Your child is unique. Why settle for a school that isn't? JO HAYWOOD talks to a

teacher trying to answer this question by starting his own school in York.

Paul Baptie is evangelical about education. He is an enthusiast and is not afraid to practice what he preaches - even if it means asking children and their parents to make a great leap of faith with him.

"I know there are a lot of parents out there who want to take an active role in their children's education, and who want the best of their kids," he says, surrounded by files, leaflets and books in his Nicholas Street home.

"It just takes some of them to take the plunge and RealSchool is up and running."

RealSchool is Mr Baptie's dream: his own school encouraging "learning through excellence, love and happiness". And, come September, his dream will become a reality. If - and, as yet, it remains a big if - he can persuade parents to follow his lead.

He wants to throw open the doors of St Nicholas Fields Community Centre - the school's base for its first year - to 20 pupils at the start of the autumn term. They will be all ages and all aptitudes. The only qualification they need is an eagerness to learn in a new way.

Mr Baptie's school will have three core priorities: to teach children to be calm, polite and friendly; to think for themselves, be creative and to have wisdom; and to expect excellence of themselves.

There will be no SATs, no classes, no set-in-stone curriculum and no compulsory exams.

The children will be encouraged to set their own rules, create their own educational agenda, design their own playground and cook their own lunch.

"Mainstream education is all about how many facts children can learn," says Mr Baptie "Facts are important, but what about creative thinking, what about successful socialising, and what about valuing individuality?

"I think school should be about showing young people how to be great older people. I want to try to make good citizens, not good exam-takers."

This doesn't mean, however, that pupils at RealSchool won't be encouraged to take GCSEs. They will be told that five GCSE passes are the foot-in-the-door minimum for many employers, but the final decision will be down to them.

The same goes for the curriculum. Pupils will be able to choose from a core subject base of English, maths, science, geography, history, languages, music, art, drama and technology, but more unusual choices like astronomy will also be catered for using bought-in tuition.

"Children have to be allowed to work at their own pace, developing their own skills," explains Mr Baptie.

"I don't want people to get the impression the school will have a lackadaisical approach to teaching though. It will be flexible, not free and easy."

The inflexibility of mainstream education is one of the main reasons why he is leaving the public sector.

He has always worked in public sector comprehensives but, in recent years, has become disillusioned by the rigidity of the system.

"We don't design education for the children, we make them fit the system," he says. "If there was any flexibility in the system, there is no way I would be setting up a private school."

RealSchool has been approved by the Department of Education. As founder, headteacher and, so far, sole member of staff, Mr Baptie has had to jump through numerous bureaucratic hoops, but after a solid year of hard work and form-filling, he is adamant that the doors of York's newest school will open this September.

"Parents are interested but unsure at the moment," he says. "This is entirely new, so there is the credibility factor to overcome."

There is also the money factor. Fees are £5,500 a year, with a discount for families who sign up and pay up before the start of the September term, making RealSchool an unrealistic choice for less well off families.

"Parents have to be 100 per cent supportive and committed, and, for the time being, they are likely to be middle class," Mr Baptie concedes.

"Hopefully that will change as the school grows. In a few years' time I would like to be able to set up a charity offering bursaries, but that is still some way off."

He has high ambitions for his school and claims never to suffer from middle of the night, cold sweat moments of self-doubt.

His school will open in September and it will be a success.

But where does this all-consuming confidence come from?

"I took some time off to do a personal development course in America," he says.

"It was very inspirational. I was never a shy person before, but it really got me thinking about my life and my skills and what I had to offer.

"My role in life is to be a teacher. I want to be an inspiration to kids. Running my own school will enable me to do it the way I believe it should be done."

His enthusiasm for flexible education might be a reaction to the strict schooling he received during his seven years at a Catholic boarding school in Warwickshire, his home county.

It was generally a good experience for him, but he damns his teachers with faint praise; they were adequate, but uninspiring.

With RealSchool, he has set his sights much higher: "I want to teach children how to teach themselves, how to think their own thoughts and how to be their own person.

"I want them to be engaged with life. This will be a unique experience for all of us."

For more information about RealSchool, phone Paul Baptie on 01904 410504, email paul@realschool.co.uk or visit www.realschool.co.uk. Teaching positions are available - contact Mr Baptie for an application form.

Updated: 09:42 Tuesday, May 11, 2004