Reboot Education with Self Directed Learning

Hello from Sligo Sudbury School!

One of the features that makes self-directed education so appealing to young people is that they have the freedom to enjoy their learning anywhere, within or outside of the school grounds and buildings. Lorcan Southcombe is one of the students who enjoys this freedom at Sligo Sudbury School. He is U16 national Irish surf champion and is very passionate about his sport, taking every opportunity to practice and hone his skill. Staff and students alike are inspired by his self determination, his discipline and dedication, and his success. See him in action @lorcansouthcombe 

When not surfing, Lorcan is an avid drummer and all round musician. His sense of purpose and his commitment to his goals are fully supported by the democratic self-directed model of education.

We continue striving to provide a stable, stimulating, and self-governing environment where all children can grow and learn. Enrolments have grown and are now a community of 71 students and 10 staff members, with 3 new staff joining us in September 2021 and another in January 2022. We have reached the point where we are starting to think about how best to develop our site and school buildings so that we can continue to accept enrolments in the coming years. An additional parcel of land adjacent to our school site has been purchased and discussions with the school community are in progress to develop our vision together. We will keep you posted on our progress. 

The students are embracing the responsibilities and the joys of self-governance. Initiatives over the past few months have included 

• Taking part in a "Sleep Out" raising over $2,000 to support the work of local homeless charity NorthWest Simon Community
• Creating a Pop up Cafe serving a monthly "banquet on a budget". Food is vegetarian and inspired by culinary traditions from around the world. 
• Building a tree house and a go-cart using wood and recycled materials
• Performing a Toy Theatre production in the style of Victorian paper theatre 
• Participating in the Primary Schools Science Fair at IT Sligo
• Mastering Olympic Handball - we have a newly formed team
• and much much more

Thank you for helping us to make Democratic, Self-Directed Education a reality that we can all aspire to. 

Links:

• Newspaper article in The Sligo Champion, November 2021