Redland School - Chile

Past, Present and Future

Redland opened its doors to the public for the first time in November 1965 and its first school year, with thirty-five pupils between kindergarten and first grade, was 1966. After three years on rented premises, and with 120 pupils, the school moved into its own buildings in the district of “Los Dominicos”. Since then it grew gradually every year until in 1977 its first group of school leavers went on to university. Numbers continued to increase for some years until by 1994 there were two classes at each level and a total of over 800 pupils. Numbers have remained much the same ever since, the policy being to keep Redland small enough to ensure the achievement of our ideals of personal attention and friendly human relationships. On the other hand there is a determined intention that the school should grow physically in the next few years, increasing and improving its infrastructure in order to keep abreast of the educational tendencies of the 21st century.

Location

“Villa Los Dominicos”, where Redland is located, is one of the choice residential areas on the eastern outskirts of Santiago. With its backdrop of majestic mountains and its tree-lined streets, it lacks the noise and bustle of the city but is near enough to permit visits to places of cultural interest, contact with communities where our community service activities can be developed and rapid access to up-to-date medical centres. It is an area where security is not a great problem and where the air is relatively free of the smog which affects a large part of the city.

School Structure

The school is divided into three sections, each of which is to some extent a school in itself. The Junior School, which caters for children between the ages of four and ten (pre-kindergarten to fourth grade). Pupils from ten to fourteen attend the Middle School, while those in their four years of secondary education (ninth to twelfth grades) attend the Senior School. Each of these three sections, with its own Head of Section, functions largely as an independent community, thereby enhancing the “small school” atmosphere.

The Association of British Schools in Chile

Redland is a founding member of the Association of British Schools in Chile, which at present has a membership of nineteen schools, and participates actively in all its activites. There are cultural events (such as debates, drama and music festivals, literary encounters, art exhibitions and essay competitions), a highly organized annual sports programme and activities for teachers which include conferences and in-service training. One of the main characteristics of this association is that, although each school is totally independent, it has been possible to establish a spirit of friendly co-operation rather than competition.