Kirsty-Anne Pugh
Founder and CEO of The Alternative School Group Ltd
Kirsty-Anne Pugh is the founder and CEO of The Alternative School Group Ltd, a social enterprise dedicated to transforming education for children who struggle in traditional school environments. Drawing on her own difficult childhood and experiences of feeling overlooked at school, she has made it her mission to create spaces where vulnerable young people feel valued and can discover their potential.
After building a successful career in sales and marketing, Kirsty-Anne changed direction to study social work at the University of Central Lancashire. Her subsequent work with children in care and disadvantaged young people exposed the limitations of conventional education, inspiring her to establish The Alternative School in 2007.
Nearly two decades later, her organisation provides personalised education for children aged two to eighteen, including those affected by trauma and young people with special educational needs. Rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach, Kirsty-Anne has developed unconventional learning environments, from farm schools to canal barges, where pupils are encouraged to learn in ways that suit their individual needs.
Now expanding her vision through a national network of specialist schools, Kirsty-Anne remains committed to putting children’s wellbeing ahead of commercial gain. For her, sometimes all it takes is one person believing in a child to change the course of their life.
Kirsty-Anne Pugh
Founder and CEO of The Alternative School Group Ltd
Kirsty-Anne Pugh is the founder and CEO of The Alternative School Group Ltd, a social enterprise dedicated to transforming education for children who struggle in traditional school environments. Drawing on her own difficult childhood and experiences of feeling overlooked at school, she has made it her mission to create spaces where vulnerable young people feel valued and can discover their potential.
After building a successful career in sales and marketing, Kirsty-Anne changed direction to study social work at the University of Central Lancashire. Her subsequent work with children in care and disadvantaged young people exposed the limitations of conventional education, inspiring her to establish The Alternative School in 2007.
Nearly two decades later, her organisation provides personalised education for children aged two to eighteen, including those affected by trauma and young people with special educational needs. Rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach, Kirsty-Anne has developed unconventional learning environments, from farm schools to canal barges, where pupils are encouraged to learn in ways that suit their individual needs.
Now expanding her vision through a national network of specialist schools, Kirsty-Anne remains committed to putting children’s wellbeing ahead of commercial gain. For her, sometimes all it takes is one person believing in a child to change the course of their life.
