Children as young as four are being given weapons training at a suspected illegal school run by conspiracy theorists who believe they are “at war” with the state.

Hope Sussex offers lessons in shooting and martial arts alongside English, maths and science.

Photographs published by Matthew Single, who founded Hope with his wife Sadie, show children of primary school age holding air rifles and firing at targets on the grounds near the village of Netherfield in East Sussex. The children have also made necklaces from bullet casings as well as their own nunchucks.

A young person holding a pair of homemade nunchucks.

During a recent trip to Budapest pupils were taken to a shooting range and posed holding submachine guns.

A child holding a large machine gun in front of a decorated Christmas tree.

Hope Sussex was founded in 2021 by a group of anti-vaccine activists and former members of the far right.

It describes itself as an “autonomous community” that supports home-educating parents and denies that it is a school. Ofsted believes it is operating as one illegally, but closed its criminal investigation into Hope due to the limitations of current legislation.

At present, Ofsted does not have the power to force its way onto the premises of suspected illegal schools. When it visited Hope Sussex in 2022, inspectors were prevented from entering by Mr Single and another member of staff. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is making its way through parliament, proposes to provide the inspectorate with much stronger powers.

A child holding a bow and arrow, preparing to fire, with green grass in the background.

Children are also trained in archery

The Singles, who are former members of the British National Party, encourage parents to remove pupils from mainstream state education and send them to their site for lessons while telling councils that the children are being home-educated.

According to the latest company filings, more than 40 families attend Hope each week.

A full range of subjects is taught, albeit often through the prism of conspiracy. Mrs Single, 47, a former state primary teacher, once said that her history lessons include “some of the fallacies and lies that have taken place”, such as the claim that Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941 with the prior knowledge of President Roosevelt — a conspiracy theory that has been widely debunked by historians. She also told children that 9/11 was the modern-day Pearl Harbor.

Mr Single, 54, an avowed admirer of President Putin and Kim Jong-un, has said he believes the “awake community” is “at war” with the state and urged people to “take the fight to them”.

A man wearing a black t-shirt that reads "I IDENTIFY AS A CONSPIRACY THEORIST MY PRONOUNS ARE TOLD/YOU/SO".

In a post entitled “They are coming for our children”, he wrote: “We must be prepared to step outside of the comfort zone of simply protesting and demonstrating with placards and megaphones — we have our army in the field, now we must press forward with greater, more specific action.”

Responding to questions from The Times, he said the comments were made in the context of “applying political pressure on the government”.

He said that he gave lessons in “archery and air-weapon shooting, all run to a high level with a maximum emphasis on safety at all times”, and had taught people from the age of four to 82.

A child, with their face pixelated, aiming an air rifle from behind a wooden bench with a second rifle resting next to them.

“It is not my intention to build an ‘army’,” he said. “It is however our intention to help build a generation of confident, adaptable … young adults that are able to stand up for themselves and their communities against a government seemingly intent on destroying everything beautiful and cherished in our country.”

Ofsted declined to comment.