2006 - 2011
This new edition of the Devon school's history appears in its 30th year of life. What began long ago on Bantham Beach with a metal detector, evolved through a beautiful Manor House called Sandwell, now stands as a mature and much wiser initiative at its home at Hood Manor in Dartington.
This new chapter picks up the story in 2006 which proved to be a quieter year before the dramas of 2007 were to unfold.
The site of the burnt out Hall (April 26th, 2004) was always a sobering reminder of how quickly the fortunes of a school can change if the consciousness has lapses. Even though the insurance money had been sitting in the school's account for quite some time, great care was being taken with plans to replace the old much loved hall. It became clear that the new one would not be on exactly the same spot.
A whole new complex including hall, three classrooms, a handwork room and a music room began to emerge as a new vision. The school was thinking big. We were very fortunate to engage one of our parents, Mark Daley, a trained architect to draw up the plans. We were also grateful that a former parent and leading building contractor in the area, Alistair Jackson, submitted a price for the total construction which was modest by today's standards. His deep connection with the school moved him to forego the usual sort of profits that building firms expect.
The third key man in the new project was Keith Butcher, a parent, who agreed to be Project Manager, representing the school every day on site. His too was an invaluable contribution where the normal decent pay for every hour of work was abandoned and where Keith placed himself selflessly at the disposal of the ambitious project over many months and helped steer it through many challenging moments to a successful conclusion in September 2007.
The school site functioned very well during the building operations. Lorries, cranes, vans and many skilled men came and went with a minimum of disruption to the life of the school. The children had the added thrill of seeing an impressive building growing week by week: it was especially those who would be in classes 6, 7 and 8 who were most excited, since this was where their new classrooms would be.
It was also good news that Judith Byford was going to return to teach eurythmy in the impressive new classroom-cum-hall. In the first days of September feverish preparations were made with a gigantic final effort by the builders to make the building ready, complete with desks, chairs, blackboards and of course working toilets.
However, before we continue our story into the autumn of 2007, we have to look back at the tremors that shook the school in the late winter, spring and early summer of 2007. We had the picture of a new building emerging at one place on site but a kind of demolition activity in other areas. Trust between some human beings weakened. Tensions broke out in some groups, pockets of deep dis-satisfaction were not well managed. A critical letter attacking some of our teachers was circulated in the school car park, it caused offence and fuelled rumour and mistrust. Several teachers put in their resignations. In this time of ferment the Council had to take on a much more active role since other organs of the school were under attack to a certain extent.
The Council set up two new groups, one called Truth and Reconciliation, which was very aware of the wonderful South African model under Desmond Tutu, and they attempted to reconcile the differing versions of events and help people make peace again. The second group was called the Moving Forward group and was a bold attempt to diagnose what organs of the school could still function well and which others could be superseded It was recommended that the College of Teachers be disbanded as its work had been so heavily overloaded with business, finance, building plans and personnel issues and there was insufficient time to penetrate this with enough clarity and dynamism. It was also proposed that the Mandate system be extended and strengthened so that it played a much more vital role in school affairs.
The third step was to appoint for the first time an Educational Co-ordinator and who better fitted that new role but Alan Swindell.
As if the several months' drama, when the tectonic plates of the school moved in new directions were not enough, the staff had to face their first Ofsted inspection soon after returning from their much needed summer holidays in 2007. Up to that point the school had had only the mildest inspection every year or so involving a lady with a shiny handbag and rather high heels who appeared for barely a day: she had seemed more concerned about the state of the class registers and the absence slips than the niceties of Steiner Education. The Ofsted team were professionals who were well aware that they were coming to a very different sort of school and so some of their boxes would be untickable! The outcomes in their report brought huge sighs of relief. Overall the school's work was judged to be of good quality and one area merited the adjective 'outstanding', namely the spiritual, moral and cultural development of the pupils (which is anyway at the very heart of the education). The school only 'failed' in three areas and these related to details to do with the premises.
With the new building open, with new internal systems in place, with a new mood of trust between people and with eurythmy, a vibrant Michaelmas Festival, a memorable piano recital by Jenny Quick, talks and the lovely Christmas plays filling the Greenwood Hall (as the decision was it should be called), the year 2007 ended on a really optimistic note The school had taken major steps in its maturing.
