Children learn the basics (writing, reading, maths) when they are ready and motivated. Based on the experience of other democratic schools, these basics are learned through everyday interactions and play. A child might want to bake a cake and will need to do basic maths. Most card games also require counting. Reading and writing are also skills that children learn when they see a need for them. Some children will learn to read and write at the age of four, while others might not read until the age of twelve. There is no evidence for long-term disadvantages when learning to read at a later age. Students might seek help from staff to learn these skills, or they may utilise online tools and resources to learn on their own or with friends.Recommended reading:McDonald, K. (2019). Unschooled: Raising curious, well-educated children outside the conventional classroom. Chicago Review Press.Gray, P. (2010, February 24). Children teach themselves to read. Psychology Today: Freedom to Learn. https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/freedom-to-learn/201002/children-teach-themselves-to-read Gray, P. (2010, April 14). Kids learn math easily when they control their own learning. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/freedom-learn/201004/kids-learn-math-easily-when-they-control-their-own-learning

SDS will operate from Monday to Friday between 8:30 AM and 3:00 PM. Between these hours, students have the freedom to decide what they wish to do with their time. Their day is what they make of it, and there are endless possibilities. Some students may read a book, play outdoors, engage in a game of chess, create clay sculptures, serve on a committee, or play a musical instrument. Since we don’t have rigid timetables, students have complete autonomy over their day, and therefore, no day is typical. Recommended reading: Liston, V. C. (2024). Schooling the democratic way: Understanding student experiences in Irish democratic schools from the perspective of staff members. Sligo Sudbury School. https://sligosudburyschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/121365643_Vivien_-Liston_FYP.pdf Ayalon, A. (2024). Mentoring and democracy in schools: The case of democratic schools in Israel. In H. Ferreira do Vale (Ed.), Democracy - crises and changes across the globe. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1002933

The contrast with a traditional school is so big that you can best compare SDS to a library instead of a school. When you visit a library, no librarian will evaluate what you have learned or come with a mandatory curriculum of books. Library visitors aren’t segregated by age groups and can walk and explore wherever their curiosity takes them. At SDS, there is no fixed curriculum, testing, or homework. You spend your day pursuing what matters to you. Every student and staff member has an equal vote in school decisions, and a peer-led School Court arbitrates in disputes. In short, you learn in a calm, accountable environment where your voice matters.Compared to so-called alternative education, there are many differences. Many ‘progressive’ educational models give children more freedom to explore, but ultimately the teacher directs and plans the curriculum. In our self-directed education model, we trust students to direct their own learning. The role of staff is to actively support them on this learning journey.

Our staff members come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and are there to support student-led learning, model respectful relationships, ensure the physical and emotional safety of our community, and participate in the school's democratic governance. Staff members respond to students' interests rather than imposing lessons. This creates an equal mentoring relationship based on shared interests.All staff will also have an annual review, during which students and other staff will offer feedback on their contributions to the school community. This is intended as a reflective tool and to give students a voice.

Democratic schools have operated for over 100 years. The first democratic school was founded by A.S. Neil in 1921 and still operates today. Nowadays, there are hundreds of democratic schools worldwide with tens of thousands of graduates. The main reason this model works is that when we give children responsibility, they act more responsibly. Children have an innate desire to contribute to their community. We do have frameworks in place, such as the School Meeting and our School Court, to administer governance and justice. This gives the community structure but not direction, since the direction is self-chosen by the students. See also: OutcomesRecommended reading:Feldman, J. (2001, April). The moral behavior of children and adolescents at a democratic school. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA, United States.https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED453128

Measuring progress is necessary when setting a goal. However, most schools unintentionally make finding evidence of learning more important than the learning itself. In our model, learning comes from the learner's self-chosen activities and life experiences. In everyday activities, students will see the outcome of their actions. These outcomes become part of a student's self-evaluation.

Everyone has knowledge gaps. The total amount of human knowledge is too vast for any person to comprehend. Our model doesn't guarantee that a child will learn everything that is in a standard school curriculum, but we can guarantee that a child will learn. It is impossible to stop a child from learning, especially when they are free to pursue their interests. Learning becomes more effective when children are highly motivated and grapple with problems that matter to them.Most school curricula are focused on mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, history, literature, and other subjects rarely used later in life. Engineers and scientists use mathematics, but most people need only basic arithmetic to be productive members of society. The same applies to other school subjects. If a child wants to learn mathematics or any other subject, we will support and facilitate their learning.That is not to say that scientific disciplines are never useful or interesting. In fact, these subjects are fascinating for understanding how the world works. Young children want to learn about the world and are science enthusiasts. The problem is that traditional schools make these subjects compulsory, which causes a child’s enthusiasm for science to decrease over time. The quickest way to lose interest in a subject is to be forced to learn about it. In contrast, research on students in democratic schools shows their interest in science increases over time. Recommended reading: Vedder-Weiss, D. and Fortus, D. (2011), Adolescents' Declining Motivation to Learn Science: Inevitable or Not?. J. Res. Sci. Teach., 48: 199-216. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20398

