👋 About SML Hub Liverpool

Who We Are

This journey didn’t start out with a grand plan, but was born out of necessity. It started when our children moved into adolescence, and the direction they wanted to take began to change. Having been home educators for over ten years already, we were used to creating wide ranging opportunities for them, which were often collaborated with external providers. But as things shifted, and these providers were unable to meet our needs, it was clear we were needing to adapt.

They had previously thrived with plentiful opportunities and spaces that wonderfully nurtured them in their younger years. But as our young people matured, these no longer seemed to meet their needs. The well-meaning providers tried, but simply didn’t have the experience, flexibility, or perhaps the motivation to adapt what they offered to meet the changing needs of this group of young people and we realised we shouldn’t expect them too.

The challenge for us though was what to do about it? This wasn’t isolated either, and after speaking to many other parents who were voicing the same concerns for their own children, the young people themselves thought about what was missing for them and shared their thoughts with us.

They expressed frustration, but with a great deal of hope, they said that what they longed for was a space truly designed for them. A place where they could learn, explore, and create alongside their peers without being told exactly what that should look like. They wanted to shape that space themselves, to be treated as equals, and to know that their voices genuinely mattered.

At first we tried everything we could to bridge the gap, arranging one-off sessions, putting work in with external providers to adapt their existing provisions. But even with the best intentions, most opportunities were designed with younger children in mind. Our older ones were asking for something that didn’t exist. At first, this realisation filled us with absolute panic. It felt like the clock was ticking and options running out.

Through conversations with them, and wider questioning, through the research and networking we did at educational festivals and conferences, the podcasts and discussions we came to understand that this wasn’t actually just our challenge; it was linked to a greater and wider gap in education.

In 2022, we travelled south together in search of answers and to attended the Summerhill Festival of Childhood in Suffolk, and the following year, we again headed south to visit the Freedom to Learn Conference at Sands School. Both trips, we met with incredibly inspiring educators, parents, and young people from across the entire globe, all working like us, tirelessly trying to reimagine the world of education. The passion, creativity, and commitment we witnessed was incredibly motivating, and we left with a deep appreciation for the life changing work these communities are doing. At the same time, we returned home more convinced than ever that we could and more importantly should do something to fill the gap in our local area.

We were certain we didn’t want to set up a school, nor did we see ourselves as facilitators. But we simply wanted what other parents did, to drop your children off somewhere they wanted to go, with the trust they will be nurtured in a space designed for them.

It was clearly a challenge: how could we create an environment that protected autonomy, encouraged peer learning, and enabled young people to steer their own journey?

This wasn’t an easy task but the answers began to emerge when we discovered something called “Self Managed Learning”, which was founded by Dr Ian Cunningham.

His method was originally developed with adults in the world of business, but realised the Self Managed Learning (SML) framework offered something radically different and something unique for young people too: It offered something we were looking for “structure without control”.

Dr Cunningham often uses the analogy of a glass to explain SML. A glass he says, has a rigid structure that allows it to hold something, but its true value lies in the empty space inside, which can be filled with whatever you choose. It is transparent, so you can see what’s there, and robust enough to withstand change. In the same way, learning structures should be rigid, transparent, robust, and above all, spacious, so that young people can fill them with what matters most to them. This became the inspiration for what we are building. A unique setting that listens first to the young people within it. A community where adolescents can design their own paths, their own experiences while being supported by their peers and a clear supportive structure. A place that allows them to be more of themselves, and helps them to grow.

Although this journey began with our own children, it grew to where it was not just about them. We have developed into a group of 18 different young people who are now shaping this journey together. Many of them took part in interviewing and selecting their mentors and we now belong to an inspiring team of people who have been willing to accept our shortcomings, celebrate our successes, and build something truly special alongside us as we work hard to get things right.

We have an incredibly supportive group of parents who placed their trust and patience in us, enabling us to run our first 12-week pilot, which gave us the opportunity to prove that this approach works in practice.

We are still at the very beginning of our journey. This is not a journey we expected to take, but it’s one we are deeply grateful to be on. The voices of young people led us here. Together, with the support of our mentors, and our young people and parents, we are held by a community while we continue working to fill in such a uncharted gap with something that will actually make a difference.