In 2008 came the first serious thoughts about State Funding. We had heard that the Hereford Waldorf School had been the first to apply for Academy status and was making steady progress with its application. Our school had a visit from Sylvie Sklan, a main liaison person between the Steiner Schools' Fellowship and the government authorities. It was however only in 2010 that our thoughts accelerated. With a new government in place in May 2010 and the policy of Free Schools launched we were very happy that Martin Whitlock was willing to take on the Mandate for State Funding and follow it through. More about this later.
The year 2008 was characterised by very sincere efforts by everyone to make new structures work. Although the old College of Teachers' function was missed by some teachers, the Mandate Circle, led by the indefatigable Mark Eyers, gained in strength with good numbers of people committed to attend regularly, and Alan's skills and insights brought very major benefits in his role co-ordinating many aspects of the education to a much higher standard than hitherto.
We had also a new Music Teacher in Kate Howard, who brought all the flair and positivity to her role after those years when music did not have the profile it deserved in the school. She has that all too rare ability to convince everyone that they can sing their hearts out. She could probably teach a corncrake to sing prettily!
Another person who deserves a special tribute is Sue Charman. For some three years she had brought a new dynamism to the school's fund raising and brought results which we had only dreamt of up to then. Working unpaid she infused her enormous energy (should we all become vegans?) into many areas and this included ways of subsidising school trips. Great thanks go to Sue for all this hard work which ended with the Advent Market 2008. Sue as a creative artist also brought some important innovations – The Mummers Plays, The Shadow Puppets, and several Class Plays which she wrote. She also inaugurated the first Winter Storytelling Festival at school. Many of these events were also woven into her fund raising activities and were much appreciated. Of course, there are many other unsung volunteers in the life of the school – apologies to them – but our history would be a very long one, were they all to be thanked.
Turning now to the year 2009, we see the school still in good fettle. Even though Britain had just come out of the worst recession in living memory and many jobs were disappearing our parent body seemed wonderfully resilient in sustaining the school with their contributions (even if there was still blood, sweat and tears behind many a cheque or standing order). Anxiety that our school might face a financial crisis proved unfounded.
We said goodbye to Martin Whitlock as Administrator in late spring 2009, although as we have seen he remained active in a voluntary role long after that. This is a man who in his years in the school's administration often walked where angels feared to tread.
Back in 2001/2 he had helped engineer along with Mark Eyers a smooth transition to a much better and productive contributions system. Beginning in Spring 2005, he threaded his way through delicate and sometimes painful negotiations leading to a fairer and more transparent wages system.
Of course, even Martin cannot make 'silk out of a sow's ears' but the teachers seemed content that their salaries were on a better footing even if they still remained considerably below state teachers' remuneration. Martin's other big contribution in these years was to ensure that the school had a working IT system. He was a good trainer, troubleshooter and virtuoso able to handle complex systems. When the tiny office took over the old handwork room, one could see on many a day, up to eight people beavering away, all with modern technology at their disposal. Together with Martin's later work on State funding, we all owe him a particular debt of gratitude for his enormous skills, unflagging integrity and an almost Job like patience in dealing with human vagaries.
For some 20 years the school has been extending its links with mainland Europe and beyond. The Summer Language School has grown in strength from its very modest beginnings in the 1990's to a thriving operation attracting about 48 students. They come from all over Europe and sometimes as far as Japan, Brazil and the Ukraine. A maximum of nine speakers of a particular foreign language are allowed to attend. In 2011 there are speakers of 12 different European languages, bringing a wonderful richness of background. In addition to this there are many visiting students from afar in our Classes 8, 9 and 10.
This year there were three dozen of them, including a few exchanges. Whole classes visit us from time to time. The Class 7 from the Strasbourg Steiner School come regularly, so do students from Weimar. Young Italians are also frequent visitors but this happens under a private arrangement, separate from the school's administration. Our own older students are intrepid travellers, visiting the Weimar and Pforzheim schools every year and Class 9 cycle through Northern France under Andrew Holdstock's careful supervision (who incidentally has done wonders in our school to raise awareness and develop skills to do with bicycles). Other Class trips, especially Class 8, often ventured deep into the continent.
