‘Forward-thinking’ independent now educating four days a week
AN INDEPENDENT school that uses daily meditation and yoga and is run democratically by its staff and students is expanding its provision.
Hebden Bridge School, which offers support for home-educated children, is growing to a fourday, flexi-time school from September.
The school opened 18 months ago as a one-day facility and is known for its “forward-thinking approach”, where children are encouraged to develop freely and explore their innate love of learning.
For the next part of its development plan children can now attend for up to four days a week, which will allow the school to offer a more varied timetable.
It will be offering maths, English Literature, Spanish and creative writing, along with one topic per term chosen together by the children and teachers.
Lead teacher Anil Sarna said: “Our unique approach is based on yoga and meditation, democratic decision making, and a topic-based approach which allows children to see the big picture, think more freely and learn through experiencing.
“Last term the topic was democracy. In science the children learn about how animals make decisions, which is much more democratic than one might think with bees’ waggle dances, scouting ant consultations and herds of deer only moving when 60 per cent or more stand up. In art they have been studying how to convey political messages though icons and symbols.
“In humanities we studied the struggle for democracy from the Magna Carta to Peterloo to the Suffragettes.
“Pupils are now working on causes they have identified to campaign for change to make the world more equal, more democratic and environmentally safer for all species, and this begins with change in our local community.”
Hebden Bridge School hopes the move to a four-day flexi school will be a stepping stone to becoming a full-time school in the near future.