We discovered that what children need has always been known.
The Ard Collective is something older and something newer than conventional schooling, both at the same time.
A year at Ard is shaped by ten questions.
Children explore these questions through conversations, projects, fieldwork and immersion weeks.
What did those before us understand that we have forgotten?
How does where we live shape who we are?
What do we owe each other in how we produce and consume?
What is the natural world trying to tell us?
What does it mean to make something with care?
What does it mean to hold power, and what does it ask of you?
Who am I?
What do I owe the people around me?
How do I become someone I can live with, in body and soul?
How do I hold what is hard?
01 / 10
Fourteen habits
Lived every day
Lived every day
Lived every day
Lived every day
Habits of the Heart
Who a child is becoming
Pause Before You React
Pause Before You React
Keep Peace Inside and Out
Keep Peace Inside and Out
Speak to Build, Not Break
Speak to Build, Not Break
Belong and Contribute
Belong and Contribute
Remain Curious
Remain Curious
Stay Steady in Struggle
Stay Steady in Struggle
Give Back More Than You Take
Give Back More Than You Take
Choose What Lasts
Choose What Lasts
Habits of Learning
How it shows up in work
Arrive Ready to Learn
Arrive Ready to Learn
Show Up Consistently
Show Up Consistently
Ask Questions
Ask Questions
Work with Reverence
Work with Reverence
Set and Achieve Goals
Set and Achieve Goals
Understand Your Learning Deeply
Understand Your Learning Deeply
Returned to in circle, in conversation and in work, until they become who a child is.
Returned to in circle, in conversation and in work, until they become who a child is.
Returned to in circle, in conversation and in work, until they become who a child is.
Returned to in circle, in conversation and in work, until they become who a child is.
Stages of growth
Four stages, each its own community
Each stage responds to children’s changing needs, interests and growing independence.
بذر
Bary, the seed
Play, exploration and inquiry, with a gentle introduction to phonics.
جذر
Jidhr, the root
Strong academic basics, a warm community and room to discover what they love.
غصن
Ghusn, the branch
Self-paced learning with learning facilitators, and part of every week out in the city.
Opening first, in September 2027.
ثمر
Samar, the fruit
Self-paced learning, a capstone project mentored by someone working in the field, and a great deal of time out in the world.
01 / 04
بذر
Bary, the seed
Play, exploration and inquiry, with a gentle introduction to phonics.
جذر
Jidhr, the root
Strong academic basics, a warm community and room to discover what they love.
غصن
Ghusn, the branch
Self-paced learning with learning facilitators, and part of every week out in the city.
Opening first, in September 2027.
ثمر
Samar, the fruit
Self-paced learning, a capstone project mentored by someone working in the field, and a great deal of time out in the world.
02 / 04
بذر
Bary, the seed
Play, exploration and inquiry, with a gentle introduction to phonics.
جذر
Jidhr, the root
Strong academic basics, a warm community and room to discover what they love.
غصن
Ghusn, the branch
Self-paced learning with learning facilitators, and part of every week out in the city.
Opening first, in September 2027.
ثمر
Samar, the fruit
Self-paced learning, a capstone project mentored by someone working in the field, and a great deal of time out in the world.
03 / 04
بذر
Bary, the seed
Play, exploration and inquiry, with a gentle introduction to phonics.
جذر
Jidhr, the root
Strong academic basics, a warm community and room to discover what they love.
غصن
Ghusn, the branch
Self-paced learning with learning facilitators, and part of every week out in the city.
Opening first, in September 2027.
ثمر
Samar, the fruit
Self-paced learning, a capstone project mentored by someone working in the field, and a great deal of time out in the world.
04 / 04
بذر
Bary, the seed
Play, exploration and inquiry, with a gentle introduction to phonics.
جذر
Jidhr, the root
Strong academic basics, a warm community and room to discover what they love.
غصن
Ghusn, the branch
Self-paced learning with learning facilitators, and part of every week out in the city.
Opening first, in September 2027.
ثمر
Samar, the fruit
Self-paced learning, a capstone project mentored by someone working in the field, and a great deal of time out in the world.
01 / 04
بذر
Bary, the seed
Play, exploration and inquiry, with a gentle introduction to phonics.
جذر
Jidhr, the root
Strong academic basics, a warm community and room to discover what they love.
غصن
Ghusn, the branch
Self-paced learning with learning facilitators, and part of every week out in the city.
Opening first, in September 2027.
ثمر
Samar, the fruit
Self-paced learning, a capstone project mentored by someone working in the field, and a great deal of time out in the world.
02 / 04
بذر
Bary, the seed
Play, exploration and inquiry, with a gentle introduction to phonics.
جذر
Jidhr, the root
Strong academic basics, a warm community and room to discover what they love.
غصن
Ghusn, the branch
Self-paced learning with learning facilitators, and part of every week out in the city.
Opening first, in September 2027.
ثمر
Samar, the fruit
Self-paced learning, a capstone project mentored by someone working in the field, and a great deal of time out in the world.
03 / 04
بذر
Bary, the seed
Play, exploration and inquiry, with a gentle introduction to phonics.
جذر
Jidhr, the root
Strong academic basics, a warm community and room to discover what they love.
غصن
Ghusn, the branch
Self-paced learning with learning facilitators, and part of every week out in the city.
Opening first, in September 2027.
ثمر
Samar, the fruit
Self-paced learning, a capstone project mentored by someone working in the field, and a great deal of time out in the world.
04 / 04
A child who knows their Ard, who learns from it and feels responsible for it, is a child who knows who they are.
A child who knows their Ard, who learns from it and feels responsible for it, is a child who knows who they are.
A child who knows their Ard, who learns from it and feels responsible for it, is a child who knows who they are.
A child who knows their Ard, who learns from it and feels responsible for it, is a child who knows who they are.