A self-styled 'school' operating in Sussex has sparked significant alarm and official scrutiny after photographs surfaced showing very young children posing with firearms and martial arts weapons.
Controversial Curriculum and Defiance of Oversight
Hope Sussex, which was opened by Matthew Single and his wife Sadie, teaches core subjects like maths and English alongside shooting lessons and martial arts. The establishment, which attracts around 40 families daily, has explicitly barred the education watchdog Ofsted from inspecting its premises, claiming status as an 'autonomous community'.
Newly released images from the founder depict children, some reportedly as young as four, holding rifles and nunchucks. In one photograph, Single himself wears a T-shirt with the slogan: ‘I identify as a conspiracy theorist, my pronouns are told/you/so’. He later told Metro the shirt was a gift and the photo was an old social media post he did not expect to 'become so popular'.
Social Media Posts and 'Army' Comments Raise Alarms
The school's online activity has further fuelled concern. One post showed children with homemade nunchucks alongside the hashtag 'stop Starmer'. During a trip to Budapest, pupils were photographed posing with submachine guns. Another video on Instagram featured a young girl holding a gun near what appeared to be military equipment, captioned: ‘We must teach our kids real history, and why we must prepare to defend ourselves against the evil that seeks out subservience!’
In a social media statement, Single wrote: ‘We must be prepared to step outside of the comfort zone of simply protesting... we have our army in the field’. He later clarified to The Times that his comments were about 'applying political pressure' and it was 'not my intention to build an ‘army’'.
Founder's Defence and Ideological Stance
In a detailed statement to Metro, Matthew Single vigorously defended his practices. He stated he has taught archery and air-weapon shooting at Hope Sussex since it opened five years ago, emphasising a '100% safety record' and rigorous discipline, treating air weapons 'as if they were live weapons at all times'.
He framed the school's mission in starkly political terms, criticising the government's proposed 'Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill' as 'totalitarian'. ‘The school curriculum that is being peddled by the government is unfit for purpose, toxic and an abuse of our children,’ Single claimed. He expressed an intention to build 'a generation of confident, adaptable … young adults' able to stand against a government 'intent on destroying everything beautiful'.
The school describes itself online as ‘A home-grown community based in love, truth, freedom & family life skills.’ However, the combination of young children handling weapons, the defiance of regulatory oversight, and the founder's inflammatory rhetoric has placed Hope Sussex under a harsh and critical spotlight.