All this means that we feel like an international school. It adds immense value to our students' experience and broadens their horizons, especially in the upper classes. Elizabeth Byrnes, Rolf Ericsson and now Susannah Chapman are owed a real debt of gratitude for all their valiant efforts in recent years because about 10 per cent of the school's total income now comes from overseas students – around £100 000 ! In addition to this, many host families use their income to pay their school fees.
There are many other aspects of life at Hood Manor that deserve to be honoured and described in much more detail than is possible in a short history of the school. Think of all the memorable Festivals! Think of the expanding role of the Outdoor Classroom! (Praised very warmly by senior teachers from Kevicc). Think of the new adventurous developments in Early Years with so much of the morning spent out of doors in all weathers! Never forget the dozens of memorable class plays, nor the hundreds of inspired lessons flowing through every school year! All this belongs to the real lifeblood of the school.
When we now turn to the year 2009 into 2010 we see Jeff van Zyl taking over from Alan Swindell as Educational Co-ordinator. Alan's three years in his final post laid fine foundations and stabilised many important processes which belong to a healthy school. His many years as a class teacher had become legendary. Dozens and dozens of pupils (plus Plymouth University students) have benefited from his inspiring lessons, his imagination, his wit and his mercurial thinking. Large numbers of meetings with colleagues drew on Alan's insights and acute power of analysis. Having started his first class in 1982, in the days at Sandwell Manor and having worked continuously at our school until 2009 (apart from a couple of years or so in Holland), Alan deserves our great appreciation for his invaluable work building up our school.
In June 2010 the school had a further government inspection, which turned out to be even better than the first. The garden activities and other features of our Outdoor Classroom drew special praise and won an 'outstanding'. One may be grateful that the Inspectors made no adverse comments on our curriculum even though it deviates in so many ways from the State model. They remained quietly respectful of the way we do things.
During the latter part of 2010 into 2011, student numbers in the school remained buoyant, between 300 and 308, reflecting confidence in the Devon school from far afield. Christina Edlund-Plater continued her sterling work in her office drawing in new families, helping people to bear the often long wait for a place and smoothing their final entry into the school. The healthy school numbers are in part a compliment to her good work.
Back in July 2009, Martin Whitlock had submitted, with the school's full agreement, an application for Free School status to the Department for Education. There was great anticipation in many families that by September 2011 they might at last be released from the heavy burden of paying for education. The answer came early in 2011 and it was a 'No' (together with all the other 14 Steiner schools who had applied for State funding). We believed that the main reason was our lack of vacancies and therefore we were deemed as ‘not value for money'. This decision triggered off a flurry of meetings to decide which was the best course the school should take to try to guarantee its sustainability. The teachers spent two days discussing deep issues about compromises, uncertainties and threats to the curriculum. There were two very well attended meetings, the second one being the AGM of the Association and many parents had the opportunity to state their preferred option: a new application submitted by June 1st, 2011; start a new Free School in the area; put more effort in sources of alternative funding; or stay as we are? The Council sifted through all the viewpoints and decided not to recommend a fresh application that year, giving the teachers more time to consider their position.
When a new chapter of the School's history gets written it will be very interesting to see the outcomes of all these intense discussions and the decisions that come from them.
On a very different note 2011 was also an anniversary year, the 150th year since Rudolf Steiner was born. It was well celebrated in seven contrasting public events, offering Eurythmy, drama, illustrated talks and a wonderful glimpse of the world of the Nature Spirits. On the heels of this came the filming by Jonathan Stedall in June of aspects of life at Hood Manor. He is making a comprehensive documentary of the life and work of Rudolf Steiner (for showing in 2012) and we are proud to be included in it.
John Platt with his 15th Shakespeare production (Romeo and Juliet, performed in June 2011) was rewarded for his efforts by gaining acceptance for the Open Stages project of the Royal Shakespeare Company as one of the 300 amateur groups throughout the UK performing Shakespeare. Members of Hood Players have had the opportunity to attend Skills Exchange Workshops run by the RSC, in Truro. Hood Players are seen as one of the 18 most promising amateur groups in the South West.
For some, 2011 brought bitter disappointment (No State Funding!) but for others real relief. Perhaps the State route is not the way for us. 2011 was a very stimulating and challenging one and our next chapter (to be published in 2016) will lift the veil on all those future events, as yet cloaked in darkness.
