Admissions Process

Before applying to become a student at Sligo Sudbury School, we feel it is important for applicants to have a clear understanding of self-directed education and how our school functions in practice. A good sense of the school and our ethos can be gleaned from the information on our website and there are suggestions on the resources page of our website https://sligosudburyschool.com/resources-inspiration/ for further research. As a minimum we suggest the following:

Sligo Sudbury School – Sligo Sudbury School

Sudbury Valley School – Sudbury Valley School

Sudbury Valley School Judicial Committee The Sudbury Valley School Judicial Committee – Adjusted

Jim Reitmulder; When kids rule the school

Peter Gray; Free to Learn

Naomi Fisher: Changing Our Minds. How children can take control of their own learning

We have found that the more familiar a family is with the educational philosophy of the school, the better understanding they have and the more capable they are of supporting their child in this setting. Enrolling your child in this setting without a deep understanding of the philosophy and practice of self directed education, can lead to confusion and disappointment later. This can have a negative impact not only on the student and family involved, but also the entire school community. Therefore we cannot emphasise enough the importance of doing your research in advance to consider deeply if this is the right choice for your family.

Having done your research and decided to proceed, we recommend that the family attend an Open Day to view the school and gain a deeper understanding of the school in practice. The next steps are as follows:

1. Application form

Submit a completed application form for each child together with the €50 fee. Once we receive your form and payment of the fee we will contact you to schedule an enrolment meeting.

2. Enrolment meetings

The enrolment meeting is your family’s opportunity to get to know the school, to ensure expectations match, and clarify any questions you may still have. An initial meeting should be attended by both parents/guardians where possible, and a second meeting should be attended also by the prospective student.

3. Enrolment settling-in period

After the enrolment meeting the Admissions Committee will assess the application and decide on the offer of a place. If the application is successful a place is offered at the next available intake date. The first four weeks of enrolment are considered a settling-in period during which the new student gets to know the school community and to become familiar with the school processes. At the end of the settling-in period the student and the school community have an opportunity to give feedback on their experience.

4. School meeting approval

The Admissions Clerk will make a recommendation to the School Meeting based on the feedback from all parties, including discussion with the family. The School Meeting then votes on confirming enrolment.

Membership Dues

Membership dues 2024-2027: