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What Makes Cooperative Schools Distinctive?​

Cooperative schools aren't just another educational approach—they're a considered reimagining of learning that recognises education's deeper purpose: developing human potential and creating a more equitable society.

While traditional models often reduce learning to 'knowing more and remembering more', cooperative schools understand that education is fundamentally about human development. We're not interested in producing 'cheerful robots' primed for a competitive knowledge economy. Instead, we aim to cultivate whole individuals—intellectually, culturally, and critically.

Our approach is grounded in robust cooperative values:

  • Personal responsibility - self-help and self-responsibility

  • Genuine democratic participation

  • Meaningful equality and increasing equity

  • Solidarity with our communities and broader social challenges

At the heart of a cooperative school is a straightforward yet powerful belief: every member's perspective matters. We don't simply educate students; we create learning communities where everyone—pupils, staff, families—actively contributes to the educational experience. This isn't mere rhetoric; it's a commitment to preparing young people for meaningful civic engagement.

We see schools and their trusts as more than exam factories. They are anchor institutions deeply connected to their communities, fostering genuine belonging, and true inclusion. Our commitment extends to supporting every young person, particularly those who may be marginalised.

Cooperative schools ask serious questions: What does meaningful learning look like? How do we develop not just knowledgeable individuals, but thoughtful, engaged citizens capable of addressing complex social challenges?

Our answer is embedded in everything we do—from designing learning experiences to making collective decisions. We create spaces of genuine dialogue, where listening is as crucial as speaking, and where collaboration is a fundamental value, not just a pedagogical technique.

In cooperative schools, membership matters, and this means democratic participation matters.

 

Reflecting, Questioning, Acting: Your Cooperative School Experience

Our approach isn't about grand gestures, but practical, meaningful change. We're suggesting something quietly radical: schools that look familiar but that behave differently, where everyone's contribution genuinely matters.

Reflections:

  • What small shifts could make a real difference in our school?

  • Where are we inadvertently reinforcing old, unhelpful hierarchies?

  • How might we listen more, and assume less?

Practical Next Steps:

  1. Create one new space for genuine dialogue with young people

  2. Challenge one existing decision-making process and its inclusiveness

  3. Map our school's real community connections

  4. Talk to colleagues about what cooperative learning could look like in practice

This isn't about revolutionising education overnight. It's about thoughtful, incremental change - bringing cooperative values to life.​

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Schools Cooperative Society (Coop Schools) registered office:

Kelvin Hall School, Bricknell Avenue, Hull, East Yorkshire, HU5 4QH

Telephone: 01482 347264  Email: info@coopschools.uk

National Director: Lee Phillips Email: lphillips@coopschools.uk 

©2023 by Coop Schools

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