There are no right or wrong answers here. Just clarity on whether Acton Academy's approach to learning fits you too.
How much of an Acton family are you?
Choose an answer — and find out how Acton Academy does it.
1 / 10Learning by doing
„I want my child to learn through hands-on projects, working together with others, even if that means less systematic, step-by-step material.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it: alongside other learning, children work on multi-week Quests — real projects that end with a public Exhibition for a real audience.
2 / 10Mixed ages
„It's valuable for a child to learn in a mixed-age group — both teaching others, which reinforces their own knowledge, and learning from and being inspired by older children.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it: Studios deliberately bring together children of different ages, just as Montessori does — a child is both a mentor to younger children and sees their own path of growth reflected in older ones.
3 / 10Mistakes as learning
„I would rather my child face the consequences of their own choices and learn from mistakes, than have adults step in early and protect them from setbacks.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it: „Fail fast, fail cheap, fail often“ is part of our philosophy. We have a safe, shame-free environment where children are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them without judgement.
4 / 10Questions, not ready-made answers
„Asking the right question matters more than knowing the answer. It matters more to me that my child learns to ask questions and seek answers themselves than that they learn answers to questions that just test knowledge.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it: Guides do not give ready-made answers — instead, using the Socratic method, they respond with deeper questions that let the child find the solution themselves and build critical thinking. Acton Academy Riga is the only Socratic school in Latvia.
5 / 10Individual pace
„I would like my child to be able to move at their own pace — faster in subjects they are strong at or interested in, slower in others — even if that means occasionally falling behind the standard curriculum.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it: each child sets their own SMART goals and moves at their own pace, staying in their challenge zone. Forced learning significantly harms self-motivation.
6 / 10Character, not grades
„If I had to choose, my child's growth of character — courage, responsibility, kindness, honesty — matters more to me than measurable academic results and grades.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it:Acton Academy has three big goals: learning to learn, learning to do — gaining real-life skills — and learning to be (character and relationships). A self-motivated, self-disciplined and curious child outperforms others academically in the long run too.
7 / 10Self-governance
„I believe that, with the right support, children are capable of creating their own order and resolving their own conflicts, and that this develops them more than rules set and enforced by adults.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it: children create their own community promises and resolve conflicts at the Peace Table — this is student-led self-governance. It lets them learn self-governance systems and collaboration, and gives them responsibility from grade 1 onward.
8 / 10Parents as partners
„I believe I still have a lot to learn about how to support my child's growth.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it:Acton Academy is a journey for the whole family — we have an active community, materials, family Badges, meetings and gatherings that help us, as parents, better support our heroes on their Hero's Journey: finding their calling and changing the world.
9 / 10What drives the child
„I believe that, in the long run, a child is better driven by their own interest and inner motivation than by external incentives — grades, praise or adult control — even if inner motivation develops more slowly.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it: at Acton Academy children plan their own time, hold each other accountable through peer contracts, and choose their own goals. Guides do not control every step, and that is deliberate.
10 / 10Finding a calling
„I want the school to actively help my child discover their passions, develop their talents and understand where to use them in life, not just provide a solid academic foundation.“
Tend to agree
Not sure
Tend to disagree
How Acton Academy does it:Acton Academy's mission is to help everyone find their calling to change the world. Through projects, challenges, internships and self-reflection, children explore and develop their gifts.
Send us your answers and get in touch
Send us your answers together with your question, and we will tell you plainly whether Acton Academy could be the right place for your family.
Want to see what this looks like in practice?
Get a free info pack about Acton Academy's approach — what a day in the Studio looks like, how progress is measured without grades, tuition fees and admissions steps.
Tick what you are interested in and we will answer on exactly that. We reply in English.
Cookies
We use analytics cookies to understand which pages help parents, and to show our ads to people they are actually relevant to. We track nothing without your consent.
