We believe that each of us has a special calling in life, and a series of trials and tests that must be faced with integrity and purpose, in order to live a satisfying and fulfilled life.
Our mission is to prepare your child for his or her special journey.
Someone who can research questions, follow instructions, solve problems — admit that they don’t know something and figure out a solution when they hit a roadblock without asking an adult for help — participate in discussions, and strive for mastery.
We respect and incorporate Maria Montessori’s philosophy but, we are not a Montessori school.
We also use the latest interactive technologies, hands-on projects and the Socratic Method for discussions.
No.
While Flourish is a part of the Acton Academy network of schools and is accredited by the IALDS, we are not a franchise school (of the Acton Academy).
As part of the Acton Academy network, Flourish enjoys access to all the tools, learning designs, processes and systems created by the Acton Academy and the entire network of schools.
All Acton Academy network schools are independent organisations who share education best practices with each other.
An Acton Academy school can only be started by parents whose children will be attending the school and cannot be started purely for business.
Hence, together, we form an extremely strong community of like-minded parent-entrepreneurs who want the best possible educational experience for their children in line with the 21st century.
If you are familiar with software development, think of it as an open-source system with a GPL type licence.
The grown-ups at Flourish are called “guides” and they don’t teach.
Guides use the Socratic method – which is to ask questions and inspire our learners to find the answers out themselves.
Guides are actually not allowed to answer any questions and will usually answer a question with another question and offer choices.
Right now, there are 4 full-time guides at Flourish.
A mixed-age classroom is one in which children of different ages sit and work together.
At Flourish, our classrooms are called “Studios” and we divide them as follows:
- Elementary Studio
For our learners in grades 1 – 5. (We don’t have grades – but for the sake of explanation, it helps to have parity with traditional schools). - Middle School Studio
For learners in grades 6 – 8. - LaunchPad Studio
For learners in grades 9 – 12.
Learners of different ages can learn together because, for subjects like core-skills (Math, Reading & Writing), all learning is self-paced and work on their own goals for these subjects (no one-size-fits-all blackboard teaching).
All other subjects such as science, technology, history, geography, etc. are offered via hands-on projects in which the learners are divided into groups and work together.
A tremendous amount of learning takes place, and leaders emerge (exactly like in real life) when people of different ages interact – which a traditional school cannot replicate easily.
As of 2020-21, we have 275 partner schools across the world.
Flourish is the 3rd Acton Academy network school to open in India with the other two being in Ahmedabad and Chennai.
Socratic teaching, named after the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, is a method of teaching that fosters critical thinking and illuminates ideas through questioning.
The Socratic method is crucial in education as it fosters critical thinking and independent problem-solving by encouraging students to question and engage in dialogue rather than relying on rote memorization. This approach cultivates deep understanding and intellectual independence, equipping students with essential skills for navigating real-world challenges and lifelong learning.
Self-paced learning works in 3 steps:
Step 1: Figure out where our learner is currently with understanding of basic fundamentals and concepts.
Step 2: Discuss with the families and the learners where they would like to be at the end of a year?
Step 3: Help them chart out a plan with S.M.A.R.T goals and equip them with tools to track their progress.
Our learners have access to world-class tools, books and courses in the world to learn concepts at their own pace.
They dial up or dial down their goals regularly depending on their cadence.
They have running partners to run things by and offer motivation.
Just like in real life.
AA Guatemala explains this best:
Running Partners are classmates who meet together regularly to set goals and hold each other accountable for meeting those goals.
They encourage and inspire each other by asking good questions, listening and providing affirmation.
If you would like to here a great example of what this means, please check out this short anecdote shared by a parent.
No. We do not divide our students into classes or grades.
At Flourish, our mixed-age classrooms are called “Studios”, and we divide them as follows:
- Spark Studio (Montessori Based)
For our youngest learners, aged between 3 and 6, we have a pure Montessori-based studio called the Spark Studio. - Elementary Studio
For our learners in grades 1 – 5. (We don’t have grades – but for the sake of explanation, it helps to have parity with traditional schools). - Middle School Studio
For learners in grades 6 – 8. - LaunchPad Studio
For learners in grades 9 – 12.
At Flourish, we deeply believe that every child that enters through our doors possesses a unique skill (or a set of skills).
If these skills are discovered and honed, they would be in a position to make a serious dent in the world. Whether this is in the field of science, math, technology, literature, art, choreography, sports — does not matter.
