Welcome to POP Hove!
A Learning Hub built to serve elective home-educated learners in Brighton & Hove and not a rigid curriculum in sight! Two half-days a week, one outstanding venue and a future-focused lens on self-directed, project-based learning. Welcome to POP (Pursuit of Progress) Hove!
POP Hove Information
The Space: A Hub of Possibilities
The venue is in Western Hove in an accessible, well-equipped building. Learners will have access to:
- A fully-equipped kitchen
- A large table (seats at least 12 people)
- A comfortable seating area (with other areas available)
- A number of outdoor spaces with table tennis tables
- Accessible toilets
- A quiet ‘studio’ space, if needed
The Weekly Rhythm At POP Hove…
- Mondays @ 1.00pm – 4.00pm: Project Sprints, Topical discussions, Creative Labs & Self-expression
- Wednesdays @ 10.30am – 1.30pm: Project Sprints, Topical discussions, Creative Labs & Self-expression
Optional Extras
Field trips, remote collaboration, passion-projects, pop-up events, parent skill-shares, hackathons, local festival takeovers and more. Participation is optional and there may be additional fees in addition to core Hub Days.
What Happens At POP Hove…
- Project Sprints – work on a self-directed project; get support from our experienced team of facilitators when needed.
- Discussions & Debates – tackle thorny topics, practise constructive disagreement, learn to defend (or dismantle) an idea without turning sparring partners into enemies; these sessions will be guided by an experienced facilitator.
- Creative Labs – photography, mixed-media, cooking & visual techniques; turn “I had an idea” into “Here, look at this!”
- Self-expression – have a go at acting, public speaking, music-making, songwriting and even stand-up comedy.
- Business & Entrepreneurship – business guidance including branding sprints, budgeting, micro-venture testing and more.
- Wildcard Tracks – Learner-proposed projects and activities; we’re always open to suggestions.
What It Costs To Participate In POP Hove…
Core Subscriptions for Regulars
POP Standard
- Who it fits: Most families
- Access: Both POP sessions every week (≈ 8/month)
POP Sibling+
- Who it fits: 2+ learners
- Access: POP Standard for 1st learner; c. 20% discount for each additional learner
POP Sponsored Seat
- Who it fits: Local companies, charities, philanthropic/high net worth individuals
- Access: 1 sponsored learner place
POP Credits For Irregular Schedules
10-credit Flex
- How it works: 1 credit = one half-day session.
- Expiry: 3 months
- Terms: Credits are transferable between siblings but not refundable.
5-credit Flex
- How it works: 1 credit = one half-day session.
- Expiry: 1 month
- Terms: Credits are transferable between siblings but not refundable.
Last-minute Day Pass
£35 per half-day session, bookable only if seats are available.
The Launch Sequence
Summer Pilot: Try It, Shape It!
We’ll be hosting a number of pilot sessions this summer to experiment with social chemistry, answer your questions, shape the vision and practise shared decision-making:
- Families in the room – learners share their views, parents join after, and everyone votes on the priorities.
- Pilot activities – experimental activities & ideas to surface what works (and what doesn’t) before a full September launch.
- Feedback loops – every pilot session ends with debriefs for feedback, learning and improvement.
September Onwards: Your Hub, Your Ecosystem…
By the autumn term, the Brighton & Hove Hub aims to be at full stride: learners bring their self-directed projects, deeper community partnerships are in progress, and a team of passionate and experienced facilitators will be ready to support their growth.
Claim A Pilot Spot
We’re capping the pilot at 15 young people (ages 12-17) plus their families.
Want to take part? Select your preferred session below and click the button to secure your spot. Once we’ve confirmed your spot, we’ll send you the pilot schedule and what to expect.
Session 1: Monday 7th July, 2pm-4pm
Session 2: Wednesday 9th July, 10am-12pm
Questions & Answers
1. What ages can join?
We’re opening the pilot to 12–17-year-olds. Younger siblings can tag along to any designated family sessions scheduled, but core hub sessions focus on pre-teen to mid-teen learners. This is a drop-off programme.
2. Is this a full-time school?
No. Two half-days a week lands us well under the 18-hours-per-week threshold that defines a “full-time” school in England. That means we aren’t registered with OFSTED as a school; parents have full legal responsibility for their child’s education.
3. Do I have to de-register my child from their current school to take part?
The Brighton & Hove hub is designed for families who have a strong and clear educational philosophy and have intentionally chosen home education as a path for their children, possibly from the beginning (or at least from a very early age). De-registration is necessary if you’re choosing to switch to full-time home education and all of the learners who currently attend are home educated full time, and therefore do not attend school.
4. What does “self-directed, project-based learning” really look like?
Learners bring their own projects (or we can support them to choose one), set their own goals and ‘ship’ something to go live in the world – a photo essay, a micro-business, a short film…whatever they choose. We have teens who are songwriters & performers, 3D-printing product designers, game designers and more.
5. Who are the facilitators and are they DBS-checked?
Every adult on-site holds an enhanced DBS. You can read more about the founding team and facilitators below. Backgrounds range from ex-teachers and entrepreneurs to actors and photographers. Deep experience matters; but so does the ability to say “I don’t know everything, let’s figure it out together” without flinching.
6. How do you handle safeguarding?
We follow the government’s Out-of-School Settings (OOSS) safeguarding code and have a full set of policies which you can read here.
7. My child has specific access needs. Will POP work for them?
At POP, we recognise that learners who belong to deliberately-disadvantaged groups often do not have fair and equal access to quality learning spaces.
Let us know what works (or what doesn’t) for your family and we’re happy to discuss accommodations together. If a need is beyond our competence, we’ll let you know and aim to signpost you to other places which might be able to support your learner instead.
8. How is ‘progress’ measured if there are no grades?
Progress is subjective and highly individual to each learner. Learners have the option to compile a digital portfolio: project briefs, iterations, peer critiques, client feedback, if they choose. Progress – and measuring it – can take many forms; we can discuss this with the learner (and their family), if this supports their goals.
9. Can my child still sit GCSEs or other exams?
Absolutely. Many home-educated students sit GCSEs as private candidates. We do not facilitate this as a Hub but we can point you to some excellent resources to research this yourself.
10. Will this count as work experience?
Yes, it can do. Some learners’ projects will hopefully involve real companies and organisations; learners can track their hours and outcomes as verifiable work-experience evidence – handy for higher education, apprenticeships and CVs.
11. What does it cost?
Summer pilot sessions will be low cost and payable on a per-session basis. From September, the fees will be payable as above.
12. How do POP sponsored seats work?
Anyone – a company, charity or individual – can purchase a POP sponsor seat; this can either be used to sponsor a specific learner of their choice or we will make it available to a learner in the community who needs it. The excess above the Standard fee is put into our bursary fund.
13. How does the bursary fund work?
5% of our profits are automatically put into the bursary fund, along with the excess fees from sponsored seats. For families who need financial support, we ask that you self-declare your income band to receive between 25% to 75% fee relief, paid from the bursary fund. Any unused bursary funds roll from term-to-term.
14. How are parents involved?
Parents can be involved in the following ways:
- Pilot input – families discuss what’s working every session and provide their feedback
- Skill-shares – if you can share something useful with learners, let us know!
Still have questions?
Email team@missionequality.org with your questions. We’ll give you straight answers; or admit we don’t know yet and invite you to help figure it out.
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Last updated: May 2025