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Flexi-schooling


schooling, who states that: “The conditions in which mass schooling was established, just over a hundred years ago, led to practices that made sense at the time but now have been taken over by events.” The funding from CfBT Education Trust was used to initiate a “design


and research” project to formalise the collective available knowledge surrounding flexi-schooling into a model of operational principles that met the statutory and educational needs of all stakeholders. This Rapid Evidence Review was undertaken to establish a model for flexi-schooling and covered issues identified by the advisory group as potentially significant obstacles and issues that must be overcome or addressed in order to establish a successful flexi-school. The study looked at UK and international examples of policy development, research into and guidance for developing and supporting alternative models of delivering


“We have a lecturer from Stockport College who comes with his older home tutored children to help in


school, and have taken drama and animation workshops”


education, elective home education, non-formal education and virtual schooling, with the aim of establishing a workable model of flexi- schooling that met both statutory requirements and the needs of parents and young people themselves. We put out questionnaires, and found that most parents home tutored


their children out of necessity, as their children were emotionally bruised by their schooling experience. We were now determined that there had to be an alternative to full-time education. Parents were being offered “choice”, so this was widening that field of choice. The local children benefit as there are more children to play with, and children who have different experiences to share. Also parents have expertise that they share


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with the school. For instance we have a lecturer from Stockport College who comes with his older home tutored children to help in school, and have taken drama and animation workshops. This still was not enough, however, as some parents did not want


to register their children in the school system, or to commit to coming every week, because of distance. We therefore opened our “learning hub”, which was once a fortnight, with a voluntary contribution of £4 per family for those children who were not registered. This is growing in numbers each fortnight, and we are busily raising money to build an outdoor classroom to accommodate the hub. Some of the children who started to come to our hub have already registered to attend the school.


Fulfilling approach The flexi-schooling approach provides: n Mutual support – An opportunity for those who choose to educate at home to come together and receive additional support and to share best practice.


n Social experience – A chance for children who may be educated on their own at home to mix on a regular basis for learning with other children.


n Dynamic learning – Opportunities to adopt exciting approaches to teaching and learning that are evidence-based. It brings the opportunity to create a learning community of children, staff and parents in which there is ongoing dialogue about effective nurturing and learning. Being a very small school we feel that we should not operate simply as a smaller version of a large school, but that we have an opportunity for an exciting and fulfilling approach to education that is not possible in a large school.


To allow us to function in this different way we use a particular home-


school contract. Children who come to the school on a part-time basis are given a school membership card which allows them to go on visits as a pupil of the school (when the responsibility and care of children is with parents/guardians). During school hours children may be in school with their parents/guardians and remain in their care – this needs to be made clear on the home/school contract. The project has become a solid success and platform for the future of


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the school. Parents have said they would come every day if the school was closer, and that the school has restored their faith in the education system. The next steps is our plan to extend the hub by joining forces with a local high school, so that older children can study for their GCSEs. We are also looking into virtual learning platforms and have contacts with colleagues who advocate self-managed learning, as we wish to incorporate this concept into our teaching.


• A report on flexi-schooling and Hollinsclough Primary School by Paul Gutherson can be downloaded from the project sponsors, CfBT Education Trust, at www.cfbt.com


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