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Support for Start-Ups

Upcoming Webinars

Save the dates! Are you thinking about setting up your own school or learning community? Or perhaps you’ve been running for a while but you’re looking to connect with others on a similar journey. This webinar series aims to support you on your path to creating a learning environment where young people can thrive outside of the conventional school system.

You can find our line-up for 2025 here.

These webinars are a collaboration between Progressive Education and Limitless. Each webinar is £20 to attend, or you can join our membership community and access them as part of your membership package.

Membership Community

Setting up a school or learning community is a wonderful, exciting and rewarding adventure, but at times it can feel overwhelming. Join our membership community to learn from experts who have been there and done it, and to access ongoing coaching and peer support.

In collaboration with Limitless, the Education Start-Ups membership offers:

  • Monthly expert webinars;
  • Group coaching and collaborative problem-solving;
  • Online community platform.
  • …and some extra bonuses too!

Find out more at EducationStartUps.org/community.

FREE GUIDE: Five Top Tips to Set Up a School or Learning Community

We’ve reached out to founders of pioneering schools and learning communities in our network, to find out the key essentials to getting a start-up off the ground and making it a long-term success.

Our free Top Tips guide (created by Progressive Education and Limitless) includes:

  • Expert advice from founders who have been there and done it;
  • ⁠Need-to-know essentials;
  • ⁠Pitfalls to avoid;
  • ⁠Action tasks to get you started.

We hope you find it useful.

Access the Webinar Library

We recently teamed up with Limitless to create two webinar series for start-up schools and learning communities. These are both available to purchase, or you can join our membership community and access them as part of your membership package.

Series 1

The first series included six ‘Ask the Expert’ Q&A sessions with founders who have been there and done it. The first three webinars focused on part-time learning communities for home educated young people. The second three focused on full-time registered schools.

Series 2

The second series included six key topics which are useful to know about when setting up a learning provision.

The following 12 webinars are available to purchase individually, or you can buy each series of six as a bundle at a discounted price:

  1. Sophie Christophy Q&A, co-founder of The Cabin and The Lodge;
  2. Kate Coleman Q&A, co-founder of East Kent Sudbury;
  3. Dr Ian Cunningham Q&A, founder of the Self Managed Learning College;
  4. Lucy Stephens Q&A, founder of The New School;
  5. Maz Wilberforce and Tomlin Wilding Q&A, co-founders of Hawthorn Small School;
  6. Melissa Kendall and Fran Wilby Q&A, co-founders of Lumiar Stowford School;
  7. Do schools / learning communities need a curriculum?
  8. Collaborative decision making with young people;
  9. Sociocracy in education;
  10. Choosing a legal structure;
  11. Supporting neurodivergent learners;
  12. Establishing values and guiding principles.

Simply visit our Education Start-Ups page and select the webinar/s or series bundle you wish to order.

Progressive Education Group

If you’re not in a position to be able to pay for the webinars, you can join our Progressive Education Group on Facebook for free.

We are an international community of over 10,000 parents/carers, educators and education pioneers exploring alternatives to conventional schooling and reimagining education for the 21st century.

There are many founders of progressive schools and learning communities within this group whose expertise you can draw upon. Please do join us and ask any questions you may have.