Free to Educate
Although a time-consuming and lengthy project the advantage of undertaking a project like this is that you choose how you want to educate your child.
Ealing Based
I would like the school to be located somewhere in Ealing and preferably near to Ealing Broadway. Currently there are many schools within the area but none which are democratic.
Setting up a School
Setting up a school is a lengthy process and as a result we need volunteers to help this happen. If you are interested then below are the obstacles we need to negotiate.
Premises
It will be difficult to find suitable premises for a school as there are many rules and regulations to adhere to. The requirements of the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) must be taken into consideration if the project is to be registered as a school (which it must be if there are 5 or more full-time pupils).
Funding
Since schools like this are not subject to statutory funding there will have to be a concerted effort to raise funds initially and through an ongoing fund-raising scheme.
Teaching
Perhaps the most important factor in the school would be the recruitment of teachers. They would have to share the common principles of a democratic school and be able to provide the support and encouragement needed. Furthermore, they must be willing to work for less then a state school teacher because of funding constraints
Parents
We will have to find enough parents that share our ideas and that are able to afford the fees. Although we believe that a school like this should be free, it will be very difficult to do this unless we have funding from the government.