This new edition of the Devon school's history appears in its 30th year of life. What began long ago on Bantham Beach with a metal detector, evolved through a beautiful Manor House called Sandwell, now stands as a mature and much wiser initiative at its home at Hood Manor in Dartington.
This new chapter picks up the story in 2006 which proved to be a quieter year before the dramas of 2007 were to unfold.
The site of the burnt out Hall (April 26th, 2004) was always a sobering reminder of how quickly the fortunes of a school can change if the consciousness has lapses. Even though the insurance money had been sitting in the school's account for quite some time, great care was being taken with plans to replace the old much loved hall. It became clear that the new one would not be on exactly the same spot.
A whole new complex including hall, three classrooms, a handwork room and a music room began to emerge as a new vision. The school was thinking big. We were very fortunate to engage one of our parents, Mark Daley, a trained architect to draw up the plans. We were also grateful that a former parent and leading building contractor in the area, Alistair Jackson, submitted a price for the total construction which was modest by today's standards. His deep connection with the school moved him to forego the usual sort of profits that building firms expect.
The third key man in the new project was Keith Butcher, a parent, who agreed to be Project Manager, representing the school every day on site. His too was an invaluable contribution where the normal decent pay for every hour of work was abandoned and where Keith placed himself selflessly at the disposal of the ambitious project over many months and helped steer it through many challenging moments to a successful conclusion in September 2007.
The school site functioned very well during the building operations. Lorries, cranes, vans and many skilled men came and went with a minimum of disruption to the life of the school. The children had the added thrill of seeing an impressive building growing week by week: it was especially those who would be in classes 6, 7 and 8 who were most excited, since this was where their new classrooms would be.
It was also good news that Judith Byford was going to return to teach eurythmy in the impressive new classroom-cum-hall. In the first days of September feverish preparations were made with a gigantic final effort by the builders to make the building ready, complete with desks, chairs, blackboards and of course working toilets.
However, before we continue our story into the autumn of 2007, we have to look back at the tremors that shook the school in the late winter, spring and early summer of 2007. We had the picture of a new building emerging at one place on site but a kind of demolition activity in other areas. Trust between some human beings weakened. Tensions broke out in some groups, pockets of deep dis-satisfaction were not well managed. A critical letter attacking some of our teachers was circulated in the school car park, it caused offence and fuelled rumour and mistrust. Several teachers put in their resignations. In this time of ferment the Council had to take on a much more active role since other organs of the school were under attack to a certain extent.
The Council set up two new groups, one called Truth and Reconciliation, which was very aware of the wonderful South African model under Desmond Tutu, and they attempted to reconcile the differing versions of events and help people make peace again. The second group was called the Moving Forward group and was a bold attempt to diagnose what organs of the school could still function well and which others could be superseded It was recommended that the College of Teachers be disbanded as its work had been so heavily overloaded with business, finance, building plans and personnel issues and there was insufficient time to penetrate this with enough clarity and dynamism. It was also proposed that the Mandate system be extended and strengthened so that it played a much more vital role in school affairs.
The third step was to appoint for the first time an Educational Co-ordinator and who better fitted that new role but Alan Swindell.
As if the several months' drama, when the tectonic plates of the school moved in new directions were not enough, the staff had to face their first Ofsted inspection soon after returning from their much needed summer holidays in 2007. Up to that point the school had had only the mildest inspection every year or so involving a lady with a shiny handbag and rather high heels who appeared for barely a day: she had seemed more concerned about the state of the class registers and the absence slips than the niceties of Steiner Education. The Ofsted team were professionals who were well aware that they were coming to a very different sort of school and so some of their boxes would be untickable! The outcomes in their report brought huge sighs of relief. Overall the school's work was judged to be of good quality and one area merited the adjective 'outstanding', namely the spiritual, moral and cultural development of the pupils (which is anyway at the very heart of the education). The school only 'failed' in three areas and these related to details to do with the premises.
With the new building open, with new internal systems in place, with a new mood of trust between people and with eurythmy, a vibrant Michaelmas Festival, a memorable piano recital by Jenny Quick, talks and the lovely Christmas plays filling the Greenwood Hall (as the decision was it should be called), the year 2007 ended on a really optimistic note The school had taken major steps in its maturing.
