Room 13

Page 3

In providing answers to my original three questions I have introduced another element of Room 13 that at first seems frankly incredible. It is run by a management team of children who really write the cheques, keep the accounts, write the letters, answer the emails and write applications for a quarter of a million pounds. They have access to a balance of £20,000 in their bank account, mainly from art awards, but also from business transactions like the sale of DVDs of the Channel 4 film at £10 each, and the school photographs raise £500 - £800 a year.

In the Channel 4 film Ami Cameron, the managing director, says, "As managing director I have to run meetings and organise them, I have to keep the room well-stocked with paint, paint-brushes etcetera, I have to keep the letters and emails up to date and we have to Christmas cards, sell postcards, T-shirts and bags and we do our own school photographs to raise money. I also have to make sure everyone tidies up, and I have to manage the room as well."

To outsiders this seems amazing, but to the children it seems normal. "They do it without thinking," said Miss Cattanach. "They don't see anything remarkable about that. I mean, 'What's the fuss? So we write letters. Doesn't everybody?'"

I have visited schools all over the world which children are thought to running themselves, but all of them have adult staff to deal with the secretarial and financial affairs. Why? Room 13 raises the question.

After I had first heard of Room 13 I wrote to ask whether I could come and spend some time there, and I sent a copy of my book, Real Education: Varieties of Freedom, to introduce myself. For a long time I had no reply, so after the summer holidays of 2003 I emailed again. I had been involved in the appointment of a director for the Phoenix Education Trust, and knew that Anna Leatherdale, eventually the successful candidate, had given Danielle Souness, then aged eleven, as one of her referees. I also wanted Room 13 to join the International Democratic Education Network (IDEN) which I run, and thought they might be interested in attending one of the annual International Democratic Education Conferences (IDECs). I was delighted to receive this reply:

Dear Mr Gribble,

After Danielle was a referee for Anna she said she was sure that you had contacted her at the end of the summer about a conference in America.

She said she had printed out your e mail and would bring it in. We now have a copy and think the IDE network is very important. It seems to be something very similar to what we are slowly building up....a group of schools who all think the same way.

We have two Room 13s in Fort William and this will soon be joined by a third and we have similar projects in Glasgow, Rotherham and Bristol. These are independant from us but we are working to bring them into a loose grouping. We also have schools in Nepal and India we work with and they will be added to by schools in Tibet and Bangladesh.

When you first e mailed us Mr Fairley was away with some of the older Room 13 people in India. We would certainly be interested in joining IDEN and wonder if you could be so kind as to send an attachment which gives the application form again.....if you have not given up on us.

We would be very interested in going to the next conference in India and think we might be able to fit it into what we have already planned. Hope your foot is getting better and we ARE looking forward to meeting you.

Ami Cameron and Rosie Flannigan

MD and Treasurer of Room 13

(My foot comes into the email because I had said that I would not be fit enough to come for a while because I had cracked my pelvis.