Q: Is there religious instruction at the Richmond Friends School?
A: We neither teach religion nor require that our students or teachers belong to the Society of Friends. We view peace and conflict resolution, inclusion of all faiths and ethnicities, and mutual respect as working together to create a foundation for all academic and social learning.

Q: How do students learn in an "open" classroom?
A: The classroom environment is set up such that the students can make choices and take responsibility for their own learning. With clear parameters and expectations provided to them, the students actively engage in learning situations that enable them to learn about themselves and their strengths. RFS's classrooms have the vibrancy and achievement that stem from a teacher-facilitated, student-centered program.

Q: How do you meet the educational and developmental needs of all the students in a multi-age classroom?
A: We embrace a multi-age, developmental classroom setting. We seek to empower each student to ask questions, find answers, and continually explore his or her interests through research, communication, and creative thinking. By presenting challenging, yet approachable learning, we enable each student to gain a personal sense of competence and value, not only as a learner, but as a contributor to his or her family and society.

Q: With multi-age classrooms, how does it work when siblings are in the same class?
A: The teachers at the Richmond Friends School have had positive experiences with teaching siblings in the same class.  Each member of the RFS community is considered to have individual strengths and needs as well as unique contributions to make. Therefore, having siblings participate in learning in the same classroom is generally not a problem.

Q: What is the discipline policy at the Richmond Friends School?
A: The discipline policy at RFS focuses on helping students learn how to play and work with each other while celebrating the uniqueness of every member of the RFS community. The goal is to help the students become internally motivated and self-disciplined. Toward this goal, we use student-centered conflict resolution whenever possible. Corporal punishment, of course, has no place in a Friends school; rather, the school strives to increase cooperation between parents and teachers to assist any students who display particular difficulties by helping them develop skills in self-discipline and self-regulating strategies.

Q: What are the Richmond Friends School's methods of instruction, and how will those methods affect my child when he or she transitions to another school?
A: At the primary level, teachers pose questions, model techniques, and provide students with opportunities to experiment and explore. They work independently, in whole groups, and in small groups. Students are greeted with personalized, challenging, and appropriate expectations.

At the upper-elementary level, the students still approach learning with an open attitude. Their learning activities stress a meaningful application of knowledge. This approach, as opposed to a "work sheet mentality" toward learning, helps develop the students' problem-solving capabilities.

The interpersonal skills that students learn at RFS help them adapt to new situations where they are able to apply their love of learning. Their focus on self-motivated learning helps students to learn and thrive in a variety of educational settings after leaving the Richmond Friends School.