Greenfields School: it's not looking good for Scientology

[Freeminds]

I had a wander over to the Department for Education website, to have a look at the league tables they publish, detailing the quality (or not) of instruction given at Greenfields School.

Greenfields School is an Applied Scholastics institution; the only one in the UK (AFAIK). It's located in East Grinstead, and exists to serve the needs of Scientology cultists, to whom East Grinstead is something of a Mecca, because of Stain Hill Manor.

The 'Study Tech' was created by LRH, and is based on a tradition of academic under-achievement that he started himself. But let's see what the government figures show, rather than the usual Scientology promotional material. (Raw data available here.)

First up, Greenfields is unusual in that it caters for children from 3-19. Most UK schools have a far narrower age range, requiring that children move on between distinct nursery, primary and secondary schools. But Greenfields will keep your kids in the only Applied Scholastics game in town... for anything up to sixteen years.

Next oddity... there are just one hundred pupils.

Scientology is, as we all know, expanding like never before. Straight up, vertical growth, just like that little guy on the soap box said. Right? Well, um... no. Despite this part of the UK being the cult hotbed (the Stain Hill Manor effect means that fully half of the UK's Scientology victims live in or near East Grinstead), there's just 100 children at the only Scientology school. (Scientology, millions of members in the UK? My arse.)

It's normal practice to split classes up, by year (age) but if this were done with Greenfields' 100 pupils, there'd be just six and a quarter in any given year. If you offer them options (German, History or Metalwork?) you'd have class groups so small that they'd vanish.

Moving on to look at the quality of education that a child can expect to get at the cult school, we see that for 2011, the key stat of "Percentage achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and maths GCSEs" ... was 41%. By comparison, the pupils of the nearby Comprehensive school, Imberhorne Lane scored 70% in this stat. Their young people are quite simply better prepared to get jobs, or go on to study at university.

(When considering this, bear in mind that a Comprehensive school is generally nothing special. They don't get to pick and choose their pupils; it's just the place that anybody who lives in the catchment area can send their children. Snobbish people might say that comprehensives are something of a 'safety net', and don't perform as well as academies, technology colleges, faith schools and so on.)

Imberhorne Lane has 1,687 pupils registered, despite the narrower age range of 11-18. Clearly, Greenfields School - with just 100 pupils - is failing. The best news is that everybody knows it, and even some of the clams are sending their children elsewhere.

Seems to me that whenever you see the words "Hubbard" and "education", the word "fail" can't be far behind.

Let's not talk about the Greenfields teacher who got jailed for sex offenses in 1994 (OK, go on then, if you must...) It's the kids I feel sorry for. No wonder they end up being drafted into the Sea Org, after more than a decade of Hubbardian garbage presented as 'education'.

I'll end with a classic Scientology arrogance and fuckup story: Greenfields originally opened in Hammerwood in 1981... but it did so without planning permission, and the school was forced to move sites by the local authority.

Make it go right. Um.

Does anybody on ESMB have stories of their time at Greenfields they'd like to share?

 

[solo]

Note for info: there is another Scientology school - Walsh Manor School near Crowborough, which is for Sea Org children. It usually has less than 20 children. Of course, the numbers of children in the Sea Org have dwindled as members are no longer allowed to produce any, so yes, Greenfields School will be the main source of new recruits and they do not need any GCSE's to join the Sea Org.....

I noticed from the OFSTED report for Walsh Manor that the children are unusually well-behaved. I don't suppose the inspectors dug up any information about ethics conditions or amends projects being used to keep them in line. Sadly, the children will have been drilled to say all the right things to avoid a "pr flap" and to look as though all is well with them.

 

[RogerB]

Yes . . .

What a sad course of events for Greenfields.

In around 1978, maybe 1979, I contributed some Hundreds of Pounds British (money) to help establish it.

One of my God Children were among the first students. I forget the name of the lady (and she was a lady!) who founded the endeavor, but she was a qualified teacher and sane, and a class act.

The place began wonderfully . . . and then the CofS HAD to interfere, as it always does in any successful enterprise set up by $cn types, and take over or dominate its activities (even before WISE came into existence).

The moment the "church" put its ugly hand into the affairs of the show, it had problems.

