'I love the four-day week... it's helped' Pupils on London school's quiet revolution

A small independent school on the fringes of a National Trust park in Morden, south London, a quiet revolution is under way.

- Sally Weale

Lessons are held in yurt-style tents, or "dens," dotted around the three-acre site; everyone is on first-name terms, mental health is a cornerstone of the curriculum and, perhaps most controversially, pupils are only required to come to school four days a week.

Liberty Woodland school, for children aged four to 16, is one of a small number of schools in England experimenting with the traditional timetable for pupils and teachers in response to concerns about children's mental health and a shortage of teachers.

The school week at Liberty Woodland may be shorter, but the days are longer. Instead of 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday, the school day starts at 8.30am and ends at 4.40pm, with no school on Fridays for pupils. Teachers, however, are expected to work, supporting children online with any outstanding work as well as getting on with planning and marking.

The school opened its primary phase in 2019 and five years later a small secondary school opened, with fees rising to just under £7,000 a term this month after VAT is added, in line with Labour's manifesto commitment.

Pupils say they felt overwhelmed at their old schools, with large classes and strict rules. Families often choose Liberty Woodland because it emphasizes wellbeing.