Open to everyone
World Schooling
World Schooling at Selong Bay School
Our approach
What is World Schooling?
World schooling is an approach to education where learning happens through travel, real-world experiences, and immersion in different cultures and environments, rather than being confined to a traditional classroom. Families who world school often travel for extended periods, using the places they visit as living classrooms: learning geography by exploring a coastline, biology through jungle treks, marine science through surfing and snorkelling, and social studies through meeting local communities.
Many world schooling families combine this approach with homeschooling curricula, unschooling philosophies, or online schools, dropping into local communities and programmes along the way for structure, socialisation, and hands-on activities. Selong Bay School is proud to be one of those stops for families travelling through Lombok.
Flexible by design
How World Schooling Works at Selong Bay School
We've designed our programme to be flexible, so it can fit around however your family travels and learns.
Join in the way that suits you:
- Afternoon activities only: drop in for surfing, art, sports, or other afternoon sessions without committing to a full school day.
- Any number of days:stay for a single day, a week, or several weeks. There's no minimum commitment, and no need to enrol for a full term.
- Full days or half days: choose whichever rhythm suits your child and your travel plans.
Community at the centre:
World schooling is as much about connection as it is about curriculum, so we build in regular opportunities for families to meet, share, and explore together:
- Wednesday community get-togethers: held after our surfing session at Selong Belanak, this is a relaxed chance for world schooling and homeschooling families to connect, swap stories, and get to know each other over the water and on the beach.
- Meet other world schooling and homeschooling families:Selong Bay attracts a steady stream of travelling families, so your children (and you) can build friendships with others living a similar lifestyle.
- Library and learning resources: visiting students have access to our library and learning materials for the duration of their stay.
Exploring Lombok together:
Part of the world schooling experience is discovering the island itself, and we're happy to help arrange it:
- Support with booking outside activities and excursions, including:
- The Secret Gilis
- Waterfall treks
- Pink Beach
- Camp outs and adventure weeks:join our regular overnight camp outs and themed adventure week programmes for a deeper, more immersive experience of Lombok's nature and culture.
Stay connected
Continuing the Programme While You Travel
Moving on to your next destination doesn't have to mean leaving Selong Bay behind. Families can stay connected to us on the road through our online homeschooling programme, then simply join back in with the physical school whenever you're next in the area.
Choose your curriculum:
- Follow our own unique curriculum, or
- Follow the Cambridge curriculum
Regular online teaching sessions:
- Primary: one online home room session per week with a home room teacher
- Secondary: three to six online sessions per week with specialist subject teachers
Support for homeschooling parents:
- Access to online resources, including downloadable worksheets
- Guidance and support on how to navigate homeschooling day-to-day
- A weekly drop-in session with teachers, available once per week per family, to ask questions and stay on track
Come back anytime: When your travels bring you back to Lombok, your child can rejoin Selong Bay School in person whenever it suits you, with no need to re-enrol or wait for a new term.
Getting started
Planning Your World Schooling Stay at Selong Bay
Getting set up is simple, and we keep the process personal so we can tailor the stay to your family.
Step 1: Get in Touch and Meet Online
Reach out to us and we'll arrange a short online call (video or voice) to introduce our programme, hear about your child's age, interests, and learning background, and answer any questions you have.
Step 2: Confirm Your Dates
Once we've talked through what you're looking for, we'll confirm the dates of your stay, whether that's a single day, a week, or an open-ended arrangement while you're in Lombok.
Step 3: Confirm Full Days or Half Days
Let us know whether your child will join for full school days or half days (e.g. mornings only, or afternoon activities only). This helps us plan groupings and activities appropriately.
Step 4: Confirm Any Additional Requirements
A few things to sort out before arrival:
- School reports:Let us know whether your child needs a school report or record of learning at the end of their stay (some world schooling and homeschooling families need this for their home curriculum, visa, or portfolio requirements). We're happy to provide one on request.
- Learning goals or curriculum notes:If you're following a specific curriculum or have particular learning goals, share these with us so we can align activities where possible.
- Health, dietary, or swimming ability notes: Given our beach and surf-based activities, please let us know of any allergies, medical considerations, or swimming ability in advance.
Step 5: Arrive and Settle In
On arrival, we'll do a short orientation, introduce your child to their group, and get them settled into the rhythm of the school and the wider world schooling community.
Life at Selong Bay
A few more moments from our activities, camps, and community outings.
Have questions about world schooling at Selong Bay? Get in touch and we'll set up a time to chat.