Alternative Education

Asynchronous Democratic Schools findings.

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 21:12:30 GMT

by Sophie Bailey.

Hi guys,

Please post your findings here and any links to useful research for other students to explore too.

Thanks

Sophie

Alternative Education

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 17:52:44 GMT

by Ellie Cobley.

Alternative Schools:- Brockwood Park

1. Educational philosophy - learning to live and understanding self - worth, as well as the encouragement of first hand experiences in whatever subjects the pupils may pursue.

2. Does the school offer opportunities for formal exams? - ALevels and IGCSE exams are offered but are not compulsory, this school believes that while examinations are important, the success offered from these (academic) must not be confused with excellence.

3. To what extent could this educational philosophy be implemented in mainstream schools? - I believe that this educational philosophy can be implemented to a significant extent in mainstream schools as it still offers the options of the usual subject choices that are offered in mainstream schools but want to encourage children to learn these topics through experience which I believe can be done, the lesson plans can be adapted so that children learn experientially whilst also sticking to the curriculum.

4. What educational theories are utilised in the setting? - Montessori as children have an environment that facilitates their learning, Dewey as the children are learning through their experiences rather than learning only through the typical classroom learning environment.

Alternative Schools:- Summerhill

1. Educational philosophy - Encourage children to live their own lives and make their own decisions, parents only receive progress reports with the child's permission - children have a significant role in their education.

2. Does the school offer opportunities for formal exams? - GCSEs are offered.

3. To what extend could this educational philosophy be implemented in mainstream school settings? - Whilst I would like to believe that this educational philosophy could be implemented vastly into mainstream settings (I think the idea of play being as important as 'formal lessons' is a forward thinking approach which allows us to observe the child and their abilities outside of the classroom) I do not think it could be implemented to a high degree in mainstream settings because the curriculum is rigid in the regard that learning has always been taught as being in the classroom. I also do not think that children, as it stands now, have this much of a role in their education because there is a set curriculum in mainstream schools which focuses on the roles of the parents and teachers in the child's education (more so than the child, especially when they are younger). Furthermore, the ideas that there is one - to - one learning and children are able to choose when they attend school will not work for mainstream schools are there are many pupils to a class there is not much time for one - to - one sessions available and children are encouraged by schools (mainstream) to attend as often as they can, if their attendance reaches below a certain percentage the parents of the child have a phone call from the school explaining why the child should be in school. However, I do see that the forest schools options offered are also offered in many mainstream schools.

What educational theories are utilised in the setting? - Montessori as the school environment caters to the wants and needs of the child's individual learning.

Alternative school settings

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 12:23:43 GMT

by Declan Milton-Harris.

1) Montessori schools are built on the philosophy of creativity and exploration within and out of the classroom. Children of mixed ages learn together and can move freely in the classroom. There is a large emphasis of working with natural materials and working at their own pace when completing activities. Drama and sport tend to be the only whole class/school learning activities. This encourages exploration and experiential learning to facilitate the child's learning.

Steiner-Waldorf schools are similar where their principles of creativity and child-lead learning is at the forefront of the school's philosophy. There is a high focus on the arts (drama, knitting, music, painting etc) to develop a creative mindset. Although, in these schools there is a more balanced approach between practical and academic disciplines after the age of 7. 2 hours a day of academic subjects for 3-4 weeks, then the rest is fuelled by child lead learning. There is no Headteacher or hierarchy formed within the schools to promote a collaborative environment. over 29 schools in the UK adopt this approach.

2) However, during the latter stages of primary Montessori schools and secondary Montessori schools, the learning becomes more curriculum based but there are no fixed lesson times or formative assessment. The child can opt to take a limited range of GCSE's that relate to their learning.

Similarly, Steiner Waldorf schools have no formative assessments until mock GCSE's, where they encourage children to take these exams. However they are not the be all and end all.

3) Both of these approaches could be easily implemented within many foundation phase settings, as skills such as; risk taking, resilience, teamworking, intuition are all developing simultaneously to; literacy, numeracy etc. However, it would be more difficult to implement these approaches into a secondary school environment as there is a heavy focus on formative assessment where children must learn specific subjects. I believe these approaches are more beneficial to encourage learning and development in various disciplines, as opposed to learning specific subjects and using exams.

4) Many if not all theoretical perspectives of education are being utilised throughout these schools. Vygotsky can be seen in the mixed aged classrooms of montessori schools, as the older peers scaffold the younger peers. Dewey is also seen in these schools through real life and experiential learning using natural objects and having the opportunity to explore.

In Steiner-Waldorf schools, Gardner's multiple intelligences is seen through learning in various forms of the arts, this develops the learner physically, cognitively and emotionally. Piaget can be seen through constructivism, where students learn by doing and kinaesthetic learning.

These are some of the theorists that can be seen within these school environments, however there are many more relatable theories that can be seen in both schools. I would not argue the fact that one school is better than the other, however I believe these approaches can be introduced into the foundation phase to give more opportunity for the learner to develop.