A SCHOOL in County Sligo is letting kids take control of their education, and the initiative is proving a big hit with parents and schoolchildren alike.
The Sudbury School in Calry, County Sligo, opened its doors for the first time last year and enrolled 15 students.
Now, with the school ready to begin its second academic year, its students have more than doubled.
32 children between the ages of 5 to 18 will take advantage of the school’s autonomous approach.
Students can begin their morning at any time between 8.30am to 10.30am and can choose to leave between 2.30pm and 4.30pm. They decide the structure of the day by themselves, and activities range from playing sports, climbing trees, researching online or even—God forbid-- doing schoolwork.
The unique education system has drawn families to the small village from across Ireland, and this year parents have relocated from countries such as Malta, Portugal, England, Scotland and Germany, according to The Independent.
The school's values are based around "freedom, trust, respect and responsibility."
"We trust in children’s innate capacity to learn through their very own voyage of discovery and we respect their choices and rights as whole individuals."
"They learn themselves about their own strengths and weaknesses and about making their own decisions. They all learn at their own pace."
Whether or not you agree with the structure of the self-directive education, you have to admit that as a child you’d give anything to go to this school.
And if you think your children would flourish with this type of autonomy, you can read about enrollment here.
