The school’s motive is to break all stereotypes of the regular education system Espalier Heritage School
The Espalier Heritage School is a Montessori in Nashik that has designed a unique learning atmosphere in its campus where students attend classes under trees and there is no compulsory uniform. A library is a set-up in a train inspired by the memoir of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, ‘Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window’.
The school set-up is aimed at inducing special learning in children among nature and breaking all stereotypes including uniforms in schools. The school wants to make education more interesting and the school campus more welcoming.
The principal of Espalier Heritage School, Sachin Joshi said that the school is constructed in such a way that children want to come to school.
The train library is inspired by the book ‘Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window’ where the schools were set up inside trains in Japan.
The school has farms where children can grow plants and a Science Park that induces practical learning. The school also focuses on drama and education. It has an in-house recording studio and amphitheatre. The syllabus also has music to engage children and make learning fun. The activities that the school holds for children are unique and develop skills that they will require in daily life. Recently the kids have engaged in activities held online such as modak making, rakhi-making, “paint my palm” etc.
Before the pandemic, the school had arranged for unique activities such as sheep observation that let children feel the animal, know its body parts, and gain information about sheep rearing and wool-making. These activities were held often so that children could get to see, feel and know about the animals closely.
The curriculum in the primary section is designed in such a way that children get enough recreational time. There are no strict rules for the children. They sit on floors instead of desks and wear whatever they like on a daily basis. There is no punishment given to children instead they are asked to cycle for 30 minutes, which in return generates electricity.
A mud party is held in school where students play among themselves and drench in mud. The teachers are addressed as ‘bhaiya/didi’. According to the principal, this creates a bond between the students and teachers.