Acclaimed Lancashire School Wins Free School Status

A flurry of media interest greeted the new term at the Maharishi Free School in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, with radio, television & print coverage of Britain’s only school to offer Consciousness Based Education, now state funded for the first time.

Head Teacher Derek Cassells was interviewed last weekend on Real Radio, Radio Lancashire, Radio 4, Granada Television, and even by the Architects Journal, and in the interests of maintaining a non-disruptive start to the year for pupils he had to decline to allow BBC TV and a French television station to film the first day of the new term.

Granada Television was intrigued by the secret of  “the school that has double the national average of A grades at GCSE,” as reporter Ann O’Connor put it.

Cassells told the channel’s evening news programme that the school day, although broadly similar to any other school, had an additional ingredient: “When the children come in, they would go to their class, the teacher would take the register, they’d sit and close their eyes for a few minutes and practise Transcendental Meditation. Same thing in the afternoon.”

Transcendental Meditation, which reduces stress and develops mental alertness and learning ability is, said Cassells, “a very simple, natural mental technique. It works in the way the mind works, so it’s a very simple practice - which is why you can use it in schools.”

Requirements for qualifying as a Free School are rigorous.

“We’ve spent a year showing the Department of Education that we meet and exceed all the standards that they expect,” explained Cassells. “Plus, for this particular school, we have a 25-year record of excellence.”

Local parents, well aware of the school’s record of academic excellence and the personal development of pupils, have caused the new year’s intake to be over-subscribed. 140 local parents and children have learned Transcendental Meditation in preparation for the new term, with many families saying that they have wanted their children to attend the school for years, but until now have been unable to afford it.

 

Headteacher Derek Cassells: "We have a 25-year record of excellence."

The Maharishi Free School will have 134 pupils this year, rising to 180 in two years time.

Although criticised by Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, who told local newspapers that “people will be shocked that their taxes are going on teaching Transcendental Meditation,” the new Maharishi Free School status is widely approved in the region, with a poll run by the Liverpool Echo revealing 70% in favour.

And the Liverpool Post responded with a feature headlined “Let’s give children free space to spread their wings and fly, Lisa!"

"I’m a taxpayer, and I am not shocked. Nor am I angry," announced the feature writer.

"To my untrained (and indeed un-transcended) brain, the idea of timetabling meditation and yoga into the school day seems entirely sensible... as life skills go, meditation is arguably more useful than certain mainstream subjects."

"And," clarified Cassells, "no government money is funding the teaching of Transcendental Meditation."  He added that Lancashire County Council had gone on record to say that local schools would not be affected.