 Established in the mid-1970s, it took its name from the (then current) 1944 Education Act (Section 36) which stated that parents are responsible for the education of their children, "either by regular attendance at school or otherwise".This clause has been retained in subsequent (currently section 7 of the 1996 Education Act) and remains an indication of the validity afforded to an education other than by schooling.In 1972, Royston Lambert, head of Dartington Hall School asked Dick Kitto, who had been working there since 1955, to set up a project in conjunction with Northcliffe School to provide education for a group of non-academic students who would have to take another year in school due to the pending raising of the school leaving age.