Learn How to Set Up a School or Learning Community
Break free from the overwhelm and journey with us to create a nurturing community where young people can thrive
Setting up a school or learning community is a wonderful, exciting and rewarding adventure, but at times it can feel overwhelming.
Join our membership community to learn from experts who have been there and done it, and to access ongoing coaching and peer support.
Do you want an alternative to mainstream education?
Are you tired of the one-size-fits all education system?
Are you saddened by the increasing levels of unhappiness of our young people and the escalating referrals to mental health services?
Do you feel frustrated by the pressure of the school environment, where, after five years of teaching, almost a third of teachers leave the profession?
Do you see a mis-match between the curriculum in schools versus the world young people are actually living in?
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
- Socrates
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
- Socrates
Do you dream of a different kind of learning environment?
Are you dreaming of creating a learning provision where all young people can thrive?
Do you want to be part of the new paradigm of education, which places mental health, children’s rights, social justice and 21st century life-skills right at the core?
Join us
There is growing dissatisfaction with conventional schooling, and more and more people are looking to set up their own learning provisions, but often they don’t know where to start.
It can be stressful and time consuming looking for a venue, finding the right collaborators/families, and making big decisions, like registering as a school versus catering for the home education community.
If you are looking for support to help you along the way, please join us!
I have a PhD in Educational Psychology and am a mom of two kiddos in the US. I’m unsatisfied with the educational offerings in our area and feel compelled to create something different, so I am planning to start a new school. But that is a huge mountain of a project! I can’t even remember how I got connected to Jo and Alex, but wow!! The immediate support and feeling of community, plus insanely helpful resources as I embark on a very important journey!
- Katy White, Wisconsin, US
Education Start-Ups Community
Our membership community offers:
Expert webinars
Live monthly expert webinars with founders of innovative schools and learning communities and practitioners in progressive methods in education where you get to ask the questions most important to you (recorded for those who can’t make it live).
Group coaching
Live monthly group coaching for peer support and collaborative problem solving to help you overcome challenges and meet other community members (online, so you can access wherever you are in the world).
Community platform
Online community platform for sharing resources and ideas, and supporting each other between sessions.
My learning community opened in September 2024. I couldn't have done it without the webinars and the wealth of knowledge the community has shared.
- Beki Stoiber, Loop Learning Collective, Birmingham, UK
Membership Bonuses
As a bonus, the Education Start-Ups Community membership package also includes:
'Ask the Expert' webinar library
Our complete library of twelve ‘Ask the Expert’ webinars (worth £120). This includes Q&As with pioneering founders of both full time registered schools and part time learning communities for home educated young people, as well as key topics which are useful to know about when setting up a learning provision.
Newsletter subscription
A year’s subscription to the Progressive Education Bulletin (worth £60). This is a monthly roundup of news (including events, jobs, and campaigns) for all those exploring innovations and transformation in education.
Early podcast access
Early access to all future releases of Limitless podcast episodes where you can listen to inspiring interviews from education changemakers from across the globe and learn how to free yourself from your own limitations!
The webinars provided by Jo and Alex have been amazingly valuable and practical in terms of how to supercharge my progress towards starting my own school. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs powerful guidance to start their own learning community or school.
- Jamie Cohen, London, UK
Meet Your Experts
Here are just some of the experts we have lined up to join us in the Education Start-Ups Community in 2025.
Hayley Peacock, founder of Atelier 21 Future School;
Meena Wood, former schools inspector;
Ken Danford, founder of North Star;
Devin Carberry, founder of Learnlife;
Mell Harrison, founder of Kinda Alternative Provision;
Heidi Mavir, founder of EOTAS Matters;
Hugh Viney, founder of Minerva;
Kate Longworth, founder of Gaia Learning;
Ambreen Baig & Jamie Whiteside, directors of Hybrid Schools, Dukes Education;
Je’anna Clements, founder of Riverstone Village.
Jo and Alex have created an invaluable platform for change-makers in the educational arena. I've been inspired by others on the same path as myself, supported others looking to create a home education / alternative provision like I have, and drawn on the experience of others also seeking to open radical new schools (or who have already opened schools.
