Consultation on a new primary schoolHave your say on the proposals

What is proposed?We are proposing to open a two-form entry primaryschool offering places from ages 4-11. In time we alsohave a vision to locate a nursery sharing our vision andvalues on the site. From September 2012 we hope toopen with up to 40 reception and 20 year 1-2 placesrising to 420 pupils by 2019. However, based ondemand and the availability of suitable accommodation,we may be able to accept children in higher years.

Where?We intend to open our school on a site on VictoriaRoad1, in Harpenden town centre2. This will require the renovation of an existing Victorian school building,which will be ready for the school to occupy in 2013/4for the school. The school will initially open in localtemporary accommodation.

How can I get involved?Harpenden Free School Trust wishes to ensure that thecommunity supports our proposals for the new school. Allyour views and contributions will be taken into accountbefore any decision about whether to proceed with theproposed free school is made and a FundingAgreement is reached between the Department forEducation (DfE) and the Trust. This consultation isbeing conducted by Harpenden Free SchoolTrust, as the organisation that would be legallyresponsible for operating Harpenden FreeSchool if approved by the Secretary of State.A questionnaire accompanies this bookletso that you can make your views known. Thequestionnaire can be found via our websiteat www.harpendenfreeschool.org.uk

Following the consultation period, the Trust willcompile a balanced report describing the outcome ofthe consultation, which will be submitted to the DfE forthe Secretary of State to consider. We will publish a copyof this report on our website by 1st August 2012.

Further details on how to participate can be found insection 10 of this document. The consultation periodcloses at 5pm on Monday 23rd July 2012.

1Subject to concluding successful commercial negotiations with Hertfordshire County

Council and gaining consent from the relevant planning authorities.

2Harpenden AL5 4EN

This booklet provides details onthe proposals to open a newFree School in Harpenden.

1

Foreword

Welcome to the Harpenden Free SchoolOver the past year we’ve been on an incredible journey.We’ve had to translate our dreams and ideals into acoherent plan for how a school could realisticallyoperate, build a consortium of organisations andprofessionals who share our vision, develop local supportfrom parents and other stakeholders and finallypersuade the Government that we have the drive,determination and capability to turn our ideas into realityand open a new school this year. It’s been more excitingand challenging than any of us could have imagined.

So far, so good. In October last year, the Secretary ofState formally approved our application to open theHarpenden Free School. This could not have beenpossible without the generous help and infectiousenthusiasm of local parents, carers and families. Wewant to thank everyone who has been involved so far foryour support and backing in helping us get to this stage.

We are committed to the opening of what we believe isa unique new Primary Free School in the heart of vibrantHertfordshire. This will be a school in which children areactively engaged in the design and delivery of their owneducation and the way the school is run. A school at theheart of the local community, which championsvolunteering and social action. A school which harveststhe wisdom and experience of teachers and otherprofessionals to create the best possible environment forchildren to thrive.

It is vital that the completed school best represents the hopes and ambitions of the local community. A commitment to creating a broad and diversecommunity that extends well beyond the school gates isa key aspect of the school’s ethos, and one of the mainreasons why we are so passionate about wanting to setup a new school. So we want to ensure that the schoolbenefits from the input of the local community from thevery outset.

We are now beginning a period of formal consultationon our proposals. As part of this consultation process wewant to hear from as many people in the localcommunity as possible – parents, students and the widercommunity – about how we can work together to makethe school a success. Your input is valued andappreciated so please get involved.

Adam NicholsChair, Harpenden Free School Trust

What is the Harpenden Free School Trust?The Harpenden Free School Trust was formedfrom the coming together of three organisations

– youth leadership charity, Changemakers, the

owner and headteacher of Artisans Montessori

Kindergarten and public services provider,Isledon Partnership - all committed to enabling

young people to reach their full potential. We are

a not-for-profit organisation created for thepurpose of opening and running the school.

2

Everybody learnsAll schools are institutions of learning, but webelieve that many are not ‘learningorganisations’ – in other words, they don’tcontinuously develop through building on whatthey have already learnt. At Harpenden FreeSchool everyone will learn: it will be a placewhere it is safe to make mistakes, to experimentand then use these experiences to grow better.Staff will be role models, valuing their ownpersonal and professional development, therebystrengthening the school’s learning ethos. All staffand students will maintain their own personaldevelopment portfolio and regular opportunitiesfor reflection and review will be built into theschool day. We will also provide opportunities forparental and community learning.