One issue I do remember, was that the parents of my God child ran into "ethics difficulty" with the "church" . . . . now we are talking of a parent who had effectively run and carried out the UK Cof$ lobbying of Parliament caper for something like a couple of years as a GAS . . . this guy was a star and ace producer . . . . but he disagreed with some shit or other from "upper management" . . . so ethics trouble was the order of the day . . . . no matter that he'd spent serious personal money performing the Parliamentary lobby caper for some extended time. (He was also an OT3 completion, as was his wife, so not an inconsequential Being in the view of Cof$ hierarchy).

Guess what the first action performed by the Cof$ was vis a vis its great contributor?

It ordered my God son, the boy of our great contributor to the Cof$, to be removed from Greenfields (at age about 9-10) because of the "ethics" problems of the father!

The sons-of-bitches hit the kid because of some putative aggravation it had with the father!

Realize, at the time, Greenfields was not (dunno about now) part of the Cof$ . . . it was it's own thing but using LRH study principles!

This is so insane and evil as to be beyond belief! It totally disrupted the kid's school year . . . he had to find another school . . and what an impact on an innocent! Being told your parent is "not OK" and you have to suffer because of it.

Let me tell you . . . the Cof$ lost lots and LOTS of support and trust as a result of that particular incident . . . I know of 6 people (at least) who are out because of this particular incident.

Oh, yes, let it be remembered, it was our "charming" David Gaiman who came to tell the boy's parents they had to remove their son from Greenfields . . . it is to be noted that my friend and father of the boy, Marcus, reported to D. Gaiman, on his Parliamentary lobbying activities . . .which at the time time was done every week, at least, for a period of at least two years to my certain personally witnessed knowledge.

Of course CofS is too stupid to realize that it lost a LOT of support from good people due to this kind of caper . . . their idiot think is that they are "so powerful" they can dominate and make all subservient to them . . . . .

They have another big time lesson on that score coming

Pretty soon they will really realize you can't shit on people and get away with it . . .

In any event, on Greenfields . . . it was a wonderful opportunity where a very caring educationalist employing the best available of what Hubbard made available, was crushed, was taken over and the enterprise turned into a disaster zone by "know best artists."

RogerB

 

[Terril park]

Yes . . .

What a sad course of events for Greenfields.

In around 1978, maybe 1979, I contributed some Hundreds of Pounds British (money) to help establish it.

One of my God Children were among the first students. I forget the name of the lady (and she was a lady!) who founded the endeavor, but she was a qualified teacher and sane, and a class act.

The place began wonderfully . . . and then the CofS HAD to interfere, as it always does in any successful enterprise set up by $cn types, and take over or dominate its activities (even before WISE came into existence).

The moment the "church" put its ugly hand into the affairs of the show, it had problems.

One issue I do remember, was that the parents of my God child ran into "ethics difficulty" with the "church" . . . . now we are talking of a parent who had effectively run and carried out the UK Cof$ lobbying of Parliament caper for something like a couple of years as a GAS . . . this guy was a star and ace producer . . . . but he disagreed with some shit or other from "upper management" . . . so ethics trouble was the order of the day . . . . no matter that he'd spent serious personal money performing the Parliamentary lobby caper for some extended time. (He was also an OT3 completion, as was his wife, so not an inconsequential Being in the view of Cof$ hierarchy).

Guess what the first action performed by the Cof$ was vis a vis its great contributor?

It ordered my God son, the boy of our great contributor to the Cof$, to be removed from Greenfields (at age about 9-10) because of the "ethics" problems of the father!

The sons-of-bitches hit the kid because of some putative aggravation it had with the father!

Realize, at the time, Greenfields was not (dunno about now) part of the Cof$ . . . it was it's own thing but using LRH study principles!

This is so insane and evil as to be beyond belief! It totally disrupted the kid's school year . . . he had to find another school . . and what an impact on an innocent! Being told your parent is "not OK" and you have to suffer because of it.

Let me tell you . . . the Cof$ lost lots and LOTS of support and trust as a result of that particular incident . . . I know of 6 people (at least) who are out because of this particular incident.

