Kirkdale School was a small, independent free school

Democratic education

Democratic education is a theory of learning and school governance in which students and staff participate freely and equally in a school democracy...

 located at 186 Kirkdale Road, Sydenham

Sydenham

Sydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England. During the entirety of the school's existence it was run as a parent/teacher co-operative.

Kirkdale is one of several free schools to have been established in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century. Others include (Sands School

Sands School

Sands School is a democratic school in Ashburton, Devon in England- History :Sands School was started in 1987 by a group of students and teachers from the recently closed Dartington Hall School. Starting in the kitchen of a parent's house, the school quickly established its own philosophy, building...

 in Devon, Summerhill

Summerhill School

Summerhill School is an independent British boarding school that was founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill with the belief that the school should be made to fit the child, rather than the other way around...

 in Suffolk and Kilquhanity School

Kilquhanity School

Kilquhanity School was one of several free schools to have been established in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century. Others include Sands School in Devon, Summerhill in Suffolk and Kirkdale School in London....

 in the Scottish Borders). Unlike some free schools, Kirkdale was not established in a rural idyll but within a small plot in London.

History

The School was founded in 1964 by John and Susie Powlesland and a small group of parents that wanted a radical alternative to the "traditional" UK education system.

Philosophy

The philosophy of Kirkdale was heavily influenced by the writing and ideas of A.S. Neill, who founded Summerhill school; essentially that children learn best with freedom from coercion (free-range). All lessons were optional, and pupils were free to choose what to do with their time. The school had frequent school meetings where pupils and staff alike had an equal voice in the decisions that affected their day-to-day lives, including changing school laws. Meetings were also an opportunity for the community to vote on a course of action, for instance, how to address the actions of one person in relation to another that might be unfair or could even amount to bullying. School meetings were normally weekly, every Wednesday, but extraordinary meetings could be called by anyone (and attendance by all was expected) to address an immediate issue.

Associations

Nick Saunders was involved with Kirkdale, and supported a summer camp for the school. A staff member, Romy Fraser, went on to found Neal's Yard Apothecaries

Neal's Yard Remedies

Neal's Yard Remedies is a leading independent British retailer of organic natural health and beauty products. Founded in 1981 in Covent Garden, London, they have 40 stores across the UK. They also have branches in Japan and the USA...

with him.

Further reading

• Powlesland, J. and S. Kirkdale: an experience in education by self regulation, Stamboeknummer (2002)
• The Education Revolution #32 Spring/Summer 2001 (The Magazine of the Alternative Education Resource Organization).
• Various authors. Summerhill: For And Against, A collection of essays, arguing both in favour and against Summerhill's (and Kirkdale's) approach.
• A.S. Neill. Summerhill. A book about the school and its philosophy, by the school's founder.