At its heart, a Frensham education is progressive, holistic and deeply human. It is rooted in our fundamental belief in the generosity of the human spirit and our ambition to give young people the agency to know themselves, to develop their abilities and interests. A Frensham education is academically ambitious, but it also empowers our students to understand the individual contribution they can make to the world in which we live.
WHO WE ARE
Why We Do Things Differently at Frensham - Meet our Head, Ben, Part 2
In this episode of our Meet the Head videos, Ben explores the values that sit at the heart of Frensham Heights and why our approach still feels relevant 100 years after the school was founded as part of the progressive education movement.
Discover why he chose Frensham, what makes us distinctive and how we do things differently. He talks about everything from first names, the absence of school uniform and our relationship-based approach to discipline, to our belief that young people thrive when they are trusted, supported and given the freedom to discover who they are. Ben also reflects on the lasting impact of a Frensham education, sharing how our OFs (Old Frenshamians) return to inspire current students with the many different paths their lives and careers have taken.
Frensham is curious
Students are inspired to develop intellectual curiosity; they embrace learning as its own end, and this underpins their academic success.
They are free to question established thoughts, practices and beliefs and are given the time and opportunity to do so.
They have the opportunity to reflect on the world in which they live and to develop the skills, knowledge and capabilities to contribute to our society.
Frensham is creative
Students develop the confidence to take risks and the independence to forge their own path.
They appreciate and contribute to humanity’s tradition of artistic expression and creative thought in all of its forms.
They are empowered to think creatively across the curriculum and between disciplines.
Frensham is kind
Students understand that the wellbeing of our community as a whole is the foundation of individual success, and they actively contribute towards this.
They embrace diversity, t hey are compassionate and they celebrate difference, both within our community and beyond it.
They understand that kindness transcends human relationships and that it can be a transformational force: societally, politically and environmentally.
OUR HERITAGE
Frensham Heights School was founded in 1925 as part of the Progressive Schools Movement by three pioneering women who saw that the education system in the UK was fundamentally failing many young people.
Our founders believed the education system was failing them because it wasn’t adapting to the modern world. It was failing them because it was too rigid, too prescriptive, too rooted in a past that no longer reflected the world those young people were actually going to inhabit.
What they saw in Frensham Heights was an opportunity to break the mould entirely and to create an education that was more human, more responsive and more aligned with the realities of a changing society - rejecting fear, conformity and uniformity in favour of trust, individuality and the development of the whole person. From the very beginning, Frensham Heights set out to be a place where education would liberate rather than limit - a living community that valued creativity, individuality and the intrinsic worth of every child.
That spirit is not a story we tell about the past; it is something we live, with warmth and purpose, every day.
PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION TODAY
Although relatively rare in this country, Progressive Schools are thriving around the globe. We are very proud to be a member of the international Progressive Education Network. This is important to us not only because we truly believe this style of education offers children a better chance of happiness and success, but also because it holds us to account as a school, as educators. By promising to uphold not only our school’s founding ethos, but also the PEN principles, we have a better chance of continuing to offer the best possible opportunities for our students.
As many more conventional schools catch on to the importance of the ‘soft skills’ and creativity, that have been intrinsic to schools like Frensham from the beginning, we must continue to set an example and pioneer education. We must keep moving forward to provide the most dynamic, inspirational Progressive curriculum that we can.
