‘Ask the Expert’ Q&A
Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill
Implications for Learning Communities in England and Wales
Wednesday 6 August, 7.30-9.30pm BST
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill was announced on 17th December 2024 and there will be direct implications for those (in England and Wales) who are striving to create something different to mainstream education via innovative part-time learning communities. The Bill has been debated in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and will now ping-pong between the two Houses to finalise the amendments.
Find out how the proposals in the Bill could affect your learning community, and ask any questions you might have about the progression of the Bill, in this FREE interactive webinar.
About Our Experts
Jenn Hodge
Jenn Hodge is a home educator from Somerset who has always been heavily involved in the community, volunteering at home education groups and organising educational trips and events.
She is also the founder of an innovative not-for-profit education centre which supports a wide range of young people, many of whom are neurodivergent. Her vision is to have state funded provisions like hers all across England.
Jenn is a keen writer, CEO and advocate of “Doing Education Differently”. She dreams of a reformed schooling system that enables interest driven learning and meets a wider range of needs, doing away with exam culture and the academic hierarchy of subjects.
Earlier this year Jenn was selected as one of the UK’s top 100 inspiring female entrepreneurs by Small Business Britain.
Joanna Merrett
Joanna is a doctoral researcher at the University of Exeter with over a decade of experience working closely with home education communities.
Her extensive background in this field has driven her to explore various aspects of education beyond traditional schooling, with a primary focus on home education, alternative education approaches, pedagogies, educational policy, systematic disadvantage, equity in access to national qualifications, and pathways for home-educated young individuals to higher and further education.
Event Format, Recording and Ticket Price
This event takes place online via Zoom at 7.30-9.30pm BST on Wednesday 6th August. You will have the opportunity to hear from each of our panellists who will give an overview of the implications of the new Bill for learning communities. We will then open it up to the audience for your questions. Everyone who registers will be sent the recording after the event.
If you have questions but can't make the date, you are still welcome to register for the event. Simply send your questions through to us at [email protected] and they will get asked in the session on your behalf.
This webinar is FREE for both members and non-members.
Become a Member for Further Support
Join Us!
Would you like to join the Education Start-Ups membership community for support in setting up your learning community? Our membership offers:
Monthly expert webinars (like this one);
Monthly group coaching for peer support and collaborative problem solving;
Online platform for sharing resources/ideas and supporting each other between sessions.
Some extra bonuses too!
You can find out more at EducationStartUps.org/community.
Note to Members
If you are a member, you do not need to register for this event. You will automatically receive the Zoom link in your online community portal.
About Us
This webinar series 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 mainstream school.
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 11k parents/carers, educators, academics, researchers, psychologists, education innovators, changemakers and young people.
