Our vision:
To co-create a consent-based, inclusive and enriching community where young people can come together to connect and learn. Connect with and learn about themselves, their community and their world; their dreams, their passions and their goals. Experienced educators are part of the community and can facilitate this self-directed learning in an unconditional way, supporting the young people to plan, extend and realise any goals they may have.
Who are we?
We are Jo Wood and Sarah Ridgeon and are the founders of this project. We are the facilitators at the community. Our name is Bean Learning Bristol. Whilst Sarah is a co-founder of Bean Learning (online) and we share a name and have similar values, Bean Learning Bristol is a separate entity. Lucia D’Inverno also works at the setting with us as a facilitator.
Who are we for?
9 to 14 year olds as a starting age. Young people can remain with the community for as long as is right for them, up to the age of 18.
When and where?
We started on 14th Septemper 2021 at a house in Fishponds, Bristol. This was a temporary venue until our new venue was ready.
We are incredibly lucky to have been able to purchase a property specifically to house our project. It's an end of terrace, 3 bedroom Victorian property with a large garden in Speedwell, Bristol.
We moved into this purposely-renovated property in February 2022.
We run roughly in line with school term times for 36 weeks a year, 16.5 hours a week. We run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am - 3.30pm.
Want to know more?
To find out more information about the project or to book a visit or a trial day with us, contact Jo and Sarah on:
You can also keep updated with what we get up to by following our Instagram page @beanlearningbristol