Given enough time and practice, our learners can be world-class in their chosen fields and change the world.
We operate on a ten-month calendar which is similar to most schools in Maharashtra, India – but our flexible program allows families to travel together during the year, without sacrificing any learning.
Yes.
Please watch Sugata Mitra’s excellent TED talk called “A Hole in the Wall” to see how children (just like adults) can teach themselves without needing help from other adults.
A traditional classroom generally comprises of a number of desks facing a blackboard where a teacher stands and delivers a lecture.
The children are encouraged to maintain discipline and focus on what the teacher is lecturing.
A studio at Flourish is an environment set up where students can collaborate with one other easily and also be able to double down and focus on their own work as required.
There are no blackboards, and you’ll never see a guide around once the launch is done.
Think of a “startup” for children. High energy. Everyone knows what they are supposed to do.
A lot of collaboration and teamwork.
We serve children from grades Pre-K to 12.
At present, for the year 2023-24, we have a Spark Studio (ages 3 – 7), an Elementary Studio (grades 1 – 5) and a Middle School Studio (grades 6 – 8).
As our learners grow, the school will grow with them, and we will eventually start a high school called Launchpad serving our Eagles between grades 9 – 12.
Flourish is not affiliated with any board in India, nor does it ever aspire to.
The way Flourish approaches learning would not be possible if we were to affiliate with any board in the country.
Flourish is a partner school of the Acton Academy, Austin and shares processes and best practices with 275+ (as of May 2020) parent-run Acton Academies around the world.
Flourish is also accredited by the IALDS (International Association of Learner Driven Schools).
Unfortunately, not at the moment.
Being a small school, we are unable to offer transportation services.
However, all our Eagles are currently carpooling with peers that stay close to them.
And a few other parents have gotten together and started their van service.
So, these are the transportation options available to you today.
Yes!
Our art program is learner-driven and changes with every session. Eagles spend 3 hours a week on an Art program.
Some of our recent art challenges have been around comic book illustrations, creating pop-up cards, calligraphy, nature-journalling, etc.
Also, every session (six weeks) will have a public exhibition – so you would be able to experience what our young artists have been working on for that session.
Even though we offer a great PE program at Flourish, the size of our school at present does not lend itself well to team sports.
However, we encourage and make it easy for students to enrol in team sports with local clubs in Pune.
If you study curriculum across the world, you will soon realise that we teach more or less the same thing around the globe.
Some curriculums may align the progression of some subjects differently to another curriculum.
To answer the question – No. We do not follow an American curriculum.
Our students are free to choose their own learning paths (and most of them easily surpass any set curriculum).
However, being in Pune, we will try to align to the Maharashtra State as much as possible.
This is so that it is easy for students to move from Flourish and join a traditional school (if they choose to).
However, across the Acton schools, it is quite common for students to jump 2-3 grade levels every year. So at that point, the curriculum does not hold a lot of weight.
At Flourish, students are assessed daily. Students are encouraged to use any tool to understand and learn a concept, and once they are confident, they are invited to prove their mastery via a set process.
There is no formal examination, and students choose to be evaluated whenever they feel confident.
In addition to this, students are also tracked on the effort they put into their learning. They are awarded points for spending time trying to master a particular concept.
More than the syllabus and curriculum, we at Flourish aspire that our children pick up processes and systems which will make them successful in life.
Our young learners are in charge of their learning. They set their own SMART goals and try hard to achieve them.
They celebrate failure. They learn to work productively in teams – with people both older and younger than them.
From middle school onwards, our students take on real-world apprenticeships at local businesses which they secure themselves.
All of these skills and discipline will ensure that your children will not only be able to compete, but also surpass any challenge that life throws at them.
While we do not teach to an examination or an entrance test, our students have access to the best experts in any field they choose to pursue and will be assisted by us in whichever way possible.
As such, they will have the best tools and systems in place to achieve whatever they set their sights to.
No.
While we expose children to the importance of mindful spirituality we do not promote any religion.
Lord John Emerich Edward Dahlberg Acton (1834-1902) was a Victorian scholar of Freedom who saw liberty not as a license, but as the freedom to do what was right. He was suspicious of power for the sake of power, which led to his most famous quote: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Being a part of the Acton Academy network, we celebrate his defence of economic, political and religious freedom.