About Finding the Flex
We see a future where all the adults with a duty of care can work together, responding to the needs of individual children and fostering a more inclusive, compassionate and effective education system.
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Our mission is to support local authorities and schools in enabling access to flexischooling for more children so they learn and thrive.
Did you know...
Headteachers have the discretion to allow children to be educated in school part time and at home or elsewhere part time.
Flexischooling allows schools and families to work together, co-creating arrangements that prioritise robust mental health and better meet the educational needs of children.
All OFSTED comments on flexischooling arrangements have been positive.
Schools retain full funding for children who are flexischooled.
20.7% of UK school children were persistently absent in 2022/23. Part time schooling is already happening.
Why flexischooling?
Flexischooling offers schools and families freedom to better meet the educational and mental health needs of children, particularly those who struggle with the demands of full-time school.
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Flexischooling allows the adults with a duty of care to collaborate in co-creating arrangements that allow children to thrive, not just survive, in education.
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Flexischooling enables families to be more involved in their children's education.
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Flexischooling has proven benefits for many neurodivergent children and those with a SEND profile.
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Flexischooling means children can have more autonomy over what they learn and where they learn it, increasing their educational engagement and overall happiness.
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Flexischooling alleviates pressure on teachers and school leaders by giving them more freedom to make decisions that are truly in the best interests of children - requiring less, not more of school staff.
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Flexischooling introduces lightness and possibility when a child is suffering with school.
Flexischooling: parents can ask for it and headteachers can support it. It’s an available option in the best interests of some children and Finding the Flex can help you to make it happen.
Our story
Founded in 2024, Finding the Flex was established to raise awareness of flexischooling and provide more children with access to this arrangement. Our focus is on bridging the gap between families seeking flexischooling and schools that often lack the information to offer it.
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Led by former secondary school teacher, Sarah Sudea – a parent and coach specialising in school attendance challenges – Finding the Flex combines firsthand teaching experience with an in-depth understanding of the struggles families face when school isn’t working for their children. This includes reconciling the demands of a rigid education system with the need for flexible solutions to meet diverse student needs.
​​Finding the Flex acknowledges the elephant in the room: children and young people increasingly cite school, as the source of their unhappiness. The knock-on effects of this are also felt by school staff, education professionals and parents and carers.
Bolstered by the rise in home education communities and online learning options, flexischooling has never been more accessible or more necessary.
But for it to deliver the promised benefits, it requires knowledge and commitment from families, schools, Multi-Academy Trusts and local authorities.
That’s where Finding the Flex comes in…
Sarah Sudea
BA, MA, PGCE
Our work in the education sector
We devise flexischooling policies for local authorities and multi academy trusts, giving headteachers the backup they need to enable flexischooling in their settings.
We provide schools with practical blueprints to ensure their flexischooling arrangements have the biggest positive impact on children, families and staff.
We offer a range of additional services to professionals including free downloadable resources, advice and webinars.
Our work with families
We provide support to parents and carers who want to find out if flexischooling is right for their families.
We offer free, downloadable resources and signposting to useful online groups
We run webinars offering advice to parents and carers on how best to approach schools to ask for flexischooling
Sarah runs a limited number of family coaching sessions each month.
Contact
For specific queries relating to flexischooling, please send us a message via X (formerly Twitter) or LinkedIn, or fill out the form below.