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North West Democratic School

North West Democratic School (t/a Sligo Sudbury School) was founded in 2017 to address the growing need for an alternative to mainstream education for children and teenagers. We …

Education Milkwood Farm, Tawley, Castlegal, Co Leitrim, Republic of Ireland Reg: 20200314 (Charities Regulator) Sign up to see website
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61
Integrity Assessment
Partial transparency
61/100 · methodology

About North West Democratic School

Advancement of education The main object for which North West Democratic School was established is the provision of Democratic Education in the North West of Ireland, particularly Sligo and West Leitrim, for the benefit of young people, their families and the wider community. We will do this by providing an environment, governed by all members, in which young people can follow chosen pursuits at their own pace and in their own way. This will enable families to find support and connect with others who share similar values. This will facilitate members of the wider community who wish to share skills and experiences or give their time to supporting young people. All of this will be available to members on a …

Headquarters
Milkwood Farm, Tawley, Castlegal, Co Leitrim, Republic of Ireland
Foundation type
Charitable Company
Operating in
Ireland

Mission

North West Democratic School (t/a Sligo Sudbury School) was founded in 2017 to address the growing need for an alternative to mainstream education for children and teenagers. We provide an environment for self-directed education for children aged 5-18 years, supported by a muti-discipliary staff team. We currently employ 9 part-time staff members. Standardised education and the curriculum taught in schools today do not adequately support diversity and inclusion. The emphasis on competition, the one size fits all approach, the drive for higher standards of achievement and performance effectively exclude a large portion of the population from the possibility to succeed, and discourage the qualities of collaboration, empathy and kindness that are so needed in our society. Our social mission is to address this issue by giving young people autonomy in a supportive learning environment and fostering the most volitional and high quality forms of motivation and engagement for activities, including enhanced performance, persistence, and creativity. We are a democratically run organisation which provides children with a real voice in their own education and the running of the school, fostering empowerment and a sense of personal responsibility. Students are not obliged to follow a set curriculum but are fully supported in designing their own learning experiences, enabling them to grow in confidence and take on challenges that are timely and at the right level for them. This model of education is particularly suited to children who do not fit the confining criteria and standards of mainstream and who are therefore disadvantaged by the system itself as their emotional, social, and learning needs cannot be adequately met within the mainstream model. Our mission is to provide a safe environment where young people can engage in self-directed learning and democracy, where children are free to choose their own learning goals and pursue them at their own pace, while participating

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.
Operating countries (1)
Ireland

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar education in Ireland
Integrity Assessment This charity: 61
Peer average: 65

Concerns

· None found
No red flags found
Screened for Charities Regulator removal, Open investigations, Governance scandals, Related-party deals, Excessive exec comp.

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

From what GiveRadar has verified so far, North West Democratic School has a substantially complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources.

  • GiveRadar holds 6 years of financial filings for this organization, the most recent for fiscal year 2024. See the filings
  • Its integrity score of 61 places it in the top 5% of the 7,376 education charities in Ireland GiveRadar tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its registration. View this cohort
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (6 filed years)
  • a website
  • a contact email
  • a donation page
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • leadership details
  • third-party accreditation
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

North West Democratic School is a registered education nonprofit based in Milkwood Farm, Tawley, Castlegal, Co Leitrim, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is registered with the Charities Regulator of Ireland. Its registration number is 20200314. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 61/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports €317K in annual revenue. No red flags have been detected.

North West Democratic School's official registration number is 20200314, as recorded in the national registry of Ireland.

North West Democratic School has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 61/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 61 ('Partial transparency') means some public data is on file but key signals are missing - worth a closer look before donating. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for education charities in Ireland is 65/100.

North West Democratic School is located in Milkwood Farm, Tawley, Castlegal, Co Leitrim, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Its registered address is Faughts.

Based on official tax filings, North West Democratic School has €317K in annual revenue. Its revenue is below the peer average of €6M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

North West Democratic School is classified as an Education organization, registered in Ireland. It operates as a Charitable Company. It has €317K in annual revenue.

