Records of the National Froebel Foundation, including:
The Froebel Society for the Promotion of the Kindergarten System (commonly known as the Froebel Society) was founded in 1874 in order to organise the Froebelian movement in the UK; it aimed to provide courses of training for kindergarten teachers and to create a recognition and inspection facility for kindergartens.
In 1887 the Froebel Society created a separate body, the National Froebel Union, to regulate the teaching of Froebelian methods. The National Froebel Union did this by validating examinations and setting standards for the Froebel Teacher's Certificate.
In 1892, members of the Froebel Society were responsible for the setting up of a Froebelian teacher training college in London, known as the Froebel Educational Institute. This college was a separate body from the Froebel Society. It was based in West Kensington and moved to Roehampton in 1922; in 1901 it became known as the Incorporated Froebel Educational Institute.
In 1938 the Froebel Society and the National Froebel Union merged to become the National Froebel Foundation, which continued to perform some of the functions of its parent bodies.
The National Froebel Foundation was formally dissolved in 1975, though a board of Trustees continued to ensure allocation of its residual assets in accordance with its charitable objectives.
In 2013, the National Froebel Foundation merged with the Froebel Trust, with the new merged organisation known as the Froebel Trust. (The Froebel Trust had originally been the Incorporated Froebel Educational Institute. In 2012, the Incorporated Froebel Educational Institute had demerged, with its demonstration school in Ibstock Place, Roehampton, becoming a separate entity, and the non-school part of the organisation becoming the Froebel Trust. It was this Froebel Trust that merged with the National Froebel Foundation in 2013.)
This collection is open to the public by appointment.
Appointments can be made by contacting the archivist by email: archives@roehampton.ac.uk
Alternatively, you may use one of the methods below:
Telephone: 020 8392 3323
Postal address: University of Roehampton, Library, Foyle Special Collections and Archives, Roehampton Lane, London, SW15 5SZ.
The Foyle Special Collections and Archives are located on the second floor of the University Library.
Deposited by the National Froebel Foundation in 2007.
Catalogued archival material in the collection can be searched using Archive Catalogue https://calmview.roehampton.ac.uk/. This is a work in progress and records are still being added to the catalogue.
Further information can be found here: https://library.roehampton.ac.uk/archives
Description created in June 2015.
