Alia College has been working successfully with young people seeking alternatives to mainstream school for 20 years.

The school has avoided being dogmatic about how to do things and works with each student as an individual trying to find their place in a community. This can sometimes be daunting for new students, especially if they have a set idea of what school is and how social dynamics work. Often those who have struggled academically expect the stigma of such struggles to follow them everywhere. Those who have faced social stresses such as bullying have trouble seeing why one institution should be any more inclusive than another. And there are those who can’t articulate their struggle, who simply don’t want to be at school, or who have been out of school for so long they begin to lose the imagination required to see where they might find a place to learn and grow. Those young people who have spent the least amount of time in school  often have a pretty set idea of what school is.

This broad range of reasons for school refusal is why we encourage people to begin by simply making contact with Alia. The school opens its doors so that anyone may come and visit anytime. We believe the differences at Alia are so apparent that you will quickly start to see your own ideas and expectations of a school changing, or at least being challenged. For many students, just a few days at Alia can change their outlook completely. The enrolment process is based on allowing potential students the time to look and listen and start discovering their place at Alia.