New Alternative Primary School opening in Peckham Rye Park

[kitwe]

We are a small group of parents and teachers working together to form an alternative outdoor based learning environment for children aged between 5 and 11 years old.

Our ethos is to create a beautiful place where children can be outdoors, where play is learning and learning is fun, exciting and creative.

If you're interested in talking to us please email us at:

[email protected]

Alternatively please visit our public facebook page for more information:

www.facebook.com/SmallAcresSchool

[jonbateson]

Email is bouncing back, is it typed correctly?

[david_carnell]

Hello

This sounds very interesting. Could you supply some more details please?

Are you going to be a state-funded primary, a free school or a fee-paying private school?

Could you provide more information about your curriculum and how it would be taught?

Thanks, David.

[oimissus]

second everything David has said. Like the sound of it.

[mima08]

All of the above!

Plus, I saw on your facebook page that you are hoping to be fully registered in Jan (not quite sure what this means) and that you are planning on a pilot project starting Sept?

Although my son won't be going to school 'till Sept 2015, but am interested in the idea...

[edhistory]

Where in Peckham Rye Park?

John K

[kitwe]

Thanks for all your interest in Small Acres.

I've just tried the Small Acres email account and it seems to be working but I'm sorry if anyone has had problems with it bouncing back.

Please try again and once we get your email we can send you further details including the Curriculum.

The School is currently in the process of being registered with the Department of Education. They have assured us this should be completed by Christmas. In the meantime we are operating 3 days a week due to it being the legal requirement for an unregistered school.

Small Acres is going to be a small independent fee paying school.

It has been created by families and teachers who want to focus on outdoor activities and 'project- based' learning for young children. The model we are using is similar to a school in California called 'Play Mountain'.

Both the teachers are fully qualified but have the additional advantage of being 'forest school' trained- the focus is on allowing the children to connect with nature- away from desks, large classes and the dreaded SATS!

If you would like further information please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can also make comments and ask questions on the public facebook page and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Thanks again for all your interest. We feel very excited about Small Acres and feel that this area of London will really benefit from having an alternative school.

[edhistory]

Where in Peckham Rye Park ?

John K

[sunbob]

edhistory Wrote:

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> Where in Peckham Rye Park ?

>

> John K

On their Facebook page it says they are based in the adventure playground.

[david_carnell]

What are the fees? I don't think my conscience would allow it anyway, despite this being the sort of school I'd dream about sending my son to, but I'd be interested to know anyway. What a shame.

[bemusED]

interesting idea, two queries...

you state "Both the teachers are fully qualified"

curious how this will work, with 2 teachers covering 6 years of education.

is the plan to having VERY small classes which merge different years?

why not apply to become a free school?

thanks

[OverTheRainbows]

Please could you let us know what the cost will be? And whether you'll offer any fee-remission? Was very interested until I saw it's fee-paying!

Also would like to know more about the overall model, as per bemusED's query - as well as more about how things will be sustained given reliance on just two teachers...?

In addition, I too would genuinely like to know why you've chosen to be fee-paying (limiting your intake to those who can pay) rather than seeking funding through the free school route (potentially allowing access to a greater range of children). I fully agree that 'this area of London [might] really benefit from having an alternative school' - but, without meaning to open the whole wider state vs private debate, think this might be a bit of an overstatement if the benefits are restricted to a select group of already-advantaged families!

[Lacey]

There is a school in Brixton called The Family School at Larkhall which has a similar sounding ethos - I only know about it because it's planning on moving to a new site near where I live where most of the learning will apparently also be outdoors. It applied for free school status but was unsuccessful so I imagine there would be hurdles in the way of any such application (though I confess I don't know much more than that).

[LondonMix]

To be a free school your curriculum needs to broadly be in line with the National Curriculum and you also need to show there is sufficient interest to sustain a full sized school. Those are likely to be the most significant hurdles anyone making an application has.

[kitwe]

Thanks for all your emails and for raising those interesting and valid points.

We are not in any way considering operating as a 'Free school'- hence the reason we are not following the National Curriculum.

If you send an email to the Small Acres address we will be happy to send you further details including our ethos and our curriculum.

The email address is: [email protected]

Also, if you want to read more about the type of school we are aiming to form, you might find it interesting to google 'Play Mountain Place'. It is a school in California which follows a similar approach- it is the inspiration behind what we are hoping to achieve. We have been in contact with 'Play Mountain Place' and they are very supportive of us forming something similar in London.

Yes, we are fee paying.

I understand the points raised re the whole 'private vs state' education debate.

However, we have no option but to be 'fee paying' at this stage as we need to cover the costs involved.

We will be offering part time places as well as full time and the cost will be reduced accordingly.

We also would like to offer bursaries once we are fully registered charity and able to fundraise. We are currently awaiting our charity registration.

I know there are a lot of questions so if you would like further details please do not hesitate to email us and we will be more than happy to give you a lot more information.

Many thanks.

[oimissus]

I think it sounds amazing for the younger children, but the reality is that they will be going on to more regular secondaries (be it private or state). Will the children in your school be prepared for that?

