If you're looking for progressive alternatives to conventional methods in education, you’re not alone.
This online hub explores progressive approaches to education which are forward-thinking and aim to equip students with appropriate skills for the 21st century.
We present a variety of options so that parents/carers, teachers, students, policy makers and other professionals can make informed choices. Our directory includes a list of progressive schools and learning communities in the UK, and our Voices section showcases innovation from the state and private sectors.
We are committed to sharing the voices of key stakeholders so that together, we can reimagine education.
Why Do We Need Alternative Approaches to Education?
There are many reasons why progressive alternatives are becoming more popular, and why a growing movement of people are calling for our state education system to be reimagined.
Articles, News & Research
Webinar Schedule 2026
Are you thinking about setting up your own school or learning community? Or perhaps you’ve been running for a while but you’re looking to connect with others on a similar journey. This webinar series aims to support you on your path to creating a learning environment where young people can thrive outside of the conventional […]
Free 3-Day Challenge Event: For pioneers starting or running their own schools and learning communities
Exciting news! We have organised an empowering event with some incredible speakers, to celebrate one year of running our membership for start-up schools and learning communities. Are you thinking of setting up your own school or learning community? Or do you know someone who is? Or perhaps you’ve been running for a while and would like to connect with […]
URGENT: Part-time Learning Communities Impact Survey
Do you work at, or does your child attend a part-time learning community? If so, please could you spare a few minutes to complete our survey? The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was announced in December 2024 and has direct implications for part-time education provisions in England and Wales. This Bill is progressing through parliament quickly right […]
What Does Self-Directed Learning Look Like in Action? By Esther Jones
The article below constitutes chapter three from Esther Jones’s book, ‘The Parent’s Handbook to Unschooling Yourself’… It can be extremely challenging to accompany your child’s learning at first because it looks so different from how you might have always considered learning to look. It’s quite a leap of faith to go from something orderly and […]
Trust Kids, by Fran Liberatore
“To trust children is to anchor ourselves to a moral foundation, a place from which a freer world can grow, as long as we’re willing to help it along.” – Idzie Desmarais What if we believed that children were born with innate wisdom? What if we believed that we didn’t know best, just different? What […]
A Good Education Doesn’t Have to Cost a Childhood, by Je’anna Clements
When I was five I spent hours scrambling around on a rocky hillside with a group of other kids led by a ten year old girl, with no adult in sight – climbing trees and scraping knees and having a wonderful time. This involved much exciting challenge, decision making and risk assessment. Stick with the […]
The Misuse of Words, by Alexander Khost
A lot of us use inaccurate words when discussing Self-Directed Education. What are more precise words that we can use and why does this matter? And when do we need to make up our own words? I grew up being an “ah, you know what I mean,” kind of a person, using words in the […]
Creating a Global Educational System, by Carmela Fleury
“It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, not the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change.” – Quote commonly attributed to Charles Darwin Let’s start by putting evolution into perspective. The universe has been here for 13.4 billion years, the earth is 4.6 billion-years-old, the human race started roughly 300,000 years […]
Making Change Stick: A Practical Guide to Implementing School Improvement, by Dr James Mannion
Why do so few school improvement initiatives achieve their stated goals? [The first of two posts on this all-important head-scratcher. You’ll be able to read part 2 here.] In my New Year post, we looked at the mind-blowing question that opens in my new book: It’s mind-blowing because a) the figure is really low, b) everyone knows it, […]
How Tutoring can Improve Attitude, Attendance, and Attainment in Young People, by Julia Silver
My son Benjamin struggled with anxiety and depression in Years 10 and 11, and rarely felt able to attend school. He is one of many young people who experience ‘Emotional Based School Avoidance’ (EBSA) today. In the UK, EBSA affects approximately 1-2% of the school population; although, some researchers suggest it could be as high […]
Webinar Schedule 2025
Are you thinking about setting up your own school or learning community? Or perhaps you’ve been running for a while but you’re looking to connect with others on a similar journey. This webinar series aims to support you on your path to creating a learning environment where young people can thrive outside of the conventional […]
New Membership Platform for Start-Up Schools and Learning Communities
Setting up a school or learning community is a wonderful, exciting and rewarding adventure, but at times it can feel overwhelming. This is why, in collaboration with Limitless we have launched a new membership community which offers: Expert webinars: Live monthly webinars with founders of innovative schools and learning communities, and practitioners in progressive methods […]
Voices from the Sector
Parent Voice 3
Jessica – Unschooling Mum and Educationalist Educationalist, Jessica* currently home educates her four-year old and has chosen to follow the ‘unschooling’ approach. Jessica has worked in education for nearly 20 years in a number of capacities. She has been a teacher in colleges and universities, been involved in teacher training and the design of learning […]
Parent Voice 2
Ross Mountney – Home Educator and Author Ross Mountney is a parent, home educator and author. She started her career as a teacher which she says “was a bit daft really” as she was never at ease with the school environment. That was when she began to suspect that much of what went on at school was […]
Parent Voice 1
Kirstie Gran – Parent and Trainee Holistic Family Health Coach Kirstie has a son in mainstream school and a younger daughter at home. She’s become interested in progressive education since she started studying the brain and how it develops in children. She’s currently studying to become a Holistic Family Health Coach and previously completed a […]