Froebel Demonstration School
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| Established | 1894 |
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| Type | Independent |
| Location |
Clarence Lane Roehampton London SW15 5PY England Coordinates: |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Ages | 4–18 |
| Houses | Paget, Montefiore, Findlay, Brearley |
| Website | |
Ibstock Place School is an independent co-educational day school for pupils aged 4 -18 located in Roehampton, south-west London. The School was founded as the Froebel Demonstration School, the name meaning that it was connected with the Froebel Institute and the demonstration of its educational principles. For many years the school educated pupils up to the age of 13, in 1976, this was extended to 16 years. In 2005, a Sixth Form was established and the age range extended to 18 years.
Ibstock Place School was named after the original house in Clarence Lane, Roehampton where the school moved in 1946, and remains today. Nearby in Roehampton was the Froebel Education College which pioneered the educational ideas of Friedrich Froebel in Britain in 1892. At the end of the nineteenth century, the College had been established in Kensington, West London, and the first Froebel Demonstration School was founded in 1894 in Colet Gardens. The first headmistress was Esther Lawrence, and there were six pupils.
At that time, the principles of Froebel Education were considered to be quite radical. It was the educational benefactor Julia Salis Schwabe (1819–1896) who proposed the establishment of a teacher training college with a demonstration school in England. She was a strong proponent of the Froebel system of education, where the first learning experiences of the very young are seen as of crucial importance to a child’s development and, therefore, to the health of society as a whole. Having established a successful Froebel "kindergarten" in Naples, Mrs Salis Schwabe felt Froebel’s educational philosophy was the key to social progress. Her friend Claude Montefiore (1858–1938) was appointed Secretary of the inaugural Froebel Society, and as joint benefactors they met any financial deficits. The college and school finally opened in Kensington on 20 September 1894 and the Grand Opening by the Empress Frederick took place on 5 March 1895. The school flourished and many liberal intellectual families sent their children until age 13 years. One Head Girl was Iris Murdoch, renowned English author.
At the outbreak of World War II the school was evacuated from London to Dennison House in the village of Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire. Many lessons took place on the lawn outside to make as much use as possible of natural daylight. The children were taken for picnics and long rambles after their sports field was ploughed up to grow hay. Miss Priestman returned to London after the war with a full complement of children and staff.
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