No red flags have been detected for North West Democratic School. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

According to GiveRadar's records, North West Democratic School is registered with the Charities Regulator of Ireland and overseen by the Charities Regulator. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

Advancement of education The main object for which North West Democratic School was established is the provision of Democratic Education in the North West of Ireland, particularly Sligo and West Leitrim, for the benefit of young people, their families and the wider community. We will do this by providing an environment, governed by all members, in which young people can follow chosen pursuits at their own pace and in their own way. This will enable families to find support and connect with others who share similar values. This will facilitate members of the wider community who wish to share skills and experiences or give their time to supporting young people... North West Democratic School is classified as an education organization registered in Ireland.

Among education charities registered in Ireland: Its annual revenue of €317K is below the peer average of €6M.

North West Democratic School is a registered charity in Ireland. Under the Charitable Donation Scheme, if you donate 250 euros or more in a year to an eligible charity, the charity can claim a tax refund from Revenue of approximately 45% of your donation at no extra cost to you.

Annual revenue
€100K-€1M
Source: ireland (FY2024) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

6 years on file from ireland (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020, FY2019.
Financial details are free - with a GiveRadar account

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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of Ireland under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From filings and published profiles

Employees
10
Still gathering leadership data

We check government filings and charity disclosures quarterly. If you represent this charity, claim this page to add officers directly.

Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
€0.3M revenue
FY2024
IRELAND
Form filed
€0.3M revenue
FY2023
IRELAND
Form filed
€0.3M revenue
FY2022
IRELAND
Form filed
€0.3M revenue
FY2021
IRELAND
Form filed
€0.1M revenue
FY2020
IRELAND
Form filed
€0.0M revenue
FY2019
IRELAND

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Cause areas in Ireland

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Education this charity 7,376
Health 1,734
Religion 755
Arts & Culture 556
Community Development 397
Environment 298
Social Services 155
Animal Welfare 49
See all cause areas in Ireland

Most common causes in Ireland

Causes charities work on most.

Disability 5,665
Poverty 1,350
Cultural Heritage 1,291
Eldercare & Aging 526
Housing 460
Peace 241
Mental Health 149
Cancer 132

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Charities Regulator of Ireland
Financial filings
Charities Regulator of Ireland - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
News and media coverage
GDELT Project + Google News
Supplementary verification
GlobalGiving partner directory

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 30, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 30, 2026
Profile completeness
65%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 6
  • Financial data · FY2024 on record
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
Not available · 5
  • Named leadership
    Board and officer list not yet indexed
  • Executive pay
    Top-officer pay not disclosed
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity
  • Tax-deductibility
    Not verified
  • Founding date
    Year founded not on file

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about North West Democratic School

What is North West Democratic School?
North West Democratic School is a education charitable company based in Milkwood Farm, Tawley, Castlegal, Co Leitrim, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Advancement of education The main object for which North West Democratic School was established is the provision of Democratic Education in the North West of Ireland, particularly Sligo and West Leitrim, for the benefit of young people, their families and the wider community. We will do this by providing an environment, governed by all members, in which young people can follow chosen pursuits at their own pace and in their own way. This will enable families to find support and connect with others who share similar values. This will facilitate members of the wider community who wish to share skills and experiences or give their time to supporting young people. All of this will be available to members on a cost sharing basis.
Where is North West Democratic School located?
Headquartered in Milkwood Farm, Tawley, Castlegal, Co Leitrim, Republic of Ireland, Ireland.
What is North West Democratic School's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately €100K-€1M.
Is North West Democratic School trustworthy?
North West Democratic School has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 61 out of 100 (Partial transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is North West Democratic School's registration number?
Registration: 20200314 (Ireland).
What is North West Democratic School's website?
http://www.sligosudburyschool.com
Are donations to North West Democratic School tax-deductible?
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of Ireland under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.