Our Alumni

Once you’re part of HBLC, you’re always part of the story.
Our alumni go on to many different paths, carrying with them curiosity, confidence, and a strong sense of who they are.

Where are they now?

Our alumni move on to a wide range of next steps, including:

Mainstream and alternative secondary schools
6th form Colleges
Home education and blended learning
Apprenticeships and independent projects

There’s no single route – and that’s the point.

What they take with them

Former students often tell us they leave with:

Confidence to speak up and be themselves
A genuine love of learning
Strong communication and collaboration skills
The ability to think independently and make choices
Respect for others and for the natural world

Evie

“After leaving HBLC, I went on to complete 8 GCSEs and gained entrance to Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, where I studied A-levels Sociology, Psychology and Law. I also completed an Extended Project Qualification titled: Is the Mass Media Beneficial or Detrimental to Modern-Day US Democracy? Afterward, I received offers from King’s College London, Durham, Manchester and York to study Combined Honours in Social Sciences, and I chose KCL. I am currently on a gap year, working as a waitress, saving money and travelling before starting my degree in September 2026.

Studying at HBLC was an incredible privilege. The teachers provide the most important gifts when it comes to education: choice and independence. The way arts, sciences and humanities are combined under a single topic gave me a deeper understanding of how interconnected knowledge can be. HBLC taught me to think critically and question what I know, not just memorise information; this mindset continues to shape how I approach learning and view the world.”

El

“After leaving HBLC I went back to mainstream education for years 10 and 11 to complete my GCSEs and have that ‘secondary school experience’. I did 10 GCSEs: English Lit, English Lang, Maths, Triple Science (Bio, Physics, Chem), Computer Science, Drama, and History. My lowest grade was a 6 and my highest was an 8. I am now in a sixth form college studying English Lit, Computer Science, and History at A-level and am predicted ABB. I also got offered a scholarship opportunity in cyber security and won multiple debate competitions across England and even debated against Americans.”

“Attending HBLC was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I not only gained life long friends, but I became more confident in myself – both academically and as a person. Without HBLC I don’t think I would have achieved everything I have today.

HBLC prepared me by improving my confidence and making me realise I can do anything I put my mind to. The amazing staff helped me realise my worth and thus meant I could stand up for myself in the future.”

El's mum

“She continues to surprise me and make me proud every day – she survived two years at secondary school, smashed her way through GCSEs (after me and her dad thinking that as long as she somehow got maths and English that would do) and she’s absolutely loving sixth form and on track to do well there too. She’s looking at universities and planning to study archaeology.”

“It’s such a change from that broken, school-refusing little girl who we brought to you and I absolutely credit HBLC with giving her the confidence to understand and accept herself, the freedom and confidence to make her own decisions, and the ability to face the world again. I don’t think any ‘thank you’ can quite express it but HBLC was such a turning point for her, and for us.

From what I hear, she’s the kid at school who stands up to others, including the teachers, when something isn’t right. She isn’t afraid to express her opinion, and she absolutely knows her own mind. Both going back to school and at a sixth form where she didn’t know anyone, she’s settled right in and found her tribe. I’m excited to watch what happens next.”

“Hebden Bridge Learning Community helped me grow my confidence a lot through the interactive lessons. HBLC gave me the opportunity to meet new people and make friends through different activities and alternative ways of learning. I enjoyed the way they structure the lessons by letting us choose what and how we study, which made learning more exiting and engaging.

For me, transferring to a democratic school was one of the best decisions my family and I made for my education.

HBLC definitely prepared me for my next steps as I felt more comfortable speaking in my lessons at college.”

Freya

“After leaving HBLC, I achieved 6s and 7s in my GCSEs. Then I went to college and got 3 A-Levels – in Philosophy, Religion & Ethics, Geography and Mathematics.

Now I am getting my bachelors degree in Physical Geography and Geology at Edge Hill University, and I’m planning to move towards getting a masters degree afterwards.

My experience at a democratic school has been an amazing one. In my old state school, I was completely unmotivated and unengaged with my learning which also wasn’t being helped by the constant switches between online and face to face lessons because of Covid19. However, when I transferred to the school, my attitude changed so drastically that my parents and even my wider family noticed and that’s all because I had actual freedom of what I was learning and the school made me feel like I have a voice and a value in the classroom. Because of the small number of students, you get a lot more attention from the teacher which is something I feel like every student and teacher struggles with.”

Tia

“My experience at HBLC is something I’ll never forget, it’s the place I felt truly free enough and comfortable to really come back into myself after I lost myself being at mainstream highschool. I bonded so much with the teachers and the students and really felt like I became the real me. I always look back and miss my experiences and how much it really helped me with my confidence, and who I am today. Everything about it such as the morning yoga and meditation, the creative writing classes, the walks in the woods and the fun games we would all play together genuinely helped so much with my mental health as well as learning so much alongside the fun. It’s truly an amazing place and I miss it so much to this day.”

“When I left the community, I took an extra year to study at home and focus on my music (I play the electric guitar where I play mainly metal and I’ve recently also got into producing my own music too.) I then went to Calderdale college where I took an art course alongside doing my maths and English GCSEs. I’ve also been going to Access Creative College in Manchester where I’ve been studying music peformance and I am now in my second year. I am loving it so much and now focusing on my A-Levels and passing my maths gcse too. I’ve also achieved a lot since my time at HBLC, as I am in a band called “Adrenaline” which was always a dream of mine.”

“The school helped me in so many ways to regain my confidence and not fear being myself which really helped me become who I am today. However, because of how laid back and excepting everyone in the school was, I struggled a lot going back to a mainstream environment at first as I wasn’t really used to it. But I definitely would never change anything that happened as without my experience at HBLC I would have never had the courage to be who I am.”

Our child was part of the democratic learning community for around a year. They then returned to mainstream education to achieve a full set of GCSEs and then A levels, which was what they wanted.

The experience at your community was 100% positive, with huge improvements in self esteem for our young person at every level. The welcome and support of queer and gender non-conforming young people that you offer is exceptional.

I also learnt to trust them to know what they needed. Their attendance back in mainstream was never ‘good enough ‘. However, through the lens of your ethos, I learnt to trust them to know what they could cope with. Returning to mainstream, our child decided, we supported, rather than school decided, we felt compelled to push the school agenda.

Now they have a place at a top university for September 2026, all I can say is thank you for a flexible, young person-centred, rich and connected experience.

Marianna

Parent Testimonials

My two daughters gained so many positive experiences and friendships from their time at HBLC. The opportunities to get involved in group work, discussions and collaborative projects are aspects of learning that were extremely valuable to us in our home education journey. A particular highlight was my eldest’s involvement in a play that involved most of the children in the community – she loved being part of the production and it was a big confidence boost.

Fran M-H, mum of 11 and 8 year old former students.