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DARTINGTON HALL SCHOOL Title: Dartington Hall School
The School was a leader in coeducation, the absence of corporal punishment and uniforms, student self-governance, and the pupil-defined curriculum; most of which are now generally accepted characteristics of education in 21st century Britain. Many unpublished, critical evaluations of the school have been preserved. There are also records of educational survey research by school administrators and staff, and records of exchange programs with schools in other communities. The correspondence of headmasters including William B Curry, Hubert and Lois Child, and Dr Royston Lambert, has also been saved. Owing to the lengthy notice time given by most headmasters, there is considerable overlap of records from one subseries to the next. Records also include Senate and Moot minutes, scrapbooks and photographs, films and videos, and student publications. There are also extensive files of press cuttings about the school Most School administrative records dating prior to 1974 are currently open for research and are listed in the online catalogue. This material includes letters of Marjorie Wise and Wyatt Rawson, Bill Curry's letters and reports to the Trust, letters and reports from advisors including Eduard Lindeman, H N Brailsford, Ruth Morgan, and Dr F G Bonser of Teachers College, Columbia, and extensive correspondence with others interested in alternative education including A S Neill, and Dora and Bertrand Russell. The Papers of Dorothy Elmhirst held by the Dartington Hall Trust Archive also include School records. Detailed administrative histories and descriptions will be found at the subseries level in the online catalogue. The most recent 30 years of records are closed. Data protection guidelines regulate access to individual student and personnel information and records of people still living are closed. Follow this link for further information on accessing pupil records. Former students and staff may be interested in the website of the Dartington Hall School. The series is divided into 11 subseries as follows: A) The Early School, 1926-1931; search T/DHS/A |
History: Dartington Hall School opened in September 1926. It closed in 1987 due to declining enrolment and mounting financial losses. In its heyday it was one of the foremost progressive boarding schools.
The Dartington Hall Trust is a registered charity no. 279756. Company no. 1485560
Registered Office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL United Kingdom.
Telephone 01803 847000; Fax 01803 847007;