Cabarlah Community School was opened at the beginning of 2006 and closed in early 2008. The school was begun by an enthusiastic group of parents and teachers who believed that a "reflective pedagogy", that is, teaching practices based on reading, enacting and reflecting on child centred learning practices could both fulfill the syllabus requirements of the state and fulfill the full range of needs of the whole child and her/his family.

The school grew from ten to eventually twenty-five children and attracted the interest of a wide range of educators. Dr Janice Jones (University of Southern Queensland) engaged with parents, children and teachers at the school for more than two years  for her PhD study. 

All those engaged with and in the school were challenged, seeing children demonstrate an ability to create their own learning experiences and grow within those experiences. Dr Jones states in her thesis that experiencing the children at the school made her aware of how the preconceptions of traditional educators can constrain their potential for supporting children to grow and expand into fuller, more powerful versions of themselves.

Unfortunately, the school also challenged the hierarchical status quo which led to factors making the continued practices supported by the teachers and families no longer possible.

But for two years a group of educators - children, parents and professionals - grew together in their awareness of how rich and powerful the learning environment within every child is, and how it can be freed when trust is a first principle of learning.