at the end of our first year by John Bohane
“We see a lot more confidence in our students,” Ms Mason-Little says.
“Seeing an eight-year-old speak out in a school meeting is amazing. They might not have been able to do that at the start of the school year. We have a wide catchment area, as we are the only alternative non-denominational school in the area. We have also had two families relocate to this area to join the school. People want this choice for their children."
Getting the project off the ground required a lot of hard work, with a lack of funding a huge obstacle. Ms Mason-Little paid tribute to both the staff and the parents for their support in enabling the ambitious project.
“There was a lot of work behind the scenes and that is still ongoing,” Ms Mason-Little says. “One of our biggest challenges is if you don’t teach the curriculum, you don’t get any government funding. We had to self-fund the school. So much of it has been done on voluntary hours. A lot of goodwill has helped us pull it off this year. We have very supportive parents."
Onwards and Upwards! Thank you.