Headmaster’s Articles
University entrance
One of our early aspirations was always for any of our students to achieve university entrance, should they so wish, despite the absence of state examinations within the school. While recognising that university is not necessarily the right vocation for all people, securing a university place at the end of our education is important to many senior students and their parents.
18 years on since founding the school, almost fifty students have now achieved university entrance, and the principle of avoiding state examinations until university in favour of The Acorn School’s system has been applauded by universities and even by OFSTED!
Morality
It is not only academic standards that the school boasts, but artistic, practical, musical, physical and moral. It is the latter that I see as my main task in educating the children at the school, and I see as potentially creating world-changers!
My old friend and mentor, Samuel Dubrovic, who, had he lived, would be 125 years old today, once gave me a great piece of wisdom. ‘What education must strive for, for the future, is morality’. In this school can be found children who smile, who love learning, and who make a choice to value themselves, one another and all around them. In this school you will find the very best of the family values of our society, and the vision of Sam Dubrovic lives in this small country school.
Welcome to our new website
Welcome to The Acorn School’s new website. Through this new site we will be sharing news of the school and the education that we offer, trips, activities, festivals and a host of other news items, but first, a bit of the school’s history, and a few thoughts as I write…
The school has been in existence since 16th September 1991, when it was founded in my conservatory, with four children. Since that first day, the school has grown in strength and number, and I feel extremely proud that children receive an outstanding and child-centred education, with the highest standards. It has at times been a real struggle, but through the continued and total support from my wife Sarah, at every stage, the school has thrived.
The school is situated in a privately owned, purpose-built, Victorian church school. This ownership enables us to offer a unique education at a fraction of the price it might cost if the building was mortgaged or rented.
What you get when you place a child at this school? An unequivocal commitment to every child, and individual education, offering the very highest standards. Although I am not really motivated by what the government feels about the school, it was reassuring that in the OFSTED inspections of 2005 and 2009, it was considered to be Outstanding.
The Acorn School is a place of excellence, and achieves values that are not achievable in government or public school education.
I am so proud of what has been achieved here. I welcome visitors, who can freely meet the students and speak with them. We hear from many visitors, that the uniqueness of the education can be experienced upon walking into the school.