At The New School, we offer an alternative version of mainstream education for young people aged 4 to 16 years.
Our approach is driven by the intention to give every student a powerful sense of agency - the will and the ability to positively influence their own lives and the world around them.
We foster agency through an alternative understanding of curriculum, balancing the National Curriculum with elements of self-direction and project based learning. Successful learning is then monitored across three areas: the social development of a child; the emotional development of a child; and the academic development of a child.
In addition to our classrooms being different, we believe the development of agency and belonging transcend the classroom. We also run an active school council, where young people can help shape the school and participate in decision making.
By creating an educational space that allows young people to be recognised and to participate in decision-making structures as equals, we believe every young person can fulfil their potential and go on to lead happy lives.
Ultimately if we change the way we educate our children, we can change the world.
Last, but not least, we are non-fee paying – we don’t believe income should be a barrier to a better education. Read more about our school’s principles.
We can only change the outcomes, when we change the rules of the system
The New School was built on a simple, radical idea: to rewrite the rules of education to shape different outcomes. Our mission is to empower young people with the self-knowledge, practical skills, and conviction to design their own futures and contribute to a better world. Our aim is to challenge the ordinary and build for what comes next.
Lucy Stephens
Founder - The New School