Springdales School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Springdales School is the name of a set of English-medium co-educational schools run by the Springdales School Society in various parts of New Delhi. There are three branches of this school bearing the name: at Pusa Road, Dhaula Kuan, and Kirti Nagar (the last is only for primary education). The schools are affiliated to the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education).
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[edit] History
The first branch of the school was founded by Dr. Rajni Kumar out of her own premises in East Patel Nagar, New Delhi, on September 1, 1955. Subsequently, the Kirti Nagar and Pusa Road (1966) locations were established, and the Dhaula Kuan branch came up in the 1980s. As of October 2006, a new branch of the school was under construction at Sushant City, Jaipur.
[edit] Founding Philosophy
The founding of the school was inspired by the progressive education movement in Britain particularly Beaconsfield founded by Bertrand Russell, Badley's co-educational Bedales School, and A. S. Neill's Summerhill. The name 'Springdales' was chosen to be symbolic of the freshness of spring and inspired by the progressiveness of Bedales.
The founders were keen to establish a school which would be progressive in its educational approach and encourage engagement with international events and political issues. Many of the people involved with founding the school were associated with Communist parties in India, and the school had strong links with the former USSR, and emphasized the study of Russian language, exchanges with Soviet schools, etc. In addition, the school and its students were long-time supporters of the African National Congress and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, whose leaders have visited the school.
In terms of its educational philosophy, the most distinguishing feature of the school has always been an emphasis on extra-curricular activities, and a distaste for formal examinations. Students do not sit for annual or even term examinations until Class IX, a rarity in the exam-obsessed Indian educational system. Until then, all evaluation is through regular in-class tests, project work, etc.
The school was also a pioneer in trying to extend the benefits of a public school education to economically disadvantaged students by setting up a special section for bright students from government schools. These students were both provided with a free education and were set up with a special curriculum which helped them to compete with regular students by Class IX.
[edit] Current Status
The school is today a member of the National Progressive Schools' Conference and is considered one of Delhi's leading schools. The principal of the Dhaula Kuan branch is Dr. Jyoti Bose and the principal of the Pusa Road branch is Mrs. Ameeta Mulla Wattal.
The Pusa Road branch is the oldest and largest of the three branches, while the Kirti Nagar branch provides education only up till the fifth standard. Children from the Kirti Nagar branch move to the Pusa Road branch on entering sixth standard.
