Governance
Our democratic decision-making process uses the principles of sociocracy. It is a central part of The New School and designed so that young people can experience democratic participation in a meaningful way. The circle system is used as a form of governance for staff, but also young people participate in circles to discuss issues, share ideas and make decisions about school life. Circles also take place in each class at the beginning and end of every day, and are a place for young people to challenge, raise concerns, address problems and expect that they will be heard. It is a mechanism by which young people can tackle challenges with staff and to develop inclusive and emotionally intelligent relationships. Everyone participating has an equal vote and right to speak regardless of their age or job title.
Student voice
When young people feel recognised, are included in decision-making activities and have their voice heard in a way that is not just tokenistic, it has a substantial positive impact on self-worth and wellbeing. This is important for all young people, but it is especially important for those who are marginalised and disadvantaged in other areas of their lives.
Participating in democratic processes builds strong interpersonal relationships based on equality and mutual respect. Giving young people the confidence to speak up, be heard, and engage with school life in the full knowledge that their needs and opinions will be taken seriously, supports them to develop their individual identity, but also is a means of developing the skills and learning to be inclusive, responsible members of a democratic society.
Relationships
We strive for every young person at our school to feel a sense of belonging and a sense of significance. One way we do this is to focus on creating strong, respectful relationships between teachers and young people, working in partnership, using the principles of restorative justice. Restorative circles are our approach to conflict, enabling mutual solutions to problems to be found, and to transform the relationship in order to address harm.
We have small class sizes, and value multi-age grouping meaning teachers stay with a group of young people for a number of years. This allows relationships to develop over time, creating a trust that allows young people to learn more effectively. It also ensures that gaps in learning are more easily spotted and addressed.
Learning
We believe learning should be engaging, authentic and connected to the real-world and the lives and interests of young people. We offer a timetable of lessons that link to the National Curriculum, social science projects, and time and space for self-directed learning. We also highly value the creative subjects including specialist art, science and media. A range of GCSE’s and portfolio style work is offered for 14-16 year olds.
Each young person develops a My Learning Plan, with the support of staff and parents, which enables them to choose three key goals to work on each term, in addition to curriculum lessons Often these goals are social and emotional, but it might include personal projects, areas or subjects where young people can develop skills.
Supporting young people to develop as critical thinkers is key to our approach to teaching. Lessons, projects and self-directed learning spaces promote critical literacy by using multiple sources of information and viewpoints, and enable young people to develop their own voice in response.
Inclusion
Our belief is that education should be accessible to all and should provide a truly inclusive learning environment that celebrates difference. We work to create a caring, respectful community that acknowledges and values all young people for who they are. We promote respect for diversity and create a context within which young people’s experiences can be understood, appreciated and connected to the curriculum. Our teachers actively work to unpick bias and stereotypes, develop and maintain a culturally responsive pedagogy, and explicitly address issues of race, racism and cultural difference, always seeking to connect young people’s knowledge of their communities to the way we teach and learn.
We aim to make our outcomes framework and methods of assessment as inclusive as possible so as to value a much wider range of skills and competencies than is currently ‘recognised’ in education. We also have strong systems of support and care to meet the social, emotional, physical and cognitive needs of every young person, including those with identified special educational needs.
Community
As a school we enable teachers to build great relationships with young people’s families, working to understand families’ culture particularly if it’s different from their own.
We empower young people to identify and discuss wider societal problems and to create projects that benefit and enrich the lives of the school community. We support parents and staff to facilitate a close working relationship in the best interests of every young person.
Empowered professionals
Our teachers demonstrate a belief in democratic values, in autonomy, in building strong relationships, and all recognise the agency of young people. They’re professionals who focus on engaging and creative curriculum developed through critique, collaboration and following the interests of young people.
Our teachers spend time planning and team-teaching, supporting us to develop a school culture that maximises the voice and agency of young people
Outcomes
At The New School, we aim to actively challenge what counts as desirable in education. To do this, we have created our own outcomes framework which challenges the narrow accountability framework of most mainstream schools in the UK.
We don’t ignore conventional exams – like it or not, GCSE’s and A-levels or equivalent are the gatekeepers to further education in the UK, and if we want to support all young people to have options, we must avoid ignoring the needs of those who cannot afford to reject the current system’s values. We aim for balance: to support young people to ‘play the game’, while also focusing on critical teaching and learning tools that challenge the knowledge defined by the current curriculum and a conventional definition of ‘success’. We make sure human needs, relationships, self-care, and democratic participation are prioritised over narrow ideas of ‘academic success’. We model a more diverse, questioning style of education that aims for every voice to be heard.
We also work closely with researchers, teachers and our young people, who support us to critically reflect on our social justice goals, identify tensions and develop solutions according to the needs and priorities of our school community and particularly those from marginalised communities.