Last weekend the WCSS Team attended the inaugural Democratic Education Ireland conference, hosted by the Wicklow and Sligo Sudbury schools. ​ The conference was attended by staff and students from these two schools, as well as staff from the Oak Sudbury in Middelton, and members of the core groups of a further five school start-ups. ​ This is a great affirmation of the strength in this movement, that Ireland has gone from two to eight schools in 2 years, and just how much demand there is for an educational alternative. One of the objectives of the weekend was to bring the schools together for support and solidarity in the work they are doing, and to learn from the experience of the schools that are already open.