In 2008 came the first serious thoughts about State Funding. We had heard that the Hereford Waldorf School had been the first to apply for Academy status and was making steady progress with its application. Our school had a visit from Sylvie Sklan, a main liaison person between the Steiner Schools' Fellowship and the government authorities. It was however only in 2010 that our thoughts accelerated. With a new government in place in May 2010 and the policy of Free Schools launched we were very happy that Martin Whitlock was willing to take on the Mandate for State Funding and follow it through. More about this later.
The year 2008 was characterised by very sincere efforts by everyone to make new structures work. Although the old College of Teachers' function was missed by some teachers, the Mandate Circle, led by the indefatigable Mark Eyers, gained in strength with good numbers of people committed to attend regularly, and Alan's skills and insights brought very major benefits in his role co-ordinating many aspects of the education to a much higher standard than hitherto.
We had also a new Music Teacher in Kate Howard, who brought all the flair and positivity to her role after those years when music did not have the profile it deserved in the school. She has that all too rare ability to convince everyone that they can sing their hearts out. She could probably teach a corncrake to sing prettily!
Another person who deserves a special tribute is Sue Charman. For some three years she had brought a new dynamism to the school's fund raising and brought results which we had only dreamt of up to then. Working unpaid she infused her enormous energy (should we all become vegans?) into many areas and this included ways of subsidising school trips. Great thanks go to Sue for all this hard work which ended with the Advent Market 2008. Sue as a creative artist also brought some important innovations – The Mummers Plays, The Shadow Puppets, and several Class Plays which she wrote. She also inaugurated the first Winter Storytelling Festival at school. Many of these events were also woven into her fund raising activities and were much appreciated. Of course, there are many other unsung volunteers in the life of the school – apologies to them – but our history would be a very long one, were they all to be thanked.
Turning now to the year 2009, we see the school still in good fettle. Even though Britain had just come out of the worst recession in living memory and many jobs were disappearing our parent body seemed wonderfully resilient in sustaining the school with their contributions (even if there was still blood, sweat and tears behind many a cheque or standing order). Anxiety that our school might face a financial crisis proved unfounded.
We said goodbye to Martin Whitlock as Administrator in late spring 2009, although as we have seen he remained active in a voluntary role long after that. This is a man who in his years in the school's administration often walked where angels feared to tread.
Back in 2001/2 he had helped engineer along with Mark Eyers a smooth transition to a much better and productive contributions system. Beginning in Spring 2005, he threaded his way through delicate and sometimes painful negotiations leading to a fairer and more transparent wages system.
Of course, even Martin cannot make 'silk out of a sow's ears' but the teachers seemed content that their salaries were on a better footing even if they still remained considerably below state teachers' remuneration. Martin's other big contribution in these years was to ensure that the school had a working IT system. He was a good trainer, troubleshooter and virtuoso able to handle complex systems. When the tiny office took over the old handwork room, one could see on many a day, up to eight people beavering away, all with modern technology at their disposal. Together with Martin's later work on State funding, we all owe him a particular debt of gratitude for his enormous skills, unflagging integrity and an almost Job like patience in dealing with human vagaries.
For some 20 years the school has been extending its links with mainland Europe and beyond. The Summer Language School has grown in strength from its very modest beginnings in the 1990's to a thriving operation attracting about 48 students. They come from all over Europe and sometimes as far as Japan, Brazil and the Ukraine. A maximum of nine speakers of a particular foreign language are allowed to attend. In 2011 there are speakers of 12 different European languages, bringing a wonderful richness of background. In addition to this there are many visiting students from afar in our Classes 8, 9 and 10.
This year there were three dozen of them, including a few exchanges. Whole classes visit us from time to time. The Class 7 from the Strasbourg Steiner School come regularly, so do students from Weimar. Young Italians are also frequent visitors but this happens under a private arrangement, separate from the school's administration. Our own older students are intrepid travellers, visiting the Weimar and Pforzheim schools every year and Class 9 cycle through Northern France under Andrew Holdstock's careful supervision (who incidentally has done wonders in our school to raise awareness and develop skills to do with bicycles). Other Class trips, especially Class 8, often ventured deep into the continent.
