Government funded free schools still have to subscribe to standardised testing and performance measures, which skew teaching and learning to the test. To innovate and create a system that works for everyone, we need to step outside the current outcomes framework.
As an independent school, we could charge fees, but we don’t believe income should be a barrier to a better education.
Instead we’re thinking outside the box.
‘Community’ is one of our principles, so we are always keen to create meaningful partnerships with local businesses and individuals who believe in our vision and want to give young people the opportunity to realise their true potential. Find out more.
Stage 1
We have operated a charity fundraising model for the first 5 years, whilst we developed our model and understood our outcomes.
Stage 2
We are building a range of partners including public and private sector funding, that enable us to grow and scale our model.
Stage 3
Our five to ten year strategy is understand the outcomes that are achievable across multiple sites and local authorities.
Our impact
The current focus on standardised testing, progress 8 scores and value added, skews teaching and learning to the test, cuts creativity, and marginalises far too many young people who find themselves as a square peg in a round hole.
We believe we should be accountable. We believe we need to self-evaluate our offer to young people. But we believe that to include every young person in education, to celebrate diversity and to give young people a voice, we need to focus outcomes on what we value in education.
Education should support young people to develop a sense of agency – the ability to have a goal and a sense of purpose, and the basic skills and belief to articulate that goal.
So that is what we measure.