Education & Exploration
We didn't just leave our home - we escaped a system that was failing our family. This is the story of why we traded a conventional life in the UK for a world of education without walls.
James, Liberty, Noah, Johannes & Alexander - on safari in the Maasai Mara, Kenya
Something had to change
For years, we felt a growing unease. We were doing what families are "supposed" to do - but the daily grind was taking its toll.
Liberty
Teacher & Curriculum Designer
I was a primary school teacher, and I loved it - but the system was breaking. Generic, box-ticking lessons over personal connection. The growing needs of SEND pupils vastly outpacing the resources available. A workload that meant I was spending more time with other people's children than my own.
As the mother of an incredibly inquisitive son with Autism, this wasn't just professional burnout - it was deeply personal. A one-size-fits-all approach is no size at all.
James
Developer & Platform Builder
I'd spent more than a decade running a digital web development agency. I loved it - but the relentless pressure had taken its toll, and I knew something fundamental had to change.
We looked at the UK education system and saw a curriculum that felt disconnected from the future our children would inherit - a world shaped by climate change and rapid technological transformation. The thought of handing baby Alexander over to a nursery and missing all his precious "firsts" was the final straw. We knew we had to offer them something more.
The universe had other ideas
Our initial plan was a "sensible" one - a one-year trip starting in the summer of 2026. But in early 2025, a call from our landlord informing us they were selling our rented home became the catalyst we needed.
The one-year plan was scrapped, the timeline was pulled forward, and we committed to leaving that September for a much longer, more open-ended adventure.
Before we even left, James booked a surprise trip to Kenya. There, in the heart of the Maasai Mara, he proposed. Our worldschooling journey began not just with a leap of faith, but with a promise to each other.
The world became our classroom
From volunteering at a school in the slums of Nairobi to exploring Mauritius and landing at our first long-term base in Penang, Malaysia - our journey has been one of unlearning and rediscovery.
Volunteering at the Safisha Africa Welfare Foundation school
Trekking the jungle to see orangutans and hiking an active volcano
Our first long-term base - street food, temples, and tropical living
Birthdays at Legoland, sunsets on beaches, and a million "firsts"
We couldn't find what we needed. So we built it.
As we travelled, we faced a new challenge. We were piecing together an education from scratch - spending hours hunting for worksheets, cobbling together resources from half a dozen websites, and trying to make it all feel connected. We wanted our children's education to reflect the world around them, not a textbook written for a classroom they'd never sit in.
But nothing out there did what we needed. The available resources were scattered and generic - designed for schools, not families. They didn't adapt to our children's wildly different interests, from ancient civilisations and mythology to Japanese culture and anime. And they completely failed to meet the needs of one of our sons, who is neurodivergent with Autism. Every platform assumed every child learns the same way, at the same pace, with the same interests.
We believe education should be interest-led, not syllabus-driven. That a child who is obsessed with volcanoes should learn maths through eruption data, practise writing through geological reports, and explore geography through tectonic plates - not through disconnected worksheets. And we believe that for a neurodivergent child, a one-size-fits-all approach is no size at all.
Cross-curricular, not compartmentalised
Real life doesn't come in subject boxes. A trip to a local market is maths, geography, language, and culture all at once. We believe lessons should reflect that - weaving subjects together the way children naturally think.
Neurodivergent-friendly by default
Not an afterthought or an add-on. Every lesson is built with flexible pacing, sensory-aware activities, and the understanding that different minds need different approaches. What works for neurodivergent children works beautifully for all children.
The world is the classroom
Whether you're worldschooling from Penang or homeschooling from Peterborough, learning should connect to where you are. Our location-aware lessons and activities turn your surroundings into the curriculum - every park, museum, and street corner becomes a learning opportunity.
Rigorous, not rigid
We follow the International Baccalaureate framework because it values inquiry, critical thinking, and global-mindedness - not rote memorisation. Our children get a world-class education with real academic depth, but on their terms and at their pace.
The answer: unschoolly
Born from our family's needs, unschoolly combines everything we know - teaching, curriculum design, creative writing, and a decade of building digital products - into a platform that does what we couldn't find anywhere else.
It generates personalised, IB-aligned, cross-curricular lessons in seconds - not hours. It adapts to each child's interests, ability level, and learning style. It creates outdoor activities based on your actual location. And it does it all while tracking genuine academic progress through thousands of micro-skills, so you always know your child is learning - even when it feels like play.
Meet the Family
We are James, Liberty, and our three adventurous boys. Everything we build is tested on our own family first.
Noah, 10
The Explorer
Endlessly curious about ancient civilisations, mythology, and Japanese culture. His thirst for knowledge is endless and his questions never stop.
Johannes, 8
The Naturalist
Fascinated by global habitats, wildlife, and the natural world. He's the one who insists on jungle treks and gets excited by every new creature he encounters.
Alexander, 2
The Adventurer
The baby who was never going to spend his "firsts" in a nursery. He's growing up with the world as his playground, and already proving to be as adventurous as his brothers.
Follow the journey
We're building unschoolly in public as we continue to travel. Follow along, try the platform, or just enjoy the chaos of three kids on the road.
"We are so proud of what we've built and the community of worldschooling families that has grown around it. We invite you to explore the platform and join us on this incredible journey."
With love and adventure,
James, Liberty, Noah, Johannes & Alexander