What are the vision, mission andethos for the new school?Our vision is that all children leave primary school at theage of 11 as the independent, resilient, curious, problemsolving leaders of tomorrow, with a confident andoptimistic outlook on life.

Our mission is to deliver an outstanding primaryeducation for children in Harpenden and thesurrounding area.

Our ethos will consist of five distinctive characteristics:

A broad, balanced and

flexible curriculum

Harpenden Free School will follow the national

curriculum, which we believe provides an

effective, tried and tested framework for learning.

There will be a particularly strong focus on

numeracy and literacy; mastery of which is the

gateway to success in all other subject areas

.

However, we will adopt a very flexible approach

to delivery with a strong emphasis on topic

based learning, vertical grouping acro

ss different

years when appropriate, variable class sizes to

suit different needs and the use of exte

rnal

experts delivering curriculum content alongside

teachers. We will engage in lots of experiential

learning, using the outside world to full

advantage; we will have flexible timetables

responsive to children’s needs on each

occasion; we will have a strong emphasis on

using the medium of the Arts in learning. In this

way we will ensure that all learning styles, and the

needs of every child, are met.

A unique ethosWe believe that the most meaningful and effectiveeducation happens when children have the opportunityto lead their own learning.

Our conviction is based on the 17-year track record ofChangemakers in unlocking young people’s leadershippotential, and the proven success of the Montessoriapproach around the world for over a century. Bothhave been proven to raise standards, improveattainment and enhance life outcomes for children and young people.

By bringing together these complimentary child-ledpedagogies, we will create a truly unique ethos, whichwill instil the joy of learning, discovery and individuality inevery child.

There is no other school like this in the country, andparents in Harpenden have signalled in large numbersthat they would love their children to have theopportunity to be educated in this way.

What will the Free Schoolbring to Harpenden?

3

CommunityA commitment to creating a broad and diversecommunity that extends well beyond the schoolgates is a key aspect of the Harpenden FreeSchool ethos. Pupils will be encouraged andsupported to develop their own communityprojects, both within and outside the school. Wewill run a weekly assembly open to the localcommunity. Volunteering by parents andmembers of the local community will be anintegral aspect of delivering the curriculum andother functions. The school will be a resource forthe whole community and we will make thebuilding available to local communityorganisations. In particular we would look toshare our external enquiry/sports facilities withlocal schools. Children will develop anappreciation of the school community, the local,national and worldwide communities and howthey can show responsibility and gratitude withinthem; making school and life seamless.

Children lead the learningWe believe that children learn best when theyare enabled to lead their own educationaljourney. Harpenden Free School will thereforefoster children’s active curiosity andengagement in the design and delivery of theirown learning, in which they will become theirown experts. They will be encouraged togradually take an increasing lead in the planningand delivery of their learning experiences, as wellas helping to shape the way the school is run.Our staff will be coaches and facilitators of thisprocess, supporting and challengingappropriately whilst maintaining a culture ofnatural collaboration between children andadults in the school. Education is fascinatingwhen it explores what you love and teaching is

uplifting when it is purposeful and challenging.

Instilling the joy

of learning,

discovery and in

dividuality in

every child

Harpenden Free S

chool will have a very

distinctive approa

ch to learning, which will be

strongly influence

d by Montessori ethos an

d

pedagogy. Our appro

ach has respect f

or every

individual child at

its heart and from

this vital

foundation builds k

nowledge by concret

e

experience of co

ncepts through m

ultisensory

approaches. Ther

e will be a particularl

y strong

focus on enquiry,

respect for the in

dividual,

grace and courte

sy, outside learnin

g and the

environment and

physical learning.

Children will

have opportunitie

s to select topics o

f fascination

for them through

which teachers will facilita

te the

opportunities to ac

quire learning skill

s and

knowledge. An emphasis on

holistic

development will allow every ch

ild to be

independent, ha

ppy, confident an

d successful

by understanding

the interplay of th

eir own

place in the world with the pl

aces of others.

Learning will be irres

istible to every ch

ild each

for their own reason

.

4

Changemakers has over 18 years’ experience of workingwith schools to support organisational development,build the capacity of teachers and deliver curriculumcontent directly to young people.

Changemakers was instrumental in the introduction ofenterprise and citizenship education in schools, and hasadvised the Rose Review of the Primary Curriculum, theTomlinson Review of 14-19 Education and thedevelopment of the government’s new National CitizenService programme for school leavers.

