Beach school brings unique educational opportunity to North Devon

A revolutionary approach to alternative education has taken root on the sandy shores of Saunton Beach. 

Sea Bee's Beach School, the first of its kind in North Devon, is poised to offer a unique educational experience for children who face challenges in traditional and alternative educational settings. 

Founded by Harriet and Kevin Montague, inspired by their daughter Jasmine's journey with Cystic Fibrosis, the school aims to provide a safe and enriching environment for children. 

Jasmine's health challenges led the Montagues to seek educational alternatives away from conventional schools, where the risk of infections could be life-threatening. 

Doctors warned that she could not be near mud, puddles and trees due to risk of infecting her lungs with environmental bacterias, and so this deterred them from mainstream education as there were no guarantees to avoid infections which could be fatal. 

Instead, Harriet and Kevin turned to home schooling, but this solution came with its own set of challenges.

ABOVE: The family behind the creation of the sea school

However, a nurse had suggested that the beach might be a safe and beneficial environment for Jasmine. 

The sea air, it was said, could be therapeutic.

This led the Montagues to explore a beach school in Bude, but the long commute from Fremington proved unsustainable. 

From there, the idea of establishing Sea Bee's Beach School was born.

The school recently completed a successful 4-week pilot program, underscoring the community's enthusiasm and demand. 

Starting this September, Sea Bee's will officially launch as a term-time beach school, integrating a unique curriculum tailored to the children's interests while emphasising local ecology, geography, and conservation.

Kim Seybold, a qualified Forest School leader, has joined Sea Bee's to lead sessions alongside Harriet, bringing expertise and passion to the educational initiative.

The school's vision extends beyond its immediate launch; Sea Bee's aims to evolve into a registered charity, with a mission to provide free access to homeschooling children and support initiatives for mental health and pupil premium students.

As Sea Bee's prepares to expand its impact, the founders are actively engaging local sponsors and donors to support them.

Their long-term vision includes collaboration with mainstream schools and early years settings to foster inclusivity and community enrichment through outdoor education.

Kim said: “I joined because after completing my Forest school qualification and witnessing just how children progress when they are left to learn at their own pace, I thought how amazing this would be in a beach environment, also who wouldn't want to work on the beach. I also would love the opportunity to fuse as many learning experiences as possible with this type of outdoor education. It will bring all my years of teaching experience and ethos together.”