Green Pages - Alternative Schools 🎒

At Frensham, there is an energy, a feeling of happiness and a surprising calmness. It comes from all the children being comfortable in their own skins. With no prefects or head boys and girls, everyone is on a level playing field. They can be who they are. Teachers don’t spend time telling students to pull up their socks; instead, they have conversations, inspire passion and teach creatively. It is a refreshingly different environment which you need to experience first-hand.

WHERE: Farnham, Surrey
AGES: 3-18
TEL: 01252 792561 

Annan School is a unique and inspiring school in a beautiful woodland setting. A Froebelian ethos puts children at the centre of learning and helps them develop as confident, thoughtful learners who are happy, curious, and have empathy and responsibility towards each other and the world around them. At Annan, learning is hands on. Their creative curriculum encourages children to explore in a connected and meaningful way, to challenge themselves and take risks. The natural world shapes school days, every child has a forest school session each week. This close relationship with nature impacts on children’s wellbeing and means children have an excellent knowledge and understanding of the world around them.
“A school that truly is a hidden gem and a very special place,” Parent

WHERE: Uckfield, East Sussex
AGES: 2-11
TEL: 01825 841410

Embark on an educational adventure with The Outdoor Learning Company and Embers Learning Community. Rooted in an Authentic Forest School Approach, they offer outdoor experiences, including nursery, preschool, holiday clubs and home education groups in Dorset and Hampshire. Meanwhile, Embers caters to home-educated youth aged 5-14, providing an indoor self-directed learning community. Discover the perfect blend of outdoor exploration and indoor curiosity, where children can have fun, feel valued and empowered to become resilient, life long learners, equipped for the 21st century.

WHERE: Hampshire/Dorset
TEL: 07523 918580
AGES: 1-14

The New Forest Small School is an alternative, independent school in Lyndhurst, in the heart of the New Forest National Park. Since 1994, they’ve created a unique, child-centred environment where children can learn, thrive and grow within a community built on the principles of self-expression, creativity and compassion. They value play, time spent in the outdoors and an academic approach based on fostering children’s interest in and connection with the world around them. They currently offer 12 GCSE subjects.

WHERE: Lyndhurst, Hampshire
AGES: 3-16
TEL: 023 8028 4415

Inwoods Small School is a day school for primary - aged children. They are connected to Brockwood Park School, which was founded by educator philosopher, Jiddu Krishnamurti. Inwoods is situated on a beautiful two acre site in the woods and much of the learning happens outside in nature. They aim to provide an education that concerns the development of the whole child. Through the learning process they encourage the children to be sensitive and willing to question the world around them.

WHERE: Brockwood Park, Bramdean, Alresford, Hampshire
AGES: 4-11
TEL: 01962 771065

Situated in 40 acres of beautiful countryside within the South Downs National Park, this is a unique and uplifting school. Providing a holistic education for 70 students aged 14-19, from around 25 countries, Brockwood is co-educational and fully boarding. Its intentions are to nurture self-reflection, inquiry, appreciation of the natural world, and discovery of one’s own talent, in an atmosphere of creative energy. There are no grades, no comparison, and students create their own programme of studies that challenge and extend them. All meals are either vegetarian or vegan, some coming from the school’s organic garden, which students help run.

WHERE: Bramdean, Alresford, Hampshire
AGES: 14-19
TEL: 01962 771 744

As a provision of Ruskin Mill Trust, Freeman College offers exciting outdoor learning environments, utilising practical land and craft activities to support the development of work and life skills in young people with autism and learning difficulties. Alongside the urban environment of the college, there is a nine-acre biodynamic market garden at High Riggs. Students grow the produce used in the residential homes, in the Fusion Café and the canteen at Freeman College. Placements are offered on either a day or residential basis, for young people aged 16-25. We welcome visits by appointment.

WHERE: Freeman College in Sheffield
AGES: 16-25
FOUNDED: 2005
TEL: 0330 055 2653

Surrounded by forest, field and river, Nant-y-Cwm School in rural Pembrokeshire offers a rich environment for whole-being learning with head, heart and hands. With a deep understanding of child development from ages 3-14, the Steiner-Waldorf pedagogy nurtures creativity, critical thinking and curiosity in pupils; crucial skills in today’s information era. Within the small class sizes and extensive grounds, they offer a child-centred education that fosters a love of learning, emotional intelligence and a connection with the natural world. Students leave as confident, creative and morally capable young people able to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

WHERE: Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire
AGES: 3-14
TEL: 01437 563640