We see a future where schools, families and local authorities work together to meet the needs of individual children and strengthen inclusion across the education system.
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Our mission is to help local authorities and schools develop safe, effective approaches to flexischooling and educational flexibility.
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 famlies to work together, co creating arrangements that better meet the educational and wellbeing needs of some children.
Published Ofsted reports have consistently described flexischooling arrangements positively where they are well planned and appropriately monitored.
Schools retain full funding for children who are flexischooled.
Nearly one in five pupils in England were persistently absent in 2024/25. Part time schooling is already happening.
Why flexischooling?
Flexischooling creates opportunities for schools and families to work together differently, responding to the needs of individual children while keeping them connected to education.
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Flexischooling can:
• support children who struggle with the demands of full-time schooling, including many with a neurodivergent or SEND profile
• strengthen partnerships between schools and families, increasing family involvement in children's education
• provide a practical way of maintaining participation in education for some children at risk of disengagement
• create opportunities for more personalised learning experiences, increasing autonomy, engagement and motivation
• add an option to the toolkit for school staff to make child-centred decisions that are responsive to individual circumstances
• strengthen inclusion by widening the range of ways children can successfully access education
• provide an alternative to the binary choice between full-time school and leaving school altogether
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Parents can ask for flexischooling and headteachers have the discretion to approve it. Finding the Flex helps schools, trusts and local authorities develop arrangements that are safe, practical and child-centred.
Our story
Founded in 2024, Finding the Flex was established to bridge the gap between families seeking greater flexibility in education and schools that often lack the information, confidence or support to provide it.
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Led by former secondary school teacher Sarah Sudea, Finding the Flex combines firsthand experience of schools with a deep understanding of the challenges families face when school is not working for their child. Sarah's work as a parent and coach specialising in school attendance challenges has further shaped the organisation's focus on practical, child-centred solutions.
One theme emerges time and again: the challenge of reconciling the demands of a rigid education system with the need for flexible solutions that better meet diverse student needs.
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Children and young people increasingly report dissatisfaction with school, while schools face growing challenges around inclusion, attendance and wellbeing. At the same time, families have access to more educational options than ever before, creating new opportunities for schools and families to work together differently.
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Finding the Flex was born from the belief that, for some children, the choice should not be limited to either full-time school or leaving school altogether. Flexischooling already exists within the education system and, when thoughtfully implemented, can provide an alternative that keeps children connected to their school community while better meeting their individual needs.
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But successful flexischooling requires clear policies, practical implementation guidance and confidence that arrangements are safe, sustainable and in the best interests of children.
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That's where Finding the Flex comes in...
Sarah Sudea
BA, MA, PGCE
Our work in the education sector
We develop flexischooling policies, implementation frameworks and workflow processes for local authorities and multi academy trusts, helping them manage risk, strengthen governance and support safe implementation across their schools.
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We provide schools with practical guides, tools and resources to ensure their flexischooling arrangements have the greatest positive impact on children, families and staff.
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We offer a range of additional services to professionals, including free downloadable resources, advice and training.
Support for families
We provide guidance for 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 £30 for 30 minute troubleshooting sessions for parents and carers wanting tailored support navigating flexischooling conversations with schools.
Sarah runs a limited number of family coaching sessions each month.
Advisory Group
The Finding the Flex Advisory Group brings together educators and parents with experience of the challenges and benefits flexischooling brings. All are commited to:
Our Vision: improving outcomes for children by widening access to educational flexibility.
Our Mission: better meeting children's individual needs while reducing burdens for school staff and ensuring equitable access to flexibility.
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Their role is to guide and strengthen our work, combining a clear understanding of what needs to change with practical knowledge of what works in real-world settings.
Emma Quartey
Emma Quartey is an accomplished senior leader in education with 20 years of experience, specializing in safeguarding, special educational needs (SEN), mental health, and curriculum. She has held senior leadership positions at three mainstream secondary schools in inner London, including those of Deputy Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
Throughout her leadership career she has played a key role in shaping curriculum strategy and leading initiatives focused on student welfare and inclusion. Currently, Emma is Head of Education, SENCo, and DSL at the Young Women’s Hub in Lewisham, where she leads on the development of educational provision for vulnerable young women who cannot access mainstream education. Her leadership is driven by a commitment to creating inclusive and supportive environments that improve both academic outcomes and student well-being.
Jessica Davies
Jess is an experienced educator with over a decade of teaching experience, and passion for supporting children's mental health and emotional literacy. In her role as a Flexischool Coordinator, she is dedicated to promoting a flexible, child-centered education, bridging the gap between traditional schooling and personalised learning approaches.
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As the founder of an education business, Jess works alongside professionals who extend support to families beyond the classroom, providing guidance on early years development, different learning approaches, and school transitions. Inspired by her own personal experience as a parent, Jess has deepened her expertise in fostering positive early learning experiences, ensuring that children feel confident and supported throughout their educational journey.
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Through a holistic and child-centered approach, Jess is committed to empowering both students and families, advocating for a more flexible and nurturing education system.
Dr Isobel Pryor-Nitsch
Dr Isobel Pryor-Nitsch is an Educational Psychologist with a specialist research interest in flexischooling and its implications for inclusion, wellbeing, and alternative educational pathways. Her doctoral research at the University of Sheffield explored the lived experiences of families engaged in flexischooling arrangements, highlighting how these approaches can support inclusion and wellbeing in education.
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Before qualifying as an Educational Psychologist, Isobel worked as a teacher with a background in the creative arts. She has extensive experience across secondary and post-16 education as an educator, pastoral lead, and learning coach. Her professional background also includes roles in educational research, SEND coordination for a local authority, and quality assurance with the Department for Education.
James Harris
My commitment is to the children and young people who "go down the gaps" of our education system. I have 35 years of experience in education, including the headship of two secondary schools. I remain a practising teacher (part-time) as that is at the heart of my professional identity - all our strategy and policy arguments must be rooted in experience and practice. I am involved in a number of interesting lines of work relating to inclusion and the ways in which education could or should be different. These include being the founder of the Finding Common Ground Project which provides a free service to help parents and carers communicate effectively with their child's secondary school. I am currently also an assessor for the Inclusion Quality Mark and an associate of nasen and KCA Training, helping to develop trauma-informed practice across the education sector. My skills include a wide understanding of the education sector alongside an ability to think strategically and communicate highly effectively. My particular expertise lies in the development of an inclusive culture and ethos within schools.
Katie Finlayson
A long term, 'first choice' home educator, Katie Finlayson has been involved in local and national peer support for over 15 years, alongside home educating her own four children through to GCSEs. She currently runs a local in-person social meet, and admins a national home educator support group of over 70,000 members, as well as local and subject-based groups for home educators studying for exams. Katie has conducted large scale surveys collecting the experiences of hundreds of home educators which she writes about at the 'Learn What You Live' substack.
She is also a trustee of the Home Educators' Qualifications Association, a member of the OCR EDIB Advisory board, and Chair of Governors at a small rural primary school in Wales which has experience of flexischooling arrangements.
Steve Bladon
I'm a former primary school teacher and headteacher, with 24 years' experience of class teaching and school leadership. I'm passionate about the world of education, passionate about making a difference and passionate about doing things differently in education.
When one of my daughters became consumed with an anxiety disorder and struggled to attend school, I found myself looking at attendance and vulnerability through a different lens.
In my life post-headship, I've begun a mission to both advocate for children's health and to change the way schools think about pivotal issues, such as attendance, anxiety and inclusion.