Britain's most unique schools: Inside a UK school where pupils 'lead the way' - and pursue their own interests
Pupils can follow their passions in school projects - from democracy to poo 🚽
- A private school near Bath lets its pupils lead the way in the classroom
- They are able to pursue projects that interest them, with their teachers’ support
- Learners will even go on relevant school trips every term
Children are naturally curious about the world around them and how it all works.
But for one English independent school, this inherent curiosity forms the basis of its whole philosophy - and its teaching premise.
In a new series of special reports, our partner First News – the UK’s only newspaper specifically for young people – spoke with some of Britain’s most unique schools, from a West Midlands secondary school with its own animal centre, to a home education group based entirely outdoors. One of them was the Lumiar School near Bath, an independent school where the pupils lead the way in their own learning.
Lumiar was founded in 2017, but only became a full-time school in 2019. Inspired by a unique school model from Brazil, it is also based on a working farm, so that its young learners get to spend time around animals and learn about the food system. Here’s what else makes it unique:
How does a school day work?
As student Bobby told First News: “It’s not rigid here – things can change if our ideas change.” At its core, classes centre around pupils pursuing topics that they are passionate about, with teacher support to turn this interest into a fully-fledged project.
Every day at Lumiar is slightly different, the school says. Pupils might start with a group check-in, lead a teaching session to their class, learn from a visiting master who is sharing their skills or knowledge, learn about issues and questions that are important to them, or even try their hand at running their own podcast or business.
There are no traditional uniforms to be found either. The school asks pupils to come in comfy clothes and wellies. On Free Fridays, however, they can even come in pyjamas or dress-up. “It’s not unusual to spot a dinosaur onesie or festive pyjamas at Lumiar.”
Pupils will also generally play outside twice a day for 30 minutes, “whatever the weather”. That could mean den building, mud kitchens, pretend play in the school’s ‘Imagination Station’, tyre games, team sports, or chats in a cosy yurt.
Why is it run this way?
When asked why Lumiar is so different from traditional schools, staff responded: “Because we’re all different and we learn in different ways. Some children thrive when given the space to lead their own path.”
The school and its student body are united in a set of core principles; joy, unity, respect, exploration and responsibility. Pupils start each day with a daily pledge to remind everyone of these values.
These manifest in some interesting ways. Once a month, children will go on a Wellbeing Walk, “where they can ask questions and check in with one another”.
Its novel approach to teaching also sees pupils end up in some surprising places. Every term, they will take a trip every term linked to one of their projects – from 10 Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament during their Democracy Project, to exploring the National Poo Museum during their ‘All About Poo’ project.
This article is produced in partnership with First News, an award-winning newspaper for children read by 2.6 million each week. To find out more about getting First News at home or in your child’s school, or even to browse its other online offerings for young people, you can visit its website here.