I've always found their online workshops to be informative and accessible, with plenty of opportunity to ask the questions I've needed to. I couldn't have come this far without their help.
- Daisy Fretwell , Re-Imagine and Cultivate Learning, Buckinghamshire, UK
FAQs
How much does the membership cost?
The Education Start-Ups Community membership costs £29 a month (less than £1 a day or the price of a takeaway!).
This includes a monthly expert webinar, a monthly group coaching webinar and a community networking platform for ongoing support.
We are also including a FREE BONUS of our complete library of twelve ‘Ask the Expert’ webinars for start-up schools and learning communities, worth £120, a year's subscription to the Progressive Education Bulletin worth £60, and early access to all Limitless Podcast episodes.
Are there any discounts?
Yes!
If you sign up before 31st December 2024 you get our Early Bird discount offer of community membership for only £19 per month.
Is this membership for me?
The Education Start-Ups Community is for you if you are ready to break free from the overwhelm and turn your dreams into reality… if now is the time for you to learn how to set up a school or learning community.
This is for you if you are excited at the thought of learning from founders who have been there and done it, and if you’re inspired by innovative education practice which paves the way for a new paradigm of education, fit for the 21st century!
If you are looking for a supportive community where you can learn alongside others, share knowledge and ideas - as well as the highs and the lows - then this is for you. This is a place where you can be yourself, ask questions and be inspired. We look forward to welcoming you.
Please do get in touch if you have further questions. You can contact us at [email protected]
When will the live webinars and coaching sessions be held?
The expert webinars are held during the second week of the month and run from 7.30-9.30pm GMT. Dates confirmed so far are 9th January, 12th February, 5th March, 9th May, 11th June, 9th July. The expert sessions will be recorded in case you can’t make them live.
Group coaching sessions will be held on the last Wednesday of the month at 7.30-9.30pm GMT (live only).
There will be no webinars in April, August and December.
What if I can’t make the live webinars?
The ‘Ask the Expert’ webinars will be recorded so that you can watch them afterwards if you can’t make the lives.
What if I need help between sessions?
Your membership includes an online community platform, where you will have access to useful resources and the opportunity to ask questions and connect with others on the same journey. We’re in this together and will be cheering you on!
I've got some questions, how can I contact you?
You can reach us at [email protected].
We are four learning facilitators and we are in the process of creating a learning community and community groups. To gain an understanding of how to create our dream is an absolute minefield of information. However Progressive Education and Limitless have been our guiding light. The webinars have been incredibly informative without over doing the information, the guidance delivered at an easy to digest level.
Jo and Alex have gone out of their way to answer questions and offer guidance. However, for me, it has been the access to so many other like-minded individuals through the chats that have offered an ever available life line of professional knowledge, start-up help and experience sharing.
There is no way we would be on our exciting journey without the start-ups community. We are truly grateful.
- Luke Springall, Earth School, Norfolk, UK
About Us
The Education Start-Ups Community is brought to you by Jo Symes at Progressive Education and Alex O’Neill from Limitless. We are education activists who have a shared passion for raising awareness of alternatives to conventional schooling.
For the past couple of years Alex and Jo have been creating events and resources for start-ups, in response to the growing number of children and young people leaving mainstream education and the urgency that parents/carers/educators feel to build new learning environments where young people can thrive.
Introducing Alex O’Neill
Alex is the driving force behind Limitless, an organisation dedicated to igniting social change with a special emphasis on revolutionising the education sector.
Through the Limitless podcast, she shares expert insights and neuroscience tips to empower changemakers to tackle the world's most pressing issues.
Alex is committed to uniting individuals who are driven to advance education and supporting them in overcoming obstacles that stand in their way.
Introducing Jo Symes
Jo is the founder of the social enterprise, Progressive Education. Her website is an inspiration hub for exploring alternatives to conventional schooling and campaigns to bring about change. She is building a global directory of jobs, events and progressive schools and learning communities.
It began with the launch of the Progressive Education Group on Facebook in 2019, which is an international community of over 10k parents/carers, educators, academics, researchers, psychologists, education innovators, changemakers and young people.
