Who We Are Who We Are Who We Are

Freedom is Rootes School‘s beginning and end: freedom of thought, expression and choice. We cultivate curiosity, independence and the ability to find your way in a complex world. We fervently believe in a school opening roads rather than pigeonholing ideas.
For us, educating means preparing individuals to live their lives fully, to contribute to society with responsibility and vision, and to experience the world with an open mind and vigilant heart.

We were born free.
To think. To act. To get moving.
With no anchors to hold up the mind, with a blank ocean before us on which to write our own story.

We were born free to emerge, to try out theories in first person, to experiment. We speak the language of explorers, who aren’t satisfied with words used simply to communicate.
The unknown summons us, and we go looking for it, but this isn’t thoughtlessness. It’s knowledge. And that’s what makes us free.

We are travellers who know the way back home.
Expert sailors with their sails full – of questions.
What if we were to challenge the currents? What if we changed direction? What if other routes existed?
We have a compass in our chest which lets us go forward without getting lost.

Between our fingers, a tiller pointing towards what we do not yet know.
In our minds, the horizon seems to stretch to infinity.
We were born free. Independent, but together, to take on the same voyage, like sailors below decks. Ready to leave behind the conventional; deeply attached to one thing and one thing alone: freedom.

We were born free, and that’s how we mean to stay. The world lies before us. That’s where we are headed.

This is what we believe in.

At Rootes School, these values are not affirmations: they’re daily practices. You find them in our classrooms, in our way of teaching, in the relationships between the adults and the kids, in our interdisciplinary projects and in our shared moments of school life.

Cutting through the seas – Freedom

Real freedom has deep roots.
At Rootes School, we teach young people to approach the complexities of the world with awareness: because only those who have taken knowledge on board can really get their bearings and make choices.
Freedom is not only autonomy: it’s the ability to act with intelligence wherever you are. We encourage our students to think critically and laterally right from the beginning, so that they have the necessary skills to navigate the globe and influence it positively.
We believe in a bilingualism which goes beyond language: Italian and English are bridges to an authentic understanding of cultures and different ways of thinking.
Today, we are educating the citizens of the world: aware, creative and responsible citizens, ready to contribute actively to tomorrow’s society.

Interpreting nautical maps – Knowledge
Knowledge is not simply accumulation, but deep understanding. We build settings for learning which stimulate intuition, join together varying disciplines and connect branches of knowledge.

Tacking – Flexibility
Flexibility doesn’t just mean adapting to today’s changes, but also an ability to face challenges with agility and so grasp opportunities and maintain balance. By adopting a flexible approach to learning and to life, we can bring on and direct change, and develop a resilient and versatile mentality.

Opening new routes – Creativity
Imagination is the engine of change. We promote a solid creativity which starts with ideas and moves to action, and treats mistakes as opportunities for learning.

Steering – Responsibility
Being citizens of the world means contributing. Educating responsibly means cultivating respect for others, looking after the environment, being mindful of cultures, and participating actively in the community.