Sands School
Encyclopedia
Sands School is a democratic school
in Ashburton
, Devon
in England
Since 1991 it has been at the forefront of the international democratic education movement worldwide [IDEC] and has partner schools in Israel, Japan, U.S.A and most European countries. In 2006 the European branch of this movement was launched[EUDEC] and many Sands students are actively involved in promoting democratic approaches to education both in the Private and State sector in this country and abroad, travelling through Europe to conferences and events aimed at establishing democratic education as a viable alternative to the present educational model.
It now has 70 students aged 11 to 17 and 9 teachers and 5 support staff,offers a range of 17 qualifications including B.tech Performing Arts,11 GCSE'S ,L.A.M.D.A and offers students the chance to develop an approach to learning that is personalised and encourages critical thinking and creativity.The exams and lessons offer a medium for the development of open-minded and emotionally intelligent children.Sean Bellamy remains teaching in the school after 23 years and between them the core 9 staff have clocked up nearly a hundred years of teaching experience in the school.Young staff have joined recently and some are ex-students so the age range of staff runs from 23 to 64.
At the heart of the model is the idea that students should help design their place of learning and remain actively involved in the making of its rules and contributing to its philosophy; that students and teachers should all exist as equal partners in the running of the school and that students should map their own route through their school careers with guidance from the adults. The result is a place where play is still important even to 16 year olds, where talking is valued as is recreation and where students tend to be relaxed, happy and well behaved in class mainly because they have made the conscious decision to attend their classes without coercion.
Sands School is run by the School Meeting[comprising all students and staff and has ultimate say in school affairs] and the School Council[6 elected students and an elected teacher who investigate and advise on daily events, feeding information back to the whole school for action and decisions]
The school's most recent Ofsted report of 2010 referred to the school as 'examplary' in terms of the children's behaviour and attitude to learning ,praised the social and moral development of the students and identified many outstanding features.The report is available to read online and many parents who choose the school say that the affirmation by Ofsted that Sands is a successful school as well as a fascinating and supportive democratic environment in which children learn to make real life decisions is 'a little like having one's cake and getting to eat it.'Ex-students return regularly and say that their experience was central to the life- decisions they later made.Wildlife photographers,graphic artists,actors and singers as well as paramedics ,climbing instructors and teachers.One of the latest 'leavers' has just been accepted to St Martin's Art College at the age of 16,two years early, because the school allowed her the freedom to develop a university -standard portfolio during her final year rather than create a collection of homogenised qualifications that would have failed to demonstrate her true ability.
Since the closure of Dartington Hall School in 1987 and its junior section Aller Park earlier in the 80's only Sands and Summerhill
exist as long-lived examples of democratic education in this country. New schools are beginning to surface and even in the present results-obsessed climate the UK is witnessing a renewed interest in Human Scale and Democratic education.
Democratic school
This is a comprehensive list of current and former democratic schools. Most of these were modeled on the Summerhill School, the oldest existing democratic school founded in 1921...
in Ashburton
Ashburton, Devon
Ashburton is a small town on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, adjacent to the A38 Devon Expressway.It was formerly important as a stannary town , and remains the largest town within the National Park, with a population of around 3,500...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
History
Sands School was started in 1987 by a group of students and teachers from the recently closed Dartington Hall School. Starting in the kitchen of a parent's house, the school quickly established its own philosophy, building on the progressive principles of Dartington. The school's name, Sands, comes from the first letters of the first names of two of the founding teachers, Sean Bellamy and Sybilla Higgs: ‘S and S’, or 'Sands'. This shortening came from the letters written by the school's other founding teacher, David Gribble, to Sean and Sybilla in the spring and summer of 1987. The school grew from its original size of 17, and within six months had moved to a large town house in Ashburton where it is still based today.Since 1991 it has been at the forefront of the international democratic education movement worldwide [IDEC] and has partner schools in Israel, Japan, U.S.A and most European countries. In 2006 the European branch of this movement was launched[EUDEC] and many Sands students are actively involved in promoting democratic approaches to education both in the Private and State sector in this country and abroad, travelling through Europe to conferences and events aimed at establishing democratic education as a viable alternative to the present educational model.
It now has 70 students aged 11 to 17 and 9 teachers and 5 support staff,offers a range of 17 qualifications including B.tech Performing Arts,11 GCSE'S ,L.A.M.D.A and offers students the chance to develop an approach to learning that is personalised and encourages critical thinking and creativity.The exams and lessons offer a medium for the development of open-minded and emotionally intelligent children.Sean Bellamy remains teaching in the school after 23 years and between them the core 9 staff have clocked up nearly a hundred years of teaching experience in the school.Young staff have joined recently and some are ex-students so the age range of staff runs from 23 to 64.
At the heart of the model is the idea that students should help design their place of learning and remain actively involved in the making of its rules and contributing to its philosophy; that students and teachers should all exist as equal partners in the running of the school and that students should map their own route through their school careers with guidance from the adults. The result is a place where play is still important even to 16 year olds, where talking is valued as is recreation and where students tend to be relaxed, happy and well behaved in class mainly because they have made the conscious decision to attend their classes without coercion.
Sands School is run by the School Meeting[comprising all students and staff and has ultimate say in school affairs] and the School Council[6 elected students and an elected teacher who investigate and advise on daily events, feeding information back to the whole school for action and decisions]
The school's most recent Ofsted report of 2010 referred to the school as 'examplary' in terms of the children's behaviour and attitude to learning ,praised the social and moral development of the students and identified many outstanding features.The report is available to read online and many parents who choose the school say that the affirmation by Ofsted that Sands is a successful school as well as a fascinating and supportive democratic environment in which children learn to make real life decisions is 'a little like having one's cake and getting to eat it.'Ex-students return regularly and say that their experience was central to the life- decisions they later made.Wildlife photographers,graphic artists,actors and singers as well as paramedics ,climbing instructors and teachers.One of the latest 'leavers' has just been accepted to St Martin's Art College at the age of 16,two years early, because the school allowed her the freedom to develop a university -standard portfolio during her final year rather than create a collection of homogenised qualifications that would have failed to demonstrate her true ability.
Since the closure of Dartington Hall School in 1987 and its junior section Aller Park earlier in the 80's only Sands and Summerhill
Summerhill School
Summerhill School is an independent British boarding school that was founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill with the belief that the school should be made to fit the child, rather than the other way around...
exist as long-lived examples of democratic education in this country. New schools are beginning to surface and even in the present results-obsessed climate the UK is witnessing a renewed interest in Human Scale and Democratic education.