In 2000, a group of committed teachers and parents seeking an alternative to the traditional exam-based curriculum came together to start The ALFA Project, believing that Active Learning for Adolescents would not only help their children succeed on examinations, but also in life. Since then, ALFA has been offering a full-time experiential education for 12-17 year olds in the East Clare Area. and beyond.
Milestones
2000 ― A group of parents from a variety of backgrounds meet to discuss the possibility of an alternative approach to secondary education for their children. The group carries out research on different approaches to education from around the world. After 20 months of weekly meetings, The ALFA Project was launched.
2001 -2002 ― In a log cabin with no electricity or running water, ALFA opens its doors to a group of 12 students. Modernizing the school provides the perfect opportunity for authentic learning and during the first two years, students are able to apply book knowledge from core subjects to help transform the rudimentary log cabin into a modern school house. Students built a windmill to provide electricity and devised a ram pump to deliver water to the cabin.
2002 ― The founding group of parents and supporters become the sponsors and directors of the limited company, Ard Aoibhinn Community Initiatives Ltd., The company, which has charitable status, supports groups that work in innovative ways for the greater good of the East Clare community. Currently, Ard Aoibhinn supports ALFA, Fishbowl Youth Club and Camphill Community Mountshannon.. Each group is represented by Directors on the board of Ard Aoibhinn.
2010 ― The ALFA Project and Raheen Wood Steiner National School form a partnership to create a strong foundation for Steiner Secondary Education. The first phase of ALFA's building plan is set in motion.
2013 ― The ALFA community erect the first classroom on their new woodland site at Raheen Wood.
2015 ― A generous donation from Software AG Stiftung is announced providing the funds to build a second classroom. A campaign to raise an additional €10,000 in matching funds is successful, and the new room opens in September 2016.
2001 -2002 ― In a log cabin with no electricity or running water, ALFA opens its doors to a group of 12 students. Modernizing the school provides the perfect opportunity for authentic learning and during the first two years, students are able to apply book knowledge from core subjects to help transform the rudimentary log cabin into a modern school house. Students built a windmill to provide electricity and devised a ram pump to deliver water to the cabin.
2002 ― The founding group of parents and supporters become the sponsors and directors of the limited company, Ard Aoibhinn Community Initiatives Ltd., The company, which has charitable status, supports groups that work in innovative ways for the greater good of the East Clare community. Currently, Ard Aoibhinn supports ALFA, Fishbowl Youth Club and Camphill Community Mountshannon.. Each group is represented by Directors on the board of Ard Aoibhinn.
2010 ― The ALFA Project and Raheen Wood Steiner National School form a partnership to create a strong foundation for Steiner Secondary Education. The first phase of ALFA's building plan is set in motion.
2013 ― The ALFA community erect the first classroom on their new woodland site at Raheen Wood.
2015 ― A generous donation from Software AG Stiftung is announced providing the funds to build a second classroom. A campaign to raise an additional €10,000 in matching funds is successful, and the new room opens in September 2016.
school models and teacher training that informed our curriculum
School Models
Teacher Training
- The Hibernia School in Hierne in the Ruhr region in Germany, which combines practical apprenticeships with Steiner/Waldorf education, with an emphasis on work placements in the last 2 years of school. This approach was highlighted by UNESCO as promoting lifelong learning, and certainly many of the students went on to develop their careers in different directions by retraining in new fields.
- The Met School in Rhode Island, USA, part of the Big Picture Company approach to schooling. There the students have a personal education plan and are placed in workplaces, internships, in the community for their education, with a workplace mentor and a teacher/advisor to help them work through their learning plans and meet the goals that they with their parents, advisor, and mentor have set.
- The Waldorf College, Stroud, England, an education project for 16- 18 year olds.
- Ruskin Mill College of Further Education, an inspiration on how to develop a unique curriculum over years.
Teacher Training
- The Hiram Trust, UK has been working with schools and teachers to promote experiential learning by developing activity in the ‘outdoor classroom’, that is the school grounds. Our teachers were trained in the practical skills needed to make use of the environment and build a learning programme around the crafts from raw material to finished product.
- Linda Fryer has pioneered new ways of working with adolescents. She led training courses for Alfa tutors and parents two years running..