All this means that we feel like an international school. It adds immense value to our students' experience and broadens their horizons, especially in the upper classes. Elizabeth Byrnes, Rolf Ericsson and now Susannah Chapman are owed a real debt of gratitude for all their valiant efforts in recent years because about 10 per cent of the school's total income now comes from overseas students – around £100 000 ! In addition to this, many host families use their income to pay their school fees.
There are many other aspects of life at Hood Manor that deserve to be honoured and described in much more detail than is possible in a short history of the school. Think of all the memorable Festivals! Think of the expanding role of the Outdoor Classroom! (Praised very warmly by senior teachers from Kevicc). Think of the new adventurous developments in Early Years with so much of the morning spent out of doors in all weathers! Never forget the dozens of memorable class plays, nor the hundreds of inspired lessons flowing through every school year! All this belongs to the real lifeblood of the school.
When we now turn to the year 2009 into 2010 we see Jeff van Zyl taking over from Alan Swindell as Educational Co-ordinator. Alan's three years in his final post laid fine foundations and stabilised many important processes which belong to a healthy school. His many years as a class teacher had become legendary. Dozens and dozens of pupils (plus Plymouth University students) have benefited from his inspiring lessons, his imagination, his wit and his mercurial thinking. Large numbers of meetings with colleagues drew on Alan's insights and acute power of analysis. Having started his first class in 1982, in the days at Sandwell Manor and having worked continuously at our school until 2009 (apart from a couple of years or so in Holland), Alan deserves our great appreciation for his invaluable work building up our school.
In June 2010 the school had a further government inspection, which turned out to be even better than the first. The garden activities and other features of our Outdoor Classroom drew special praise and won an 'outstanding'. One may be grateful that the Inspectors made no adverse comments on our curriculum even though it deviates in so many ways from the State model. They remained quietly respectful of the way we do things.
During the latter part of 2010 into 2011, student numbers in the school remained buoyant, between 300 and 308, reflecting confidence in the Devon school from far afield. Christina Edlund-Plater continued her sterling work in her office drawing in new families, helping people to bear the often long wait for a place and smoothing their final entry into the school. The healthy school numbers are in part a compliment to her good work.
Back in July 2009, Martin Whitlock had submitted, with the school's full agreement, an application for Free School status to the Department for Education. There was great anticipation in many families that by September 2011 they might at last be released from the heavy burden of paying for education. The answer came early in 2011 and it was a 'No' (together with all the other 14 Steiner schools who had applied for State funding). We believed that the main reason was our lack of vacancies and therefore we were deemed as ‘not value for money'. This decision triggered off a flurry of meetings to decide which was the best course the school should take to try to guarantee its sustainability. The teachers spent two days discussing deep issues about compromises, uncertainties and threats to the curriculum. There were two very well attended meetings, the second one being the AGM of the Association and many parents had the opportunity to state their preferred option: a new application submitted by June 1st, 2011; start a new Free School in the area; put more effort in sources of alternative funding; or stay as we are? The Council sifted through all the viewpoints and decided not to recommend a fresh application that year, giving the teachers more time to consider their position.
When a new chapter of the School's history gets written it will be very interesting to see the outcomes of all these intense discussions and the decisions that come from them.
On a very different note 2011 was also an anniversary year, the 150th year since Rudolf Steiner was born. It was well celebrated in seven contrasting public events, offering Eurythmy, drama, illustrated talks and a wonderful glimpse of the world of the Nature Spirits. On the heels of this came the filming by Jonathan Stedall in June of aspects of life at Hood Manor. He is making a comprehensive documentary of the life and work of Rudolf Steiner (for showing in 2012) and we are proud to be included in it.
John Platt with his 15th Shakespeare production (Romeo and Juliet, performed in June 2011) was rewarded for his efforts by gaining acceptance for the Open Stages project of the Royal Shakespeare Company as one of the 300 amateur groups throughout the UK performing Shakespeare. Members of Hood Players have had the opportunity to attend Skills Exchange Workshops run by the RSC, in Truro. Hood Players are seen as one of the 18 most promising amateur groups in the South West.
For some, 2011 brought bitter disappointment (No State Funding!) but for others real relief. Perhaps the State route is not the way for us. 2011 was a very stimulating and challenging one and our next chapter (to be published in 2016) will lift the veil on all those future events, as yet cloaked in darkness.
