Question 1

What is a Sudbury School?

Accepted Answer

The first Sudbury School, the Sudbury Valley School, was founded in 1968 in Framingham, Massachussettes in the Sudbury Valley, by a college professor named Daniel Greenberg; who was troubled by his students lack of self-motivation. 
There are two Sudbury Schools already established in Ireland. Wicklow Democratic School has been running since September 2016 and Sligo Sudbury School has been open since September 2018. There are many other start-up groups hoping to open across the country. See https://democraticeducationie.wordpress.com/ for more information.

Please bare in mind that no two Sudbury schools are the same!
But generally speaking, Sudbury schools are based on (or follow the philosophy of) self-directed learning, freedom, responsibility, democratic principles and allow for free age-mixing. Sudbury schools do not follow a national curriculum and are usually for ages 5-18 years old.

The students and staff have an equal say in the rules and regulations of the school and as to what happens in any given day. These rules are made in a weekly meeting. At WCSS we use the word agreement rather than rule to point out that the community came to an agreement rather than a rule was imposed.

Sudbury schools work on trust and believe that each individual learns according to their own unique capabilities. At Sudbury, instead of teachers, there is ‘staff’ which support and enable the students to explore their own learning process and to connect and engage with the community.

Click the link for a video on self-directed learning.

Question 2

Why democratic?

Accepted Answer

A democratic process of running a school, allows all those involved, to be a part of its success and to experience the empowerment of being heard and taken seriously.
A democratic school environment protects the rights of all individuals in the school, empowers those involved and fosters a sense of purpose, belonging and competence. The Sudbury environment allows students the realisation of their talents and potential, and also cultivates leadership, problem-solving, goal setting, and self-responsibility.

Question 3

Is there a curriculum?

Accepted Answer

No. The Sudbury model is completely student-led and based on self-directed learning.
Staff are there to support the students in their undertakings and learning-processes, respecting their needs for time, structure and involvement.

Question 4

What ages can attend?

Accepted Answer

Children from 5 to 18 can attend West Cork Sudbury School. There are no grade or class levels. Older and younger students mix in any way that makes sense for them, often around shared interests. Through free age-mixing, young people's compassion and patience are challenged and developed. It also opens up room for flexible thinking and unique learning opportunities.

Question 5

How will children know what they like if they are not exposed to it (with classes, etc.)?"

Accepted Answer

We live in the information age, where knowledge is available at your fingertips. For this reason, when you can follow your interests exposure is not an issue. Furthermore, because students are free to explore and interact with students and adults of all ages all day long, they are exposed to a wide variety of topics, more than they would typically get in an environment where only one person is delivering the curriculum. Students in Sudbury schools don’t look at learning as a set of fixed subjects to be mastered. Instead they follow their curiosities and interests, which are not limited to a curriculum.
Please, also see our recommended resources for more information on that topic.

Question 6

How do children learn if there is no curriculum, and no one tells them what to do or learn?"

Accepted Answer

We believe everyone has unique abilities, instincs and self-determination which will be nurtured, supported and respected in our school. We believe students will flourish when given the space, resources and support to follow their passions at their own pace and in their own unique way. We believe children and teenagers should have the freedom to make choices, with an understanding of the responsibilities that this entails. That way they take ownership of their education, enabling them to become engaged, conscious and self-motivated members of their communities. In a world of accelerated change alternative models to traditional schooling are becoming more important and demanded. Our community will provide your child with the time and space to get back in touch with their own desire to learn without being told to do so. Sudbury schools foster a students’s internal motivation, which is a much more powerful driver to learning than external motivation.

Question 7

What if my child spends all day on the screens?

Accepted Answer

The Sudbury model involves trusting the individual’s process to learn and to self-regulate. It creates a community where needs are met; the need for social connection, inclusion and acceptance, trust, and having our voices exercised and heard on a regular basis. Sudbury schools create an environment where self-responsibility is learned. In taking an active part in their community students will experience that their actions matter. Furthermore, computers and gaming are very social activities in a community in which students engage with each other, learn from each other, and constantly problem-solve together.
Your child might spend all day on the screens, but Sudbury school students who gravitate towards screens seem to do so socially and seem to just have a knack for technology. They are learning. And they will see what is going on around them and they will have time to reflect on what they want for themselves in life. Keep in mind that a lot of jobs being advertised today did not exist ten years ago, and who knows what is ahead another ten years down the road, and computers play a vital role in this.
Please, also see our recommended resources for more information on that topic.

Question 8

What if my child just wants to play all day?

Accepted Answer

“Play is the highest form of research.” - Albert Einstein
We believe in the importance of play, and that through free age-mixing students may develop social skills. Most children show an intense need to play in their earliest years of development, at a time when they are learning the most, and at the fastest rate, than at any other point in their life. Not only do children make meaning and construct models of the world through play, they also practice their physical, intellectual, social, and emotional skills.
Students at Sudbury schools spend a lot of time playing. A common misconception is that play is mindless activity; It is not! Curiosity and play propel each other, they both involve exploration of the unknown. The means by which people advance is through investigation and manipulation of that which is not yet known and as such play is key to a human’s learning and understanding of their world.
Peter Gray (Ph.D.) is an evolutionary psychologist who's child was a student at the original Sudbury Valley School, where he became very interested in the importance of play and has since done extensive research on this topic.
For more info see: Play is Education & our Blog
Please, also see our recommended resources for more information on that topic.

West Cork Sudbury School

Re-imagining Education | Nurturing Cooperative Minds

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