This is a different kind of post from me today but still very connected to holistic living and choosing a life that feels right rather than the one we’re told we have to follow.

School was never somewhere I fitted in. My parents did their best but I always felt bored, trapped and completely misunderstood. Because of that I acted out a lot. When my daughter started saying she felt the same way it completely broke me. I knew exactly how that felt.

When my sister Aimee started homeschooling her girls something clicked for me. She has always been the visionary in our family. She sees things long before the rest of us. Watching her create something different for her children made me realise that we could do the same. I had no idea how we would afford it but I knew deep down that I didn’t want Freddie starting school at four years old. So we made it work. Somehow everything fell into place.

One of the biggest blessings was meeting Maria. She began running WildTribe on our parents’ farm and honestly she brought the whole thing to life. She lights the kids up like no one else and very quickly became part of our family. I don’t know what we would do without her. WildTribe meant Freddie could go three days a week which allowed me to keep working while giving him the childhood I always wanted for him.

Taking the girls out of school just before GCSEs was terrifying but we found a brilliant tutor and went for it. It definitely wasn’t easy to motivate them some days but it was the best decision for all of them. They came back to themselves and you could see the difference immediately.

As Freddie got older and his behaviour became more challenging around seven and a half we knew he needed a bit more structure but still something aligned with his nature. That is when we found The Treehouse. It is only twenty minutes away and there are just fifteen children. They spend most of the time outdoors and it is run by Lee, an amazing woman with a huge heart who genuinely understands children. She gives them an education but keeps them as far away from the traditional school system as possible. I wish there were more teachers like her.

What has surprised us most is how a little community has grown from all of this. Families who want something different and who want their children to be free, grounded, creative and outdoors. We realised so many parents feel the same but don’t know where to start.

We are incredibly lucky to have a plot of land on our parents’ farm. There is so much potential here. We just need the right support and some funding for outbuildings so we can create something bigger. A place where our children don’t have to go into secondary school. The thought of that system honestly fills me with dread and it is not something I want for Freddie.

I don’t believe GCSEs are going to prepare them for the world they are walking into. Life will look completely different in the next five to ten years. What they need is emotional awareness, real life skills, creativity, confidence and the space to figure out who they are.

These children are the future. They need nurturing and they need guidance that actually respects who they are. Our dream is to grow WildTribe into something much bigger. A place the children can thrive in as they grow.

I know in my heart we will make it happen.