Artisans Kindergarten is a thriving and over subscribednursery provision in Harpenden. Set up in 2007 it is one ofthe top five percent of provisions in the country basedon its latest Ofsted report. Artisans uniquely combines thebest of Montessori principles with the best of mainstreameducation, preparing children for a successful andhappy journey in education and for a positive andfulfilling outlook in life.

Isledon Partnership, through Aquaterra Leisure, manageseight public leisure facilities in Islington and seven in Bath & North East Somerset in partnership with the twolocal authorities. It also works beyond the leisure centres, in partnership with primary care trusts, housingassociations, other not-for-profit organisations andcouncils, to bring the benefits and fun to be had fromphysical activity to as many community venues, parksand play areas as possible.

Who are the organisations that make upthe Harpenden Free School Trust?

5

Harpenden Free School will deliver the nationalcurriculum through a child led ethos and pedagogy,strongly influenced by the Montessori approach.

We aim to build in common sense approaches basedon ‘what works’, drawing on the extensive professionalexperience and expertise of our founders and theoutstanding teachers we will recruit.

We seek to create an educational and spiritual culturethat fosters the natural curiosity of a child to make senseof the world they live in and expand their own horizons.To do this the ethos of the school will be built and evolvearound the views and interests of the children, guided bythe wisdom and experience of the adults.

Children will be trusted to be responsible for themselvesfrom the outset. The journey they have made from ababe in arms to a child able to communicate, movewith precision and control, stay clean and support theirown well being, before they even step through the doorsof our school is testament to the phenomenal ability of achild to learn and to orchestrate their own development.

In a world where we are bombarded by information wewill spend the Early Years equipping children with anability to concentrate their focus, to select relevantinformation and most importantly to be able to find thepositive aspects of all situations. As children grow in theiraptitudes and confidence we will continue toencourage curiosity and the asking of questions.

We will follow an experience-based learning approachthroughout the school enabling children to contextualisetheir knowledge from the outset and to identify the nextquestion to ask. This will allow children independenceand a sense of ownership in their own learning journey,which will in turn develop their sense of responsibility.

The combination of freedom and responsibility will meanchildren’s spiritual and moral development can benurtured to produce relaxed and confident individualswho are able to respect others and themselves.

It is our view that all children have special educationalneeds unique to them and to their stage ofdevelopment. We recognise in some cases these needsrequire additional support to enable the children tomove to the next stage of development. Additionalsupport may be to help children reach the expectednorms for their age or because they have progressedbeyond expected norms. We will follow the Code OfPractice for Special Educational Needs, whichrecommends gradual changes to the environment andactivities for the benefit of the children. The progress ofall children will be regularly observed, monitored andrecorded in accordance with our policies.

Harpenden Free School will deliver a collaborativeeducation that is a living model of its own beliefs andvalues. It will be a place where development is valued in itself, whatever the skill. In so doing it will make theexpansion of self the ultimate goal, for every child,member of staff and for the school itself as a communitywhich embraces and reaches out to others. This will bean active, engaged education that grounds itself in themundane and awesome realities of life. Childhood will be respected as childhood and the incredibleperception of children and their aptitude to learn will be cornerstones to the whole school ethos.

What sort of education will the school offer?

6

Our admissions process is based on three key principles:

• ETHOS: Harpenden Free School has a very distinctive ethos, which is different to other localschools. We want to encourage applications fromparents and children who believe in this ethos.Equally, we recognise that it may not be suitable ordesirable for others.

• DIVERSITY: We want to create a diverse intake, whichreflects the overall demographics of the Harpendenarea. We are therefore offering an extendedcatchment area to prevent the ‘doughnut effect’,which sees property prices rising around popularschools, making places unaffordable for manyfamilies. To buck this trend, we will allocate aproportion of places to children eligible for freeschool meals and not base our admissions policysolely on geographical proximity to the school.

• COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT: Harpenden FreeSchool will place a strong emphasis on localcommunity engagement and will also be a greenschool. We will therefore draw at least half of ourpupils from within a reasonable walking or cycling distance from the school.

Harpenden Free School invites applications from allparents and carers for their children, regardless of

background, ability or educational needs. If we receivemore applications than there are places, we will selectour pupils on the basis of the following criteria:

• We will first accept applications from looked afterchildren and children with statements of specialeducational needs who express a preference forHarpenden Free School.

• Up to 25 percent of places will be offered to childrenwho are entitled to free school meals and live withinthe Harpenden town parish boundary.

• Half of the remaining places will be allocated tochildren who live in the Harpenden Town parish and50 percent will be allocated to children withoutreference to their home address.

If we receive more applications than places fromchildren who meet the above criteria, we will prioritisesiblings of children who already have a place. If we stillhave too many applications, we will ask the countycouncil admissions team to draw lots in a randomselection process to ensure a fair, unbiased andtransparent allocation of places in the proportionsoutlined above. For further information on admissions,please see the complete Harpenden Free SchoolAdmissions Policy available on our website atwww.harpendenfreeschool.org.uk

A commitment to creating a broad and diversecommunity that extends well beyond the school gates is a key aspect of the school, and one of the mainreasons why we are so passionate about wanting to setup a new school.

Changemakers has been instrumental in thedevelopment of the extended services and community action agendas at a national level over the past decade or more. We intend to utilise thisexperience to make the Harpenden Free School a truecommunity hub.

How our school will enrich the local community

What is the admissions policy?

How will the community be involved in the school?

Community assembly

We will run a weekly community assembly. As well

as providing pupils and staff with the opportunity

to review the week. We will also open this event

up to the local community.

A group of representatives from Changemakers

recently visited Bangladesh where such

community gatherings are commonplace. They

suggested that we should try to incorporate this

idea in this country as a mechanism to promote

community cohesion.7

How the local communitywill enrich our school

Community learningA central tenet of the school’s ethos will be‘Everybody Learns’ and this won’t be limited topupils and staff. We want the school to be alearning resource for the whole community and

will provide opportunities for training, education

and workshops in the evenings and at weekends.

We will also create opportunities for members of

the local community to come and take part inlessons where this is appropriate and feasible.We see this as a great opportunity to foster

intergenerational understanding and willencourage pupils to be the teachers in these sessions.

The school building as a

community resource

Harpenden has an active and

local community

sector, from theatre and music to the Women’s

Institute. As is often the case, th

ere is a scarcity of

places for these groups to meet. We will make

the school building available a

nd encourage

these groups to engage with pupils and st

aff at

the school. In particular we would look to sha

re

our external facilities with local school

s.

Taking the school out into the local communityWe will take the school out into the localcommunity. For example, by actively engaging inlocal events such as Harpenden Carnival,Harpenden Common Discovery Day, the St AlbansFestival and the Hertfordshire. County Show.

Pupil-led community projects will also give the school a strong presence in the local community.

VolunteeringVolunteering will be a strong feature of theschool. Volunteering by parents and members of the local community will be built into ourresourcing model and will be an integral aspect

of delivering the curriculum and other functions.We believe this offers fantastic opportunities for abroad and rich curriculum with a wide variety ofperspectives. Changemakers has placed over12,000 people into volunteering opportunitiesover the past year and has unrivalled expertise in this area.

Parent and carer interests and expertise will beidentified at pupil admission and they will beencouraged to contribute as much as possibleduring their child’s time at Harpenden FreeSchool. The school will operate a timebankingsystem – the first in the country to do this. Pupils,teachers, parents and members of thecommunity will be able to earn credits towardsschool competitions, products and services foreach hour they give, for example the hire of the

school hall for a child’s party or produce from an allotment.

School curriculum

As outlined above, ‘com

munity’ will be a strong

theme running through the e

ntire school

curriculum. There will be a focused community

session on Friday afterno

ons, as well as cross-

curricular approaches.

8

Our team brings together a diverse range of individuals with extensiveexpertise and experience from the education sector and other fields.

Loic Menzies

Loic is Director of LKMCo, a Tutor at Canterbury Christ Church University

Faculty of

Education and a trustee of Changemakers. He was previously As

sociate Senior

Manager and Head of History an

d Social Sciences at St. George’s R.C. School in

North West London, the country’s fifth m

ost improved secondary school in 200

9. Loic

holds a degree in Politics, Philoso

phy and Economics from Magdalen College

Oxford and is a graduate of Teac

h First. He has recently co-autho

red “The Six

Predictable Failures of Free Scho

ols… and how to avoid them”, drawing on the

seminal research of US academic, Seymour Sarason.

What expertise and experience do the team members bring?

