Noughtcross Haus CIC, which was founded by Sarah Reichert and Nadine Fischer. Sarah and Nadine are also the initial facilitators and mentors of the learning community.

In its first year Noughtcross Haus is accepting applications for children between the ages of 5 and 11. However, this age rage will expand as we endeavour to support our community members during the entirety of their compulsory school age.

It its first year Noughtcross Haus will be open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, during Sheffield term times, from 9am until 3pm. As the project grows we plan to open a third day in the week.

Children at Noughtcross Haus can start as soon as they reach compulsory school age (5 years). The only prerequisite is that the children can exercise personal autonomy and are willing and able to to live within the community rules.

Noughtcross Haus opened its doors in September 2024.

In its first years Noughtcross Haus has ten spaces available.

We are currently fully booked and don’t accept visits from potential new community members. If you’d like to be added to our waiting list, please contact us through our contact form or send an email to [email protected]. When a potential space becomes available we will contact you for an opportunity to visit.

If you’d like to visit to potentially offer your services as volunteer facilitator, please contact us via our contact form or send an email to [email protected].

Noughtcross Haus is located in the Norfolk Park area in Sheffield. It is based in the downstairs rooms of a private home.

In its first year we ask participating families to pledge £160 per month per child to the community. Noughtcross Haus is committed to become an alternative education setting with low (and eventually no) financial barriers. Our aim is to raise most of the necessary funds through fundraisers and donations.

No, our attendance policies requires all community members to attend both days during term times. This is to ensure a smooth and efficient running of the community.

Send us an email [email protected] or use the contact form on this site with the subject ‘application pack’.

Noughtcross Haus is a community run by the community. We’d love for you to get involved.

If you’d like to support us financially, let us say thank you! and direct you to our crowdfunding page. You can make a one of donation or set-up regular support. Keep an eye out for our raffles and rewards!

If you’d like to volunteer as facilitator or illness cover please send us an email to [email protected].

If you have surplus resources you think we might benefit from such as craft materials, paper, sports equipment or music instruments etc. please send us an email to [email protected] with a list or pictures of your offerings. We appreciate your support!

Noughtcross Haus is a Community Interest Company committed to hosting and financing a self-directed learning community for electively home educated children. In the future we’d like to expand our offerings to other services that support families in Sheffield in their endeavour to provide alternative education.

Noughtcross Haus CIC is a community interest company that seeks to provide an alternative education in Sheffield. Primarily it hosts a learning community for electively home educated children. The CIC as such is predominantly concerned with the financing of the learning community and subsequent projects. The learning community as such is its own entity governed by the community assembly. It receives it funds through the CIC and is free to utilise them as it sees fit.

Our policies for safeguarding and child protection are outlined here. For any other policies, e.g. SEND or internet, technology and media safety please contact us directly via our contact form or email noughtcrosshaus@noughtcrosshaus

During their hours in the Noughtcross Haus learning community children are free to spend their time as they wish, so long as their actions do not infringe the rights and peace of anyone else in the community. Noughtcross Haus will provide a range of materials and opportunities for the learners, what that entails will be decided by the community assembly as well as the community facilitators and mentors as laid out in their roles and responsibilities.

The learning community will be managed by the Community Assembly, which will consist of all participating members – staff and pupils. In these meetings issues are debated and voted upon, such as budget, community rules and policies, staffing, facilities and more, with each member having an equal vote. The decades long experience of other democratic educational settings around the world, backs our beliefs that even the youngest members, when asked to make real impactful, meaningful decisions can be trusted to make them for their own and the community’s benefit.

Alongside the community assembly, a judicial committee, consisting of students and staff members, will deal with any rule breaks or conflicts that might occur. The committee will be charged to understand the truth and find justice for all members involved.

No, Noughtcross Haus is not a school. The learning community is a part-time setting supplementing the learning taking place at home and elsewhere for electively home educated children. The responsibility for providing a full-time education remains with the parents.

No, the learning community is self-directed and thus does not follow the national or another previously laid out curriculum. However, our setting utilises approaches from educational philosophies such as Montessori and Reggio Emilia to continuously assess and adapt the learning space to meet the needs and interest of the community members.

Noughtcross Haus follows the long standing tradition of democratically organised educational settings such as Summerhill in Suffolk, England and Sudbury Valley in Massachutes, US where students remain responsible for their own education. Thus our key principles are self-directed learning, democracy and community. At Noughtcross Haus we believe that meaningful learning can only happen when the learner is happy and interested. We endeavour to provide a space that allows each learner in the community to feel safe and supported in their physical and emotional being as well as in the pursuit of their interests. To organise such a place in a fair and community orientated manner all aspects are governed through democratic procedures by all members.