A new school, focusing on “education of the heart”, as well as the mind, has opened in Southend.

Former music studios in Wallis Avenue, Southend, have been replaced by the One Love centre, which houses the second Epic Quest ‘alternative school’, after the success of the venture in Leigh.

The school teaches yoga, medidation, and vegetarianism, alongside the likes of English, maths, science, and the humanities up to GCSE level.

Julian Esposito, who is the headmaster of the school, already has 24 children on his books at the Southend branch, which opened last month.

He said his school teaches on a three-day system, where they teach pupils from the age of eight a subject, then they are asked to ‘recompose what they have learned orally and creatively the next day’, and on the third day, they write down what they have learned.

He said: “We aim to educate for the heart as well as the mind.

“As well as education, the message we look to deliver to the children is how indespensible they are to our futures.

“If the children aren’t content with what they’re learning in a particular session, we can teach them yoga or meditation side by side with the likes of English, so that keeps them occupied by something they enjoy doing.”

The school held an open day during the weekend with live performances, artwork exhibitions, crafts and activities, in an event called the One Love Weekend.

The school does not receive Government funding, so is not a free school, and it charges parents £40 a week, so is technically a private school.

Mr Esposito added: “We don’t think that £40 is an expensive amount to pay per week.

“We take a pragmatic approach to learning, and vegetarian food isamain focus of the school, with the children given a meal of fresh food every day.”

Currently, there are 20 pupils doing three-day weeks at the school, with the rest of their time privately educated.

Four pupils are in five days a week, and the school hopes to ideally have between 30 to 50 pupils.

In September, the Epic Quest will offer a breakfast club from 7.30am, and then pupils can get a minibus to their primary schools.

For over eights, a school day lasts from 9am to 3pm, with an after-school club running from 3pm to 6pm.

For more information, visit www.epicquest.co.uk