At Heartwood House, we have an approach you’re unlikely to have found in other schools. Key to this approach is treating all people within our community as an individual. Everyone’s learning is tailored to their interests and needs. Here, learning isn’t just about passing exams. We help our students reflect on how they learn, and what they enjoy about learning.
Our approach is rooted in the recognition that wellbeing is the cornerstone of learning, so we make sure that Heartwood House is a safe and welcoming space, where emotional health is nurtured alongside academic growth.
We are a ‘Thinking School’…
Sadly, a lot of times, students spend their school days just memorising facts for tests, without really understanding why they’re learning what they’re learning. They might pass their exams, but they miss out on the real magic of learning—thinking deeply about ideas, asking questions, and solving problems in new ways.
In a thinking school, everyone—students, teachers, even parents—agrees that thinking deeply about everything we do is key. It’s about learning to think in all sorts of ways: reflecting on ideas, critiquing them, and coming up with creative solutions. It’s not just about working alone; it’s about working with others, too, learning from each other and building a community where everyone cares and supports one another. The goal? To create not just smart students, but thoughtful, caring people.


Our environment
We recognise that many of the students who join us, have not enjoyed the environment provided by other schools. Be it the big classes, busy corridors or teachers who never seem to have the time to listen, mainstream schools definitely aren’t for everyone.
We try to provide an environment that feels nothing like other schools. At Heartwood House, the spaces we occupy are homely and welcoming. Our staff are all known by their first names and there’s no school uniform. People respect one another here because they want to, not because they’re following hundreds of rules printed in the back of a homework planner!
Student centered learning
No one is forced to take subjects that they don’t want to at Heartwood House. We teach English, Maths, Science, Art, Sport and Cooking in our centers, but students can also choose from many other subjects that they can learn online or with extra tutors and teachers.
Key to our approach is that regardless of the subject, students learn at their own pace and focus on things that they are interested in. Their curriculum and timetable are designed specifically for them.
Students can also choose from many other subjects that they can learn online or with individual tutors, such as a range of languages, accountancy, business studies, computer science, construction, and many, many more.


Wellbeing
Wellbeing isn’t just as important as education, it is absolutely central to it. Our timetables are made up of a combination of educational lessons as well as wellbeing sessions and other sessions that help to promote strong social and emotional wellbeing. These sessions come in the form of music and art therapy, counselling, mentoring, PSHE and group discussion.
Wellbeing isn’t about meditation or yoga (unless you want it to be!), it’s anything that helps a person feel more at ease with their day. We take the time to work with students to find out what keeps them balanced and calmer during the day, and build that into their timetable.