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Not your typical secondary school: Open Air Education launches Year 7 Upper School

What if Year 7 didn’t mean crowded corridors, exam pressure and sitting still all day?

This September, Open Air Education is launching its Upper School for Year 7, a new kind of secondary experience where young people spend as much time outdoors as indoors, use AI tutors to personalise their learning and explore creativity and sport as seriously as maths and science.

“Parents tell us they worry about their child being swallowed up by the system in traditional secondary schools,” said Hannah Atkinson, head teacher and founder.

“We’ve built something different. Our Year 7s won’t just prepare for exams; they’ll prepare for life.”

What makes it different?

• Learning without walls – outdoor learning is built into the timetable, giving students nature-rich experiences that boost wellbeing, resilience and teamwork.
• Personal pathways – AI tutors and small class sizes mean every child is seen, stretched and supported.
• Sport and creativity at the core – not extras, but equal partners to academic subjects, helping young people discover passions and talents.
• Global outlook – through the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP), students learn to think critically, act responsibly and see themselves as changemakers.

The Upper School extends Open Air Education’s bold, progressive philosophy from the early years and primary into adolescence, offering parents an alternative to “business as usual” secondary education.

Launch event in October

Families are invited to see the vision in action at Open Air Education’s Upper School Launch Event, where teachers, students and parents will share what makes the new Year 7 different, and why it matters.

Hannah added: “We want our Upper School to spark curiosity, not crush it.

“This is a place where young people can grow into confident, creative and compassionate learners ready for a future that isn’t written yet.”

About Open Air Education

Open Air Education is a new independent school rethinking what education looks like in the 21st century.

Blending the EYFS, National Curriculum, and IB Middle Years Programme with outdoor learning,entrepreneurship, project based learning, wellbeing and personalised teaching, the school empowers children to thrive from their first day in Reception to their final project in Upper School.

Find out more about Open Air Education in an interview with Hannah in our sister publication, N, here.

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