Greenfields School
| Established | 1981[1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Independent day and boarding |
| Religion | Scientology[1] |
| Head teacher | Grant Hudson |
| Location |
Priory Road Forest Row East Sussex RH18 5JD England |
| Local authority | East Sussex |
| Students | 119 day and 19 boarding, as of 2014[2] |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Website |
www |
Greenfields School is an independent, non-denominational, day and boarding school in Forest Row, East Sussex, England run by Scientologists.[3] It services children from 2 to 18. It has a Montessori-based Pre-school & Reception class, followed by Infant, Junior, Senior, 6th Form and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes. Greenfields utilises a study method called Study Technology which is a teaching method developed by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and licensed from U.S. non-profit educational organization Applied Scholastics.[4] The school is a member of the Independent Schools Association.
The school was founded by Scientologists, and the school's staff estimates that 90% of staff and 80% of students are Scientologists, although the school's curriculum is non-religious.[1] The school's website states that it is not a Scientology school, but that it uses 'Study Technology which was developed by L. Ron Hubbard who also developed Scientology' and 'welcomes students and staff of all religions and creeds.' [5]
The school has English as a Foreign Language programmes for international students. Summer holiday programmes run from June to August, minimum stay 1 week. The school also runs English programmes all year around for children from 5 to 18 years old. Boarding is on-campus.
The school was inspected by the Department for Education's OFSTED in 2009.[6] Since that time inspections are carried out by the Independent Schools Inspectorate; a full inspection was last conducted in 2011,[7] and an intermediate inspection in 2013.[8] The 2013 inspection found that the school did not comply with legal Boarding School standards in terms of staff recruitment checks, record keeping, and child protection. The ISI's reports explain that the schools is run according to Scientology principles. In 1985 Inspectors from the Department for Education who toured Greenfields noted: "Many children are reading, and certainly writing, at a level below what they might be expected to achieve.", despite the school claiming that the students were over a year ahead in reading. The High Court have also stated that Deputy Principal McQuade used "false, spurious" titles.[9]
In 1994, one of the few non-Scientologist teachers from the school was jailed for five years after he admitted sexually molesting teenage pupils.[10]
A 2012 newspaper report [11] suggested that many students left the school after completing their GCSEs, without going on to the sixth form, in order to transfer to Sea Org.
References
- 1 2 3 "New dawn of Dianetics - Article". TES. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
- ↑ "Greenfields Independent School". Independent Schools Council. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ↑ Shaw, Michael (2014). "New dawn of Dianetics - Article - TES". tes.co.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ↑ School details - Greenfields School Independent Schools' Association
- ↑ http://www.greenfieldsschool.com/admissions/frequently-asked-questions/
- ↑ https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/files/1354549/urn/SC050532.pdf
- ↑ http://isischools.devprocess.com/DownloadReport.aspx?t=c&r=6492_012011_s.pdf&s=6492
- ↑ http://isischools.devprocess.com/DownloadReport.aspx?t=c&r=INB6492_20130319.pdf&s=6492
- ↑ "The Missing Word". Evening Argus. Brighton & Hove, United Kingdom: Gannett Company. June 10, 1994.
- ↑ "Teacher is jailed for sex offences". The Independent. London. 21 January 1994. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
Mark Kent, 32, of Forest Row, East Sussex, committed a catalogue of offences against boys at Greenfields school in Forest Row, where he worked.
- ↑ https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/as-katie-holmes-bars-suri-from-sea-org-the-sussex-school-whose-pupils-vanish-at-16-to-join-7935866.html