Flexi-schooling A flexible approach


When Hollinsclough Church of England Primary School officially became the smallest school in England its future was looking uncertain. Headteacher Janette Mountford-Lees explains how she tackled the problem with the introduction of ‘flexi-schooling’


I


n November 2009 our school – a rural primary in the Peak District – gained the dubious reputation of being the smallest in England. With only five children enrolled there were growing concerns about


the future viability of a school in Hollinsclough and the potential loss of an important part of the village community. Now our numbers have risen sharply to 24 pupils (with nine others


in pre-school), with the prospect of maintaining higher numbers over time, due to the introduction of “flexi-schooling”. We have made use of our strengths as a small school to offer part-time education for parents who provide home-schooling but want the additional reassurance and support of time in a state school. Our curriculum is naturally personalised, and we are able to have a creative approach to education – each child and each child’s family can be known to a depth that is not possible in a large school – and on the basis of this knowledge a curriculum can be designed for each child. This ensures they receive their full entitlement and are able to compete with other children on equal terms while having a curriculum that meets their specific needs, aspirations and interests. The learning programme can be designed to operate to the advantage of each child’s preferred learning style and their interests and enthusiasms. Resources and time can be moved at speed to either support a child who is encountering difficulties or to stretch the learning of a child who shows talent.


A new approach Research shows that there is a growing demand for flexible approaches to schooling. Most parents and children are quite happy and do well in the traditional structure of state schooling. However, there are exceptions. There are those children who have been emotionally bruised by their experience of school. There are others who have parents who are unhappy with the constraints of a national programme of learning. There are others again with a particular talent that is being nurtured who may need more time spent outside school to do this but who would also relish some time in a school setting. Estimates suggest there may be as many as 150,000 children currently being educated at home, and this number is predicted to rise by three per cent per year, meaning a much greater need for improved systems of support for home-schooling families.


30 The project began when a parent asked if her children could attend


part-time. We thought “why not?” As everyone was already on their own programme of study, it ran well with what we were already doing. This led to an investigation about the legalities and bureaucracy around flexi- schooling. Attending an event where Sir Jim Rose was speaking, I took the opportunity to ask him what he thought. He put me in touch with CfBT Education Trust, where he heads the research board, to discuss the potential for funding for the project.


The right support Support from stakeholders was all-important, and alongside backing from staff and governors, we also put together an advisory group including Peter Traves (former director of education for Staffordshire), Jill Wytcherle (Mr Traves’s successor), Olaf Hindmarsh (the elective


“Word got around about our project, and


we were having more and more enquiries, with children coming from Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and South Yorkshire”


home education coordinator for Staffordshire) and Colin Hopkins (the director of education for the Lichfield Diocese), Paul Gutherson (a researcher from CfBT Education Trust), as well as a parent who home educated her own children. During our discussions, word got around about our project, and


we were having more and more enquiries, with children coming from Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and South Yorkshire, both part- time and full-time. We had obviously hit upon a genuine need. My own research took me to books written by Roland Meighan on flexi-


Continued on page 32


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