Hello,
I have spent a week or so grounding myself and my loved ones into the changing season.
The events in London this past weekend – a “Unite The Kingdom” rally organised by the most divisive man in Britain – have been deeply unsettling; feeling like you don’t belong in your own country requires a lot of ‘work’ to process. If you’ve been impacted by this too, I’m sending you love and strength.
Onwards…today, I’d like to share what’s been taking up a huge amount of my energy and focus over recent months, alongside the usual Mission Equality work I do…
The Uncomfortable Truth We Can’t Ignore
As I’ve been saying for years now: The education system isn’t broken, it’s working exactly as designed. The problem? It was designed for a world that no longer exists.
After months of bringing POP Hove to life (look out for a rebrand coming soon!), just two weeks in, we’re already proving there’s a better way to ‘do education differently.’ But getting here? That’s been quite the journey.
[If you’ve visited our website recently, you may know why this is a HUGE piece of the puzzle for the vision to build a viable alternative to capitalism].
The $500K Lesson That Changed Everything
Rewind to 5 years ago…
Picture this: The pandemic hits, everyone’s suddenly ‘homeschooling’, and I partnered with a worldschooling pro (4 kids, countless countries) to launch an EdTech startup.
Our progress was rapid:
💰 We raised over $500K in the first year.
📈 The team exploded from 3 to 30+ in just 3 months.
📚 We had over 130 learners within the first 6 months.
🌍 We attended the World Economic Forum to promote our vision for a ‘school of the future’.
Then came the spectacular crash. My co-founder mixing personal relationships with business decisions. Undisclosed conflicts. Blame shifting. Racism. The whole thing imploded…
Why I Never Put My Kids in “The System”
For 16 years, I’ve home-educated my own children (now 12 and 16). Not because I’m against teachers or schools, but because I refuse to put them into a system that prepares them for a world of work that’s already disappeared.
But here’s what I discovered about the UK home education scene:
The Reality Check
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Most families aren’t intentionally choosing it – they’re escaping a system that’s harming their children.
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Social and learning activities are typically parent-powered chaos – think herding cats, and the cats all have different opinions about a curriculum.
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Geographic lottery matters – the Nottingham home ed scene felt flaky and inconsistent; Brighton’s home ed community has a far more consistent vibe.
I spent years on the sidelines, taking my kids to activities, supporting the brave souls running them but I actively chose never to get heavily involved.
Until now.
Enter POP Hove: The Experiment That’s Working
For the past few months, my friends and I have been quietly building something different. Not another home ed group and nothing like school-at-home…
An incubator for teens to prepare them to THRIVE – not just survive – in the world they’ll be going into.
Just two weeks in, and we’re seeing something magical happen…Kids who were struggling in traditional settings are thriving. Parents who felt isolated are excited about building a real community. Learning that felt forced is becoming natural curiosity-driven, self-directed exploration.
What We’re Learning (And What’s Next)
This isn’t just about education, it’s about reimagining how humans learn, grow and prepare for an uncertain future. The old model prepared workers for an industrial age, we’re preparing creators, thinkers, problem-solvers and leaders for whatever comes next.
How We’re Actually Doing This
The Physical Revolution: Gone are the cramped community centres and borrowed church halls so familiar to home ed groups. We’re hosting our sessions in a beautifully designed, well-equipped venue that actually respects young people’s need for space and autonomy.
Freedom by Design: Our space empowers teens to move freely, choosing their own learning adventures. No bells, no set timetable, no forced transitions, no “sit still and listen” approaches. Just natural curiosity meeting well-designed learning activities for them to choose from, if they wish.
Real-World Skills That Matter: We’re taking the core competencies that have powered our work with organisations at Mission Equality and tailoring them specifically for teens – the emotional management, communication, leadership and collaboration skills that actually translate to future impact.
Bridging Dreams and Reality: We’re building genuine pathways into the world of work with strong ties to local businesses, inspiring entrepreneurs and real mentorship opportunities. We’re not just talking about “21st-century skills”, we’re showing them in action and how to hone and apply them to expand their worlds and their minds to all the possibilities that exist (and even ones that don’t, yet!).
The results? Just two weeks in, we’re seeing every sign that it’s working exactly as we hoped…and we might just be onto something!
The Revolution Is Personal
Every child deserves an education that sees their potential, not just their ability to conform. Every parent deserves support, not judgment. Every community deserves learning spaces that bring out the best in everyone.
POP Hove isn’t just our experiment, it’s proof of concept for a different future and a possible blueprint for doing education differently.
If you’re curious to hear more as we document this journey, hit reply and let me know what you’re most curious about.
The learning revolution doesn’t start in government buildings or corporate boardrooms. It starts with us.
Until next time,
Lea – Founder, Mission Equality
P.S. – If you’re in the Brighton/Hove area and want to see what we’re building, drop me a line. We love showing off what’s possible when you stop trying to fix the old system and start building the new one!