News & Research
Your Invitation to Our Free Online Event
From 18-25th November 2024, in collaboration with Limitless, we are holding the INSPIRE Education Summit to envisage (and help create!) a new paradigm of education. We’d love you to join us! This event is to celebrate the launch of our new membership platform for start-up schools and learning communities, the details of which will be […]
Five Top Tips to Set Up a School or Learning Community
Inspiration and guidance to pave the way for a new paradigm of education! We are delighted to announce that we have a new resource for school start-ups… Setting up a school or learning community is a wonderful, exciting and rewarding adventure, but at times it can feel overwhelming. To seek inspiration and support, we have […]
Start-Up Schools & Learning Communities – Webinars to Order
We are delighted to announce that our webinars for start-up schools and learning communities are now available to order. We recently teamed up with Limitless to offer two webinar series to help new schools and learning communities get off the ground: Series 1 The first series included six ‘Ask the Expert’ Q&A sessions with founders who have been there […]
Broadening the Scope of a School, by Mary-Ann Ridgway
What if a school were a vibrant hub for change? Change that starts with the inner blossoming of oneself, inspiring further shifts to happen within the community and impacting action locally and beyond. What if our endeavours to develop ourselves within an educational setting were deeply connected to a compassionate movement towards change in society, […]
Parenting Unscripted – The Art of Raising a Self-Directed Kid, by Jeneen Gacek
Life fills us with questions. Each new stage of growing and development changes our thinking from one level to another. Like a character in a video game, we pass one stage, fighting off goblins and bosses and eating energy balls to power up until we feel like a champion, and then we find ourselves diving […]
Shrinking Children, by Sophie B Lovett
One of the main things that often strikes me about the young people who learn and play with us at Maverick Learning Community is how much space they take up! Physical space, and also space in our hearts and minds as adult facilitators in co-creation with them. At capacity, we have 3 adults for 18 young people […]
Webinars for Start-Up Schools & Learning Communities
Are you thinking about setting up your own school or learning community? Or perhaps you’ve been running for a while but you’re still exploring different educational approaches and practices. This webinar series aims to guide you on your path to creating a progressive, holistic community where young people can thrive outside of the conventional, authoritarian […]
Shiver-Me-Timbers, Time to Cast Off Centralised Curriculum Models. By Julian Barrell.
A Meaningful Learning Revolution Is On The Horizon… In the UK, the National Curriculum has driven the evolution of learning towards something that can best be described as a one dimensional plank of wood. Learners follow a narrow path of subjects until a definitive end point is reached, often qualified by a form of standardised […]
Irons in the Fire, by Tom Brown
Part 2: Progressive Education I [previously] wrote about the Montessori Landscape in the UK and what I’ve learned so far about the scene [since relocating from the US]. Inevitably, my network and understanding have continued to grow since. Here are just a couple of additions: I have met with Dr. Nathan Archer who leads The International […]
Irons in the Fire, by Tom Brown
Part 1: Montessori in the UK I have so much to talk about. Over the last month [October], I have been involved in so many exciting projects in education, have met so many inspiring educators, and have learnt so much about education in the UK. I have another article on Inquiry-Based Education in the works, […]
How Would a Martian View our Schools?
This transcript was taken from a presentation entitled ‘School is Very Strange!” by Guy Claxton at the 2023 Rethinking Education conference in London. Guy Claxton is a cognitive scientist, education thought leader and prolific author interested in expanding human intelligence through research, writing and education. You can follow him on Twitter:
Flexischooling: A Case for Enabling More Children to Go to School Less Often, by Sarah Sudea
In the 2022/23 academic year, 28.3% of secondary school pupils were persistently absent. Huge numbers of children are unable to access full time mainstream school for a multitude of complex reasons. There is growing consensus that this is an issue that is not going away and affected schools, parents and children are under intense pressure […]
Voices from the Sector
Parent Voice 3
Jessica – Unschooling Mum and Educationalist Educationalist, Jessica* currently home educates her four-year old and has chosen to follow the ‘unschooling’ approach. Jessica has worked in education for nearly 20 years in a number of capacities. She has been a teacher in colleges and universities, been involved in teacher training and the design of learning […]
Parent Voice 2
Ross Mountney – Home Educator and Author Ross Mountney is a parent, home educator and author. She started her career as a teacher which she says “was a bit daft really” as she was never at ease with the school environment. That was when she began to suspect that much of what went on at school was […]
Parent Voice 1
Kirstie Gran – Parent and Trainee Holistic Family Health Coach Kirstie has a son in mainstream school and a younger daughter at home. She’s become interested in progressive education since she started studying the brain and how it develops in children. She’s currently studying to become a Holistic Family Health Coach and previously completed a […]