About Bamble
Bamble is an innovative alternative for home educated children in Norwich, Norfolk, running on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We opened in September 2023, and currently have spaces for children aged 6-10 years old (with a waiting list for the wider age range of 5-11).
Bamble is a place where nothing has to happen and anything can, and nothing about you is decided without you. With freedom comes responsibility. We hope you'd like to join us on this adventure! Keep reading to find out more...
We are based at 2nd Hellesdon Scout Centre, which has three acres of land to explore as well as indoor spaces including a study room, a kitchen and a big hall.
A place where nothing has to happen and anything can
The world is an amazing place! At Bamble, you can explore the world alongside friends and adults who are here to help you.
Nothing has to happen. This means that no-one is going to make you do anything that you don’t want to do. “Should”, “must”, “ought to”. These are words we don’t use. We make decisions together, taking everyone's feelings seriously, and we trust children to know what they need.
Anything can happen! If there is something you want to learn about or do, there might be books we can read, places we can go, videos we can watch, people we can talk to, or someone else in the group could share what they know. There is a meeting every morning where you can share your plans for the day, and hear other people’s plans.
The adults are called facilitators. We are here to help you if you ask for help, to look out for you and to explore the world alongside you. We get to know what you like and don’t like, what you find easy and difficult, and we help solve problems when they come up.
With freedom comes responsibility... when you sign up to come to Bamble, you agree to look after one another, yourself and the space that we’re in.
Nothing about you without you
You will have a say in the decisions that affect you and if you disagree with something, you can say so, and we can try to find a better way. Examples might be: where we go on a group trip, how we spend our budget (money for activities and equipment), who we invite into the space for activities, or how we look after others and the space we're in.
Sometimes we vote to see what most people want, because then we're more likely to be happy with those decisions. When we talk with each other about what’s going to happen then we all learn how to communicate what we need and how to get along.
Drop Off
Everyone arrives
9.40am
Flow time
Free unstructured time
12.30pm
Morning Circle
Group meeting sharing plans
10am
Tidy up
Clear everything as a group
3pm
Flow time
Free unstructured time
10.30am
Group story/game
Optional activity
3.15pm
Lunch
Reminder to break and eat
12pm
Day ends
Home time
3.25pm
How we solve problems
Children have to feel safe at Bamble. If a problem comes up, or if someone in the group feels upset about something that has happened, we make sure that everyone is listened to and can say what they need to make things better. Some children might need a facilitator to help them say ‘STOP! That’s not ok for me!’, or ‘It made me feel sad when you said that to me. I need you to not do it again’. At Bamble, you will grow in confidence to say what you need and care for other people’s needs.