We see electronic devices as powerful learning resources. Computers can be used for games, research, watching videos, and creating art. We will not set limits or bans on screen use. However, we will implement age-appropriate restrictions to ensure children are exposed only to safe and age-appropriate content. The School Meeting will regularly review and adjust rules to ensure students of all ages can use technology safely.The school is not the home. We support parents who choose to restrict their children's screen time at home. For example, during dinner time, when it is time to be present with each other. Or to put screens in a different room at bedtime. Some parents might decide to restrict screen use entirely before a certain age. Students won't be able to bring personal devices to school if they don't own any. Recommended reading:Gray, P. (2025, December 16). Helping kids (and ourselves) use smartphones safelyhttps://petergray.substack.com/p/100-helping-kids-and-ourselves-use

This isn't a question, but a statement that often comes up and is rarely explained. It comes from the idea that if you discipline children often, they become more disciplined.Discipline has two definitions: being rule-abiding and having self-control.Staff and students collaboratively create the rules at SDS. Students are more likely to uphold rules that they helped to create, so they tend to be rule-abiding.More importantly, having self-control ('discipline') is deeply studied in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan). Discipline based on external pressure (getting punished; 'disciplined') collapses once the external pressure is removed, while discipline connected to autonomy, competence, and a sense of purpose persists.Children need discipline. And our educational approach is the best place to get it.See also: OutcomesRecommend reading: Praslova, L. N. (2026, February 16). To see a human: Intrinsic motivation and self-determination. Psychology Today: Positively Different.https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/positively-different/202602/to-see-a-human-intrinsic-motivation-and-self-determination

In the words of the democratic school The Open School: Boredom is an essential part of the educational process. Because boredom is unpleasant, it motivates students to search for things to do, to get creative, and to discover their interests. Deprived of this developmentally crucial process, children will not be able to achieve the self-knowledge they will need to chart their own course through life. Our job is not to keep them entertained, but to make sure that they are in control of their own experience and to make sure that they know they are responsible for it.” Being bored activates the 'neural mode network' of the brain. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for self-reflection. It leads to new insights, especially taking into account one's life in the context of the past, present, and future. We see in other democratic schools that older children, who previously attended traditional schooling, will need time to adjust to a setting where they are in charge of their own day. During this time, they may go through long periods of what might appear to be doing nothing at all. We call this process 'deschooling'. This period is usually, though not always, one month per year of traditional schooling. What appears to be doing nothing is actually a necessary transition period for students to acclimatise to the fact that what they do is now up to them. It is also a form of decompressing from the stress many students have experienced in the traditional school system.

Moving abroad always comes with adjustments. Luckily, there are hundreds of democratic schools, learning co-ops, and other alternative education settings around the world. You can find an overview on the Alliance for Self-Directed Education's website. Please note that this overview might not always be up to date, so ask an AI whether there are similar schools to SDS in the area you are planning to move to. If there are no self-directed education options, based on the experience of other schools, we don’t see major adjustment issues either. For younger children, the structure quickly becomes ‘normal’ again, while older children are often pragmatic. Clear communication of the differences helps with the adjustment.

Research indicates that graduates of democratic schools show greater initiative, stronger communication skills, and are better equipped to work in teams than their traditionally schooled counterparts. They maintain intrinsic motivation and a love of learning. We see that graduates of democratic schools have a clearer understanding of what they want to do with their lives. They end up in a wide range of professions, such as starting their own business, pursuing a career in STEM, or any field where taking initiative is a strength. Graduates attend university at typical rates as traditionally schooled counterparts. They thrive at university because they are used to the personal independence and self-directed study that university requires. Democratic school graduates go to university with a purpose, not because it's the default option. Graduates don't have issues enrolling in university since there are many admission paths, such as building a portfolio, interviewing, or passing exams. Staff members will accommodate a student's interest in further education.Recommended reading:Hartkamp-Bakker, C., & Martens, R. L. (2026). Autonomy, participation, and lifelong learning: Graduates’ reflections from Sudbury schools. Journal of Experiential Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/10538259261425579Gray, P., Riley, G., & Curry-Knight, K. (2021). Former students' evaluations of experiences at a democratic school: Roles of the Democratic Processes, Staff, and the Community of Students. Other Education, 10(2), 4–25. www.researchgate.net/publication/357913584Gray, P., & Chanoff, D. (1986). Democratic schooling: What happens to young people who have charge of their own education? American Journal of Education, 94(2), 182–213. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1084948 Greenberg, D. (1995) Free at Last: No one need apply. Sudbury Valley School Press. https://sudburyvalley.org/article/no-one-need-applyGreenberg, D., & Sadofsky, M. (1992). Legacy of Trust: Life After the Sudbury Valley School Experience. Framingham, MA: Sudbury Valley School Press.Greenberg, D., Sadofsky, M., & Lempka, J. (2005). The Pursuit of Happiness: The Lives of Sudbury Valley Alumni. Framingham, MA: Sudbury Valley School Press.Rietmulder (2015): Circle School Graduates in College, Circle School Bloghttps://www.circleschool.org/blog/2015/08/circle-school-graduates-in-college-2/Democratische Scholen. (2024). Je moet het wel durven. Netherlands: Democratische Scholen.