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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 79

The Jews' Infant School, Buckle-Street, Whitechapel

The Jews' Infant School, Buckle-Street, Whitechapel.

The Jews' Infant School, Buckle-street, Whitechapel, London, while not claiming to be a Montessori school, seems to me to have many of the excellent points found in a good Montessori school.

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It has 600 children in fourteen lofty, airy, spacious rooms. These children vary in age from 3 years up to 8 or 9. The number of children in class under one teacher ranges from forty to forty-five—not ideal by any means, but hopes are entertained of considerably reducing these numbers very shortly.

The school is equipped with tables and chairs instead of desks. There is group work taken, but no class work. The mistress informed me that, owing to the noise of traffic in the street, class work was found to be impossible, and as it was equally impossible to do group work in desks, they asked the Council for small tables and chairs, which were granted. This revised furniture has been in Buckle-street now for some four or five years, and is found to work excellently. The words of the head mistress concerning it are: "We are convinced that change of furniture, provided there is a fair amount of floor space, rather than reduction of numbers, will bring about the freedom we all so much desire for our children."

In the rooms in Buckle-street groups of children may be found working happily at different occupations. On the day of my visit I noticed in one room the following groups with six or eight children in each—clay-modelling, building on the floor, cutting and pasting, matching dominoes, and "drawing on wall boards. The children were talking to each other quietly and helping each other, but there was no undue noise and certainly no disorder. The teacher moved about quietly, helping when help was necessary, but otherwise not interfering.

In another room I saw groups of children reading to themselves, evidently absorbed in their work, if one can term a thing work that was so evidently a pleasure. The teacher in this room had a small group of the more backward children at the blackboard, and was endeavouring to help them overcome some of the irregularities of the English language.

In the two large baby rooms as many as sixty or seventy children were seen choosing their own toys, playing together in groups or in pairs, with, occasionally, a child alone in some quiet corner intent upon some fascinating piece of material. All were busy, and happy, and free. Nowhere was there any sign of disorder or anarchy.

In this school, as in many of the infant schools in England and on the Continent, the little children sleep in the afternoon after lunch for a little while. Provision is made at Buckle-street for fifty of the youngest children to sleep at a time in cheap, portable hammocks that fold up against the wall when not in use and draw out like a concertina when wanted.

The children in this school look healthy, happy, and self-reliant. I was particularly struck with their very fine physical development and keen mental attitude.