Obi Thornhill Fund
The fund helps bright and curious kids to thrive outside of mainstream education.
In honour and memory of
Obi Thornhill, who spent three happy years at WCSS and passed away suddenly and much too soon in November 2024.
Obi Finn Thornhill
Obi loved helping others,
taking care of all creatures & the world around him and had an insatiable appetite for history.
He would be delighted to know that his legacy will continue in this way.
Your Donation will go a long way towards...
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...helping families who need to avail of alternative education to access democratic, self-directed education.
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...expanding our school with more dedicated support staff.
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...funding our ever-expanding assistive educational tools and equipment, providing nourishing learning environments for everyone.
Every donation, makes a significant difference.
One-time Donation
Subscription
Subscribe for €25/month via PayPal with your PayPal account
or
Debit/Credit Card
Other ways to make a donation:
You can use our IBAN to make a direct bank transfer or post a cheque to:
West Cork Sudbury School
Millbeg
Coomhola
Bantry, Co. Cork
P75 DD76
IBAN: IE92BOFI90260240390736
Bank of Ireland, Skibbereen
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Please reach out with any question or instructions via email to office@westcorksudburyschool.ie
Why is such a fund necessary?
West Cork Sudbury School (WCSS) is an independent, democratic school where students direct their own education. Because our students learn self-directed according to their interests and their own pace, they are excluded from educational state disability supports, even when the need is clear. Many families choose WCSS precisely because mainstream schooling cannot accommodate their children, leaving them without financial or educational support.
And even though Article 42 of the Irish Constitution says that: ”The State acknowledges that the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family and guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children.” - the money allocated by the government for each student does not follow the child.
This leaves families with different needs and wishes outside the mainstream educational system, which is not suitable for everyone, with no support and to fend for themselves.
A parent's story...
“Due to low muscle tone, my son cannot write without pain. After years of occupational therapy, we learned touch-typing and voice-to-text tools could help, but because WCSS provides education outside the mainstream educational system, we can’t access grants for a laptop. That’s why funds like this are so important: so kids like him get the same opportunities as students in every other school.
WCSS is a place where he feels he can be without any of the obstacles of his previous school. He can learn what he cares about at his own pace. He can wear what he wants to, move about at his own free will, choose the best environment or activity to suit his feelings. It has been a continuously positive experience for him and for me as his parent. He is never an early riser but he wants to go to school now every day."
Breaking the Cycle
Most of us know someone who struggled in mainstream education, often neurodivergent learners (dyslexic, ADHD, autistic, etc.). These children fall through the gaps: too often their needs are deemed "too high" for mainstream classes but "not high enough" for special education. WCSS is their only alternative, yet there’s no government funding for those kids, leaving their family with higher expenses for already more vulnerable children.
Every child deserves learning environments that they can thrive in!
Let’s close the gap together.
For more Information...
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Call Jess on 086 303 1116 or
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Email Kathrin and arrange a call back!
We will be happy to discuss unique donation opportunities with you and help you with the process.
Please note, our phone is often unattended, so please do leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
More Questions? Please visit our FAQs for Donors.
We will acknowledge every donation in the most appropriate way.
If the donor prefers, we can ensure that the donation will remain anonymous.