New principal explains why this free school is so special

Marchbank Free School, which has just opened in Darlington, challenges perceptions of what free schools are all about.

Not only is it the first special school to become a free school in the North-East but it is very much a project led by teachers rather than parents clamouring for a new school.

For Mandy Southwick, principal of Marchbank Free School, the opening is a dream come true.

A teacher since 1995 and a teacher in special schools since 2000, Mrs Southwick was head of the Stephenson Centre - part of Beaumont Hill special school in Darlingtons Education Village - for the last six years.

She and her colleagues, working with Darlington Borough Councils education department, were aware that the growth in demand for special education in the town was putting pressure on existing facilities.

"We recognised there was a growing need for more places, particularly for early years children," says Mrs Southwick.

With spending on mainstream state schools tightly controlled there seemed few options.

However, when, in 2010, the Education Secretary Michael Gove published a list of Department for Education buildings which were surplus to requirements - which included the former Teachers Pension Agency office in Mowden Hall - Mrs Southwick and her colleagues saw there was an opportunity to do something.

"When we saw that Mowden Hall was on the list we came and had a look around. We couldnt believe how perfect it would be," says Mrs Southwick.

"Apart from providing a lot more room we always wanted an area that had more outdoor provision. We have believed for a long time that children with this nature of difficulty really benefit from outdoor education," she says.

Before opening up the new school Mrs Southwick and her staff were involved in running what are know as forest schools for six years.

"Being in a natural, woodland environment has an immediate beneficial effect on children and we now have lots of green space and woodland at Marchbank," the principal adds.

Deputy principal Harriet Emmerson works with pupils John Nicholson, eight, left, and Jake Davenport, ten

Working closely with the local education authority - Labour-controlled Darlington Borough Council - the Education Village made an application for a share in state funding to set up Darlingtons first free school.

Fortunately, the Education Funding Agency accepted the application.

"What really worked in our favour was the size of the rooms. They lend themselves to our small class sizes and cuts down the cost of adapting a listed building," says Mrs Southwick.

When Mowden Hall was handed over to the Education Village Academy Trust - which already runs four state-funded academies in Darlington - the new tenants found that the impressive former mansion - built in 1862 for Edwin Lucas Pease - was in good condition and could be adapted very quickly as a school.

In a way, that is not surprising because between 1935 and 1939 the building was used as Mowden Hall preparatory school.

In a nod to history, the new school is named after Frank Marchbank, who founded the original school, to distinguish it from the modern Mowden Hall preparatory school which is in Northumberland these days.

Since then, the hall has had a chequered history, serving as an army base during the war, an office for a foundry and an egg packing factory until it was taken over by the DfE in 1966. Mrs Southwick explains that the Marchbank project has been "very much driven by our teachers. They were all on board and very keen right from the start."

She says they have been "very lucky" that their plans to set up a free school on the edge of Darlington have not stirred up opposition.

"We just havent had that. Our local education authority is working with us and we have not had opposition from local residents."

Mrs Southwick says there have been some concerns about parking but local residents seem pleased that the empty mansion is going to be put to positive use.

So far the new school has 18 pupils classified as having behavioural, emotional or social difficulties (known as BESD) with a plan to expand up to 30 within a year or two.

Small classes are the norm in schools like Marchbank and typically a class will have six or seven children taught by a specialist teacher and teaching assistant.

Currently the schools staff consists of the principal, three teachers, four teaching assistants and four support staff -including a cook.

Mrs Southwick is very happy that the modern kitchen - housed in the former butlers pantry - is used to produce fresh, locally-sourced high quality food for the children.

"Nurture from food is really important. It is central to our ethos and everything is cooked fresh every day," she says.

More than anything, the principal is excited by the scope for out-door teaching provided by the Halls extensive gardens and woodland.

"Every class will do forest school. It is a year round curriculum which teaches children about the seasons, flora and fauna," the principal explains.

"We also teach mindfulness, how to calm down, relax and appreciate the moment and how to appreciate stillness."

Mandy Southwick, principal of Marchbank Free School

As part of that outdoor programme, some of the children are learning about the Romans by building a structure in the woods.

"The children put their coats and wellies on and go out to play at lunchtime and breaks regardless of the weather."

As a free school, Marchbank is funded directly by the Department for Education.

But unlike mainstream Darlington schools, Marchbank is able to take children from a wider area.

"Children can come to us from anywhere. We have children from County Durham and North Yorkshire and the LEA in each area pays us a top-up fee per pupil."

The school will soon have its own vegetable garden - "the cook is planning to make our own bramble and apple pie" - and hens.

While it is early days Mrs Southwick says her staff are very optimistic about the schools future.

"I feel absolutely privileged that all my dreams have become reality. This is one of Mr Goves good ideas and we have embraced it."