[kitwe]

At present, Small Acres is a pilot project formed by a small group of parents and teachers who have been working since February to create an alternative learning environment for their children. We never aim to become a large school and we are registering with the Department for Education in order to be able to offer a variety of programs to the public and to the LEA.

Our long-term vision is to become a charity which will provide a nurturing, outdoor learning environment where children are able to learn at their own rate and in their own way. We will be offering flexi-schooling, alternative programs, forest school and bursaries. Our aim is to offer an environment for children who find it difficult to cope within the mainstream setting, as well as offering an alternative provision for families looking for a different type of education.

If you would like information about joining our group email [email protected].

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Kitwe (and others on this thread).

I'm one of the Peckham Rye Councillors and so the Park is within my ward. What I am aware of that currently a small group of parents home educating their children have hired the use of the adventure playground site during daytimes during term-time on a term-by-term basis (as an "outdoor space" to enhance their children's education). To my knowledge there is not a school as such on the site and I don't personally think this is a suitable site for a stand alone school. There is one room (used for table tennis etc) with kitchenette and limited toilet facilities. I am not aware of any agreement with Southwark for this site to use as a school and eg it would require registration with Ofsted. Maybe you are seeking a few more home educating parents to expand your group to share the rent etc, but I think it would be difficult to use this site as the base for a school(even with the Forest, outdoor ethos).

There was raised on this forum a couple of months ago that a building, previously used by a private school in the ED area was available. If still available, this may be more suitable for your needs.

Renata

[OverTheRainbows]

Re Renata's post - kitwe, this ties in with something I was wondering...is the idea here more a collaborative, home-educating effort, or a 'normal' private school arrangement where you hand over your fees and your children and leave them for the day?

I do really like the idea of the school at first glance, but I find it hard to get a grip on what's being offered. I also wonder why you are not being more explicit and transparent about the proposal. On your Facebook page there is little specific information, and you say you'll send more information if people email you - but why not just place the information in a public space to begin with??

[OverTheRainbows]

p.s. kitwe - according guidance on the DfE website, free schools are not required to follow the national curriculum: http://www.education.gov.uk/a0075656/free-schools-faqs-curriculum

"Do Free Schools have to follow the national curriculum?

No.

One of the freedoms Academies and Free Schools enjoy is over what curriculum they deliver, providing it is a balanced and broadly based curriculum.

The new model funding agreement requires Academies and Free Schools to teach English, mathematics and science and to make provision for the teaching of religious education."

Would you not commit to teaching English, Maths and Science? ('Provision for the teaching of religious education' is rather vague and presumably open to interpretation...?)

There is an option to apply to open 'alternative provision' rather than a mainstream free school, and the guidance for this invites: 'If you are proposing to teach something other than the national curriculum, please reference ? but don?t copy and paste ? evidence (where it is available) which demonstrates that it is a good and successful model' https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210874/Free_School_Criteria_-_AP.pdf

We certainly need more school places around here, and any genuine choice and diversity would be great - so just think that it might be worth considering trying for funding that would allow non-fee-payers, given you say you want to benefit the area...? Or are there reasons other than the curriculum issue that you'd prefer not to try the free school route?

[kitwe]

Thank you for taking the time to write to us ?OverTheRainbows?.

Our understanding is that we might be too small to be considered for ?alternative free school application? but thank for giving us all that information. We will look into it.

With regards to us posting more information, we will do so once our website is complete. Please understand that we are still very much in the ?pilot project? stage.

[Jacbuc]

Renata Hamvas Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi Kitwe (and others on this thread).

> I'm one of the Peckham Rye Councillors and so the

> Park is within my ward. What I am aware of that

> currently a small group of parents home educating

> their children have hired the use of the adventure

> playground site during daytimes during term-time

> on a term-by-term basis (as an "outdoor space" to

> enhance their children's education). To my

> knowledge there is not a school as such on the

> site and I don't personally think this is a

> suitable site for a stand alone school. There is

> one room (used for table tennis etc) with

> kitchenette and limited toilet facilities. I am

> not aware of any agreement with Southwark for this

> site to use as a school and eg it would require

> registration with Ofsted. Maybe you are seeking a

> few more home educating parents to expand your

> group to share the rent etc, but I think it would

> be difficult to use this site as the base for a

> school(even with the Forest, outdoor ethos).

>

> There was raised on this forum a couple of months

> ago that a building, previously used by a private

> school in the ED area was available. If still

> available, this may be more suitable for your

> needs.

>

> Renata

Ive had more time to read the complete thread mentioned earlier and have attached Renata's reply from 2013. Does this mean that the school has gone ahead without Southwark being aware of it?

[Jacbuc]

Im sorry my previous post was not an attempt to relaunch this thread rather than to quote from it on the present thread in the main east dulwich section about consultation over the change of use of the one o'clock club. Ive obviously not mastered the technology and may try again later

[intexasatthe moment]

Some technical glitch Jacbuc - same thing happened to me when I was trying to copy and paste ,the copied extract kept appearing on the orginal thread .

[Scribble]

Would be interested to know what's going on with this now though!