More than 100 people turned out to an open day for a proposed new school in Carlisle, with a number of children claiming some of its first places.

Holme Head School, in Denton Holme, welcomed parents and children yesterday - and by the end of the day there were 30 children on the list to join.

It was an opportunity to for parents to find out what the school hopes to offer from September.

This was also the first time registrations for the school were being taken - on a first-come first-served basis.

There are still some places available as some children are not full-time, while others have registered for a place in 2019/2020.

Mum-of-two Ali Pate, a member of WHISkids Schools, the team behind the proposal, was pleased with the turnout and numbers on the list.

"I thought there would definitely be interest but its really great to have that many people registering," she said.

"It's just amazing to see that amount of interest before it's even in existence."

The school's curriculum has just been finalised and WHISkids Schools - which is opening a school in Nottingham - will submit its formal application to the Department for Education by the end of January.

"It's a totally different curriculum," explained Ali.

"It's completely brand new. Our core curriculum is based around health and wellbeing.

"That is the underlying part of our entire curriculum and then everything else is on top of that.

"It's all about treating the children as individuals.

"They learn how they want, when they want and what they want. They choose what they learn."

The process started last March.

Ali and her husband Adam were looking for schools for their own children four-year-old Matilda and Penelope, two.

They looked into alternative schools and found out the closest was in Lancaster.

"Nothing really seemed to suit," said Ali.

"When you look at alternative schools that exist already they're still school models that don't necessarily fit in the modern world."

She attended Carlisle's World Health Innovation Summit - which brings together experts in health - and founder and chief executive Gareth Presch got on board with the idea.

He introduced Ali to other people who shared her outlook.

Full-time schooling at the planned school is optional and parents can opt to send their children to school for four days or less.

There is no homework and instead, family life, values and skills are encouraged.

The school would be an independent free school, meaning it has its own curriculum but would receive no government funding.

Financially the school would rely on sponsorship, grants, donations and regular fundraising.

From September there would be 30 places but there are plans for that to potentially increase to as many as 60, though the school's intake would adapt to its pupils needs.

Parents gathered for two question-and-answer sessions throughout the day while youngsters were able to play and explore their potential new school.

Kenneth Waters, of Blackwell, Carlisle, was there with his seven-year-old daughter Ruby.

He said: "Ruby doesn't fit into a conventional school particularly well.

"We have had a lot of involvement with WHISkids and tried to figure out what is best for her.

"We thought this might allow her to spread her wings.

"Although the school she is in is a really good one, it's not the school that's broken, it's the system.

"We need her to fit into some sort of a box but to do that without having her confidence squashed."

Sarah Gibson and Allan Routledge, of Blennerhassett, were looking round with their daughter Leah, seven.

They are both interested in a more holistic approach to education and have looked around alternative schools as far away as Inverness, so they were thrilled that there could be one closer to home.

Sarah explained that her daughter is already in a great school but she is looking for something that will suit her personality more.

"It's just a different sort of education, more centralised on the individual themselves and creative learning," she said.

Allan added: "We have been looking for an alternative education - something that is not the mainstream because we don't believe every child fits into the mainstream curriculum."#

Email school@whiskids.com for more information.