WITH the rocks at Corbière just feet away from their seaside home, it is hard to imagine why the Rolls family felt the need to leave Jersey.
But they did, and when artist Ian, wife Ruth and son Tom, packed their bags and paint brushes and relocated to Devon last year, it was for one main reason – Tom’s education.
Returning on one of their brief trips back to the Island, they talked about how the family came to make their big decision.
Having decided that the Jersey system was not for him, Ian and Ruth chose to send Tom to a school that was far more suited to his temperament – the Rudolf Steiner School near Totnes in Devon.
The family had started thinking about Tom’s future schooling during their year’s sojourn in Sri Lanka two years ago.
‘We lived near Galle and Tom went to an ‘international’ school there – he’d have been around nine then. He enjoyed the school, but the methods seemed around 50 years out of date, with a heavy reliance on homework, lots of discipline and little enjoyment,’ said Ian.
Ruth continued: ‘We started to wonder what kind of school would suit Tom and considered the options. The choice would have been either Victoria College or Les Quennevais – but they didn’t seem to fit. Tom would have liked Les Quennevais because a lot of his friends went there, but I think maybe it was a bit big. The same went for Victoria College.
We think schools tend to push children too much, and Tom doesn’t like pressure. He’s very good at many things and he struggled at others. I think there are too many tests and kids also lose the enjoyment of learning,’ she said.
Ian himself went to Victoria College. He was encouraged to work hard and did quite well, especially at art and sport. In hindsight, however, he said that he would have preferred the Steiner way, had he been given the choice.
‘I didn’t know anything about Steiner before but having experienced the way they do things, if I’d had the chance I would have loved it. It would have suited me down to the ground.’
Ruth knew about the Steiner system, having had friends in Germany who went to Steiner, so she already had some idea about the philosophy behind their teaching methods, and found it very attractive.
The Steiner Waldorf system is an alternative way of teaching children which takes a humanist approach to early education. This means that it is based on an understanding of the needs of children and educating the whole child through ‘hand, heart and mind.’
‘‘With Steiner, the child’s age and development is central and they work around that. They build up knowledge of a subject from theory through to practical stuff,’ said Ruth. ‘For example in maths, they do geometry by using the shape of flowers, which is really enjoyable, and then they do the maths later. The school prepares children slowly in a different way.’
This unorthodox method of teaching also incorporates a range of learning experiences aimed at producing well-rounded, resourceful and creative individuals. ‘There are all sort of things going on, not just academic work,’ said Ruth. ‘There are sports, handyworks, movement, gardening and animals to look after. They do all these things in between the academic stuff.’
In between sleepovers and surfing, Tom talked about how he felt about leaving his Island home and how he was finding the Steiner system.
‘I’m missing Jersey quite a lot … and my friends,’ he said. ‘I think I would have liked Les Quennevais, a lot of my friends have gone there but maybe it’s a bit big.’
But Tom is enthusiastic about Steiner and has settled in well. ‘I really like the way they do things at the school. It’s very easy,’ he said. ‘They don’t make anyone learn if they don’t feel it’s right – and if someone’s tired they’ll send them home.’ He is particularly enjoying his art lessons.
‘We draw every day and have painting lessons. My teacher thinks just using pencil is not real drawing and I like drawing – but not using colour. We’ve been learning to just use paint and colour without drawing first,’ he explained, and though not convinced of this new technique, he is now learning to integrate the two.
As Tom continues to enjoy his new school, do Ian or Ruth have any regrets about leaving the Island?
‘We’re lucky we could do it,’ said Ian. ‘We had a trial week at the school and on the strength of that we pursued it. It’s been a major upheaval, but if school wasn’t any good for Tom we’d be coming back.
‘From our point of view it’s not just a school, it’s also a community where the parents are very involved. But it’s not just with teachers – we even help out with the maintenance of the school and grounds on ‘work days’.
‘School was also a great starting point for us and for finding out what was going on in Devon.’
But it can be a bit of a struggle, and one of the reasons the family has kept a base in the Island is so that Ian can exhibit, keep his artwork on show here, and keep his bank manager happy.
‘It’s a fee-paying school and I know a lot of people are making sacrifices to be there. I’ve spoken to a lot of people in Jersey in a similar situation to us, and I’m sure there’s a demand for alternative education system like Steiner.
There’s too much pressure and stress in education. Kids need to be relaxed to learn – and it’s showing in the young people the system is producing.
In simple terms, the system is not working. It’s a shame there’s not the option of somewhere like Steiner in Jersey.’
Article posted on 6th August, 2008 - 3.00pm
