Banbury Crossroads
Independent School

School Principles

Because completely unrestricted freedom of action would make peaceful human existence impossible, some restraints on freedom of action are necessary and inevitable. Virtually all codes of action recognize that basic limitation. Liberty is defined in such codes as the right of individuals to act without restraint as long as their actions do not interfere with the equivalent rights of others; acts that do violate the rights of others are rejected as license. (Encarta Encyclopedia, 1999)

The structure of the School is modeled on the Open Education or Integrated Day systems, because this structure is most conducive to the development of liberty. The methodology is strongly influenced by the writings of John Holt, A.S. Neill, Alfie Kohn, Thomas Gordon and other writers listed under the Bibliography of Related Philosophical Resources Section of this website.

At this School we educate children for life within a community that respects their individuality. The only social responsibility that is required is that which is demonstrably right and essential for the good of all. Mutual respect is the basis for the belief that individuals are allowed to make decisions to direct the course of their own lives, as long as they do not interfere with the rights of others. This concept is synonymous with that of liberty, the heart and cornerstone of our democratic culture. In order for people to manifest a social conscience and altruistic spirit, it is paramount that they develop a solid core of self-esteem. The best way for us to give children psychological safety as a basis of emotional health is to offer respect for their dignity and worth. Our recognition of the genetic and environmental uniqueness of each individual has been a major factor in our provision of a small pupil:teacher ratio for academic subjects, and our individualized and small-group approach to activities and direct instruction.

Supporting Principles:

• Curiosity and the desire to master their environment are basic drives in children. Satisfying these drives leads students to energetic action, and thus to learning. This process occurs with and without formal instruction.
• Learning is achieved by each individual through a unique pattern of perception, motivation and timing.
• At every moment, each child is developing physically, emotionally, intellectually, philosophically, socially and creatively. All these areas are related to and dependent upon one another, and are of equal importance in the child's development.
• Self-direction, responsibility and autonomy are necessary for personal emotional health, and for providing citizens with the means to create a healthy democracy. It is helpful for students to have opportunities to develop these attributes, in a developmentally appropriate manner, from an early age.
• It is important to develop within our students the ability to cooperate in the pursuit of common goals, to communicate effectively and negotiate solutions to daily challenges and problems in a creative and win-win fashion, and to be empathetic and socially responsive. These abilities are useful for ensuring their constructive participation in our culture, in every aspect of it.
• Although information input is typical of academic learning, relationships with mentors are crucial in developing effective logical and moral reasoning skills to process this information.
• Children need to feel secure that they are acknowledged and celebrated as individuals, and that they belong to their social group; therefore, smaller class sizes assist in the formation of healthy emotional development and social relationships.
• Intrinsic motivation is to be promoted over extrinsic motivation.
• It is preferable to create change by exerting one's influence through logic, moral reasoning and empathy, rather than by manipulating and controlling others by rewards and punishment.
• Competitiveness can be harmful to self-esteem, can create performance anxiety and can distort cooperative action.
• The world requires people of different ages to function together. Multi-age grouping provides a natural setting for our youth to develop compassionate, nurturing and trusting attitudes, to offer peer instruction, and to develop cooperative skills and personal confidence.