Our Manifesto
The beliefs that guide us, the promises we make to every family that joins us, the lines we refuse to cross.
This is our Manifesto
In 2018, when we began looking for schools for our two young children, we were surprised by how little had changed.
Sure, blackboards had turned white, projectors had made their way in — but the core?
Still the same broken, outdated system that never made sense then, and makes even less sense now.
Flourish — part of the Acton Academy network — began as a simple idea:
To build the kind of school we wish we had attended.
Over five years, we’ve grown slowly, with families who share that vision.
Now, in our fifth year, we’re choosing to shine a brighter beacon by putting in writing:
The beliefs that guide us.
The promises we make to every family that joins us.
The lines we refuse to cross.
This is our manifesto.
If this resonates, we hope you’ll reach out and join us on this journey.
01.
Every child is a Genius
Those who achieve greatness do so despite school, not because of it.
Schools reward a painfully narrow band of talents while systematically crushing all others.
The rare success stories come from parents brave enough to choose unconventional paths — paths that give children time and space to nurture their unique genius.
We fanatically believe that every child who walks through our doors is a genius. One day, they will change the world.
Our sole purpose at Flourish is to help them get there.
02.
Schools Today Are Utterly Broken
Schools today are 18th-century systems preparing children for a world that’s already dead.
Traditional education isn't a waste of time. It is worse than that.
Keeping your children at home is better than subjecting them to these outdated institutions.
You know this truth. We know it too.
At Flourish, we focus on learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be — for a world that is constantly changing.
We draw on the latest research, thoughtful use of technology, and proven tools to create deeper, more meaningful learning experiences for every learner.
03.
Rote Learning Is Dead
Asking the right questions is more important than knowing the right answers.
Why memorize the date of the Battle of Plassey when you could find that in seconds?
The future belongs to those who ask better questions — not those who cram for tests.
If it doesn’t make sense, we don’t do it.
At Flourish, every experience is designed to help learners learn how to learn, ask the right questions, and master the tools the world runs on today.
04.
Exams Are a Theatrical Farce
No school addresses the 5% your child doesn't know after scoring 95%.
True learning demands mastery — 100% or nothing.
Today's exams aren't assessment tools; they're theater for parental ego and institutional convenience.
The only thing exams test is obedience under pressure.
At Flourish, it’s mastery or nothing.
Take all the time needed to fully understand concepts.
You’re at 100%, or you keep going. There are no grades.
05.
Children Are Born to Learn, Schools Kill This Instinct
If you wanted to learn LEGO, would you start with a textbook, do worksheets, and give tests?
Of course not.
Yet we force children to learn everything this way.
Chained to desks, bored by lectures, buried under meaningless tests and endless homework — we extinguish the natural fire of curiosity that burns in every child.
All learning at Flourish is purposeful, with a clear goal in mind.
Over 60% of our time is spent on hands-on projects.
Entrepreneurship and real-world apprenticeships are core to our curriculum.
Every six weeks, our learners present their work to the world.
06.
No Institution Will Ever Care for Your Child Like You Do
In 16 years of schooling, we remember maybe one or two exceptional teachers. Some were damaging. Most were just apathetic.
Why accept those odds?
Schools — not unlike factories or prisons — are run by people doing a job, following processes built for efficiency, not your child’s flourishing.
Systems are designed to reward tame sheep.
The curious ones? Well, they don’t get far.
At Flourish, we don’t have teachers. Only Socratic Guides.
Their role is to help your child find their calling — and the courage to pursue it.
They don’t spoon-feed, give notes, or hand out answers.
Instead, they challenge learners to explore, question, and discover what works for them.
The goal? Independent learners who believe nothing is impossible.
07.
Schools Hijack the Parent-Child Relationship
Why ask permission to take your own child on holiday?
Why surrender your family values to an institution?
You — not some school — know what your child needs.
Your family values should guide their development, not a bureaucracy's rulebook.
We promise to never come between parents and learners.
Your children are accountable to you. Not us.
08.
Same-Age Classrooms Are Unnatural
Nowhere else in life do people work exclusively with same-age peers — it happens only in schools.
In the real world, we learn from those ahead and lead those behind.
Schools are the bizarre exception.
At Flourish, learners work in mixed-age studios — where they learn from each other, grow together, and build empathy and leadership.
If the real world isn’t age-segregated, why should we be?
09.
Being a teacher’s pet is not a personality trait
Today’s “good students” are those who’ve learned how to please the adult in the classroom.
They raise their hands, ask the “right” questions, and produce work designed to get a pat on the back.
Their worth gets tightly tied to what an adult thinks of them.
Why should we let a random adult’s approval define who our child grows to become?
At Flourish, Guides never judge your child's work.
They don't hand out gold stars.
Instead, they praise hard work, effort, and persistence.
They’ll never say, “Oh, you’re so smart.”
They’ll ask:
Is this your best work?
If not, what can you do next to improve it?
Because the goal isn’t to please the adult.
It’s excellence.
CLEAR THINKING
Leads to Good Decisions
Good Decisions
Lead to Right Habits
Right Habits
Forge Character
Character
Determines Destiny