Saturday 8 June 2013

A secondary project based learning school that has got the go ahead.

A couple of weeks ago now, the Government published the list of free schools that have been accepted to pre-opening. It is really heartening to see some schools who have a similar ethos and vision to us on this list.

One school that we are really pleased to see get the go ahead is Xp School in Doncaster. It is great news that a school aiming to provided a personalised, project based learning environment for the secondary phase has been supported in this way. It gives us confidence in our own aims, both in finding like minded educators and in that the Government is open to supporting such innovation.

Their school's vision in their words,  from their website.


We believe that every school’s goal should be to prepare our children to be successful in the adult world.
To do this best, we believe that schools should be tightly integrated into the community, and be focused on creating academically rigorous, authentic experiences that bring our children closer to this goal.
In the USA, there are three particular organisations that have been practicing this for over a decade to astounding success. Their children are articulate and confident, and possess not only deep subject knowledge, but the wider skills and competencies needed to be successful in the 21st century.
XP.’s mission is to expedite this model of learning in the UK, and will do this by;
  • bringing like minded individuals and organisations together through a communication hub
  • organising events that allow us to learn the model and implement it in schools in the UK
  • opening XP. schools and effectively walking the walk as well as talking the talk.


I contacted the lead applicant, Gwyn ap Harri, and yet again, as with everyone I have met through the Free School process, found him to be generous with his time and advice. Below are some of his insights into the process and his personal motivations.


What inspired you to apply to open a free school?

My whole career has brought me to this point, whether it’s fate or serendipity, I don’t know. There’s been something driving me towards opening a world class school for many years now. When I saw High Tech High and the work Expeditionary Learning was doing in the states, I was overwhelmed with a moral imperative to take the chance now and do something about it.

Were you the main instigator? How did you build your team?

Yes. I’ve built teams all my life. I wasn’t the best footballer in school, but I was the captain. I’ve been in a number of bands, collecting like minded people and taking them along a journey. I guess I just declared I was going to do it, and pushed myself down the hill. People joined me, and we created a very strong team. It was obvious to anyone that we could do what we said, because as a team we were doing it day in day out. I just asked the right people, with a lot of passion and belief.

What are the most important aspects of your school to you?

That we will not falter or veer from the most important aspect of what education is all about. We will prepare our children to be successful in the adult world in the best way possible, by showing them how to be human beings. Everything else is important, the way we deliver the curriculum, the way we develop our teachers etc but it’s not as important as our children growing into beautiful human beings.

What did you find the hardest part of the process?

Getting our ideas on paper in the structure of the application in a way that anyone could understand it. I found it really hard that the first application is just on paper. I was sure that if we got to the interview, we would get it. Luckily, we got the interview!

What surprised you most about the process?

The help that the New Schools Network gave us with our application made our application a million times better. They guided us expertly towards making sure all our bases were covered. I was surprised at the quality and rigour of that help. They were excellent.

If you were to give one piece of advice to someone hoping to set up a free school what would it be?

Just be honest with yourself and make sure this is 100% what you want to do in your life. It’s not easy, and it shouldn’t just be a dream. You should want the reality of it. If you’re sure, you’ll get it because you’ll do everything you need to do.

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