Adam NicholsAdam has been Chief Executive of Changemakers for the past seven years,overseeing a five-fold increase in the organisation’s scale and scope and becominga prominent and widely respected speaker, writer and influencer on education andyouth policy. He has helped to shape many of the key educational developments ofrecent years including the introduction of the citizenship and enterprise curricula inschools and the Government’s new National Citizen Service programme, as well asadvising the current and previous Prime Ministers on education and youth policy. In2009, Adam was appointed by the Schools Minister to the Council of the GeneralTeaching Council for England. His daughter has recently started primary school.

Jonathan GibbsAfter an initial 20-year career in the BBC that covered radio, television post-production and composing music at the Radiophonic Workshop, Jonathanbecame Chief Executive of Aquaterra Leisure in 2004. There he worked with localauthorities and primary care trusts across England to develop new services andpromote healthy lifestyles. In 2010, Jonathan set up Isledon Partnership to extend thecompany’s range outside the leisure and health sectors to include libraries, theatres,and working with young people.

Ruth Martin

Ruth is the owner and Head Teacher of the Artisans Montessori Kindergarten

, which

she established in Harpenden in 2007. Hav

ing gained an MA in Philosophy and

Theology from Oxford University, she went on to gain QTS and quickly became

responsible for many aspects of whole school policy as well as a designated

teacher for safeguarding. Ruth has 13 years

of experience in teaching and has

taught every age group in the primary phase. She has w

orked with the Childline

schools project, Links and holds a BSC Hons in Psychology, w

hich includes a year on

child development. Ruth has four primary school age childr

en.

9

My name is Kate Watsonand I am delighted to havebeen appointed as the firstDirector of Learning atHarpenden Free Schoolhaving worked voluntarily withthe HFS team since October2011. When I first read theschools website I wasovercome with excitementthat I had finally found myideal school – an inspiring

ethos and also the opportunity to help shape something new and innovative.

I taught for several years in Lambeth where I initiated andled a variety of community-based learning projects,linking with local museums, sports facilities,environmental groups and the Local EducationalAuthority. The aim of all these projects was to providechildren with meaningful and relevant learning journeysbased on their own experiences and interests. I believein children leading their own, purposeful learning anddeveloping life skills such as independence,boundlessness, and self esteem. The Harpenden FreeSchool vision of a child led, community based learningenvironment therefore fills me with joy and excitement.

I was privileged to be part of the Government’s Fast Track leadership programme for five years, as well asparticipating in a Leadership Pathways programme, both

of which helped shape my collaborative leadership styleand my passion for developing children, adults andmyself as reflective and independent learners and mydesire to nurture, support and challenge each individualmember of the school community. I believe strongly inHarpenden Free School’s vision of sharing best practicewithin and between schools and the community andlook forward to addressing this challenge in setting upour school.

I am passionate about the importance of healthy living -physical, emotional, spiritual and mental wellbeing - andthis is at the core of my teaching, leadership andparenting style.

Prior to becoming a teacher, I spent three years trainingand qualifying as a chartered accountant, a role whichoffered me significant financial, managerial, andleadership experience.

I am married to Phil and have two young children, Lottieand Evie. I moved to Harpenden in August 2011 havingpreviously lived in South London and San Francisco. Ilove yoga, open water swimming, being outdoors andcake baking.

I look forward to working with you all in the coming months and years to create an outstanding,inspiring school for children, staff, parents and the wider community!

We will be writing and talking to a wide range of localstakeholders to involve them in the consultation process.

We have arranged a series of public meetings to take place during the consultation period. These will be held on:

• Tuesday 3rd July 7-9pm at the Royal British Legion, Leyton Road

• Friday 6th July 2-4pm, Park Hall, Leyton Road

• Friday 13th July 10am-12pmPark Hall, Leyton Road

Everyone is invited to attend. You can also give your views on the proposals in writing, or by e-mail. All written views will be independently recorded, but may be edited for inclusion in any final report submitted to the DfE.

You may wish to go online and complete the questionnaire via our website atwww.harpendenfreeschool.org.uk. Alternatively, youcan use the questionnaire that accompanies thisdocument and e-mail or post it to us at:

Email: matthew@harpendenfreeschool.org.uk

Post: The Old Cottage83 New Mill EndEast HydeBeds LU1 3TS

An Introduction to Kate Watson - Director ofLearning, Harpenden Free School

How do I get involved?

Please complete a questionnaire or send commentsby 5pm on Monday 23rd July 2012.

10

Published by: The Harpenden Free School Ltd

Company address: 155 Bearton RoadHitchinHertfordshire SG5 1UA

Company reg. no: 07649122