Oh, yes, let it be remembered, it was our "charming" David Gaiman who came to tell the boy's parents they had to remove their son from Greenfields . . . it is to be noted that my friend and father of the boy, Marcus, reported to D. Gaiman, on his Parliamentary lobbying activities . . .which at the time time was done every week, at least, for a period of at least two years to my certain personally witnessed knowledge.

Of course CofS is too stupid to realize that it lost a LOT of support from good people due to this kind of caper . . . their idiot think is that they are "so powerful" they can dominate and make all subservient to them . . . . .

They have another big time lesson on that score coming

Pretty soon they will really realize you can't shit on people and get away with it . . .

In any event, on Greenfields . . . it was a wonderful opportunity where a very caring educationalist employing the best available of what Hubbard made available, was crushed, was taken over and the enterprise turned into a disaster zone by "know best artists."

RogerB

All you say is true.

Will get further date from one who had children there in earlier days.

 

[Boojuum]

Yes . . .

What a sad course of events for Greenfields.

In around 1978, maybe 1979, I contributed some Hundreds of Pounds British (money) to help establish it.

One of my God Children were among the first students. I forget the name of the lady (and she was a lady!) who founded the endeavor, but she was a qualified teacher and sane, and a class act.

The place began wonderfully . . . and then the CofS HAD to interfere, as it always does in any successful enterprise set up by $cn types, and take over or dominate its activities (even before WISE came into existence).

The moment the "church" put its ugly hand into the affairs of the show, it had problems.

One issue I do remember, was that the parents of my God child ran into "ethics difficulty" with the "church" . . . . now we are talking of a parent who had effectively run and carried out the UK Cof$ lobbying of Parliament caper for something like a couple of years as a GAS . . . this guy was a star and ace producer . . . . but he disagreed with some shit or other from "upper management" . . . so ethics trouble was the order of the day . . . . no matter that he'd spent serious personal money performing the Parliamentary lobby caper for some extended time. (He was also an OT3 completion, as was his wife, so not an inconsequential Being in the view of Cof$ hierarchy).

Guess what the first action performed by the Cof$ was vis a vis its great contributor?

It ordered my God son, the boy of our great contributor to the Cof$, to be removed from Greenfields (at age about 9-10) because of the "ethics" problems of the father!

The sons-of-bitches hit the kid because of some putative aggravation it had with the father!

Realize, at the time, Greenfields was not (dunno about now) part of the Cof$ . . . it was it's own thing but using LRH study principles!

This is so insane and evil as to be beyond belief! It totally disrupted the kid's school year . . . he had to find another school . . and what an impact on an innocent! Being told your parent is "not OK" and you have to suffer because of it.

Let me tell you . . . the Cof$ lost lots and LOTS of support and trust as a result of that particular incident . . . I know of 6 people (at least) who are out because of this particular incident.

Oh, yes, let it be remembered, it was our "charming" David Gaiman who came to tell the boy's parents they had to remove their son from Greenfields . . . it is to be noted that my friend and father of the boy, Marcus, reported to D. Gaiman, on his Parliamentary lobbying activities . . .which at the time time was done every week, at least, for a period of at least two years to my certain personally witnessed knowledge.

Of course CofS is too stupid to realize that it lost a LOT of support from good people due to this kind of caper . . . their idiot think is that they are "so powerful" they can dominate and make all subservient to them . . . . .

They have another big time lesson on that score coming

Pretty soon they will really realize you can't shit on people and get away with it . . .

In any event, on Greenfields . . . it was a wonderful opportunity where a very caring educationalist employing the best available of what Hubbard made available, was crushed, was taken over and the enterprise turned into a disaster zone by "know best artists."

RogerB

Great story RogerB! Says it all. Amazing how LRH had this bit of tech about the "Danger" formula and bypassing and the downfall of some country all because a senior had to bypass his juniors. The neat thing about Scientology, back pre-'82, or so, was the amount of new and interesting applications that people came up with. Lots of folks I met had dreams that Scientology was part of--music, teaching, science and the arts. A great deal of those dreams were semi-nutso but a lot of those Scienos had a lot of energy and the high energy level was the one thing that drew them in to the high energy of an org. And Scientology blew nearly every one of those folks right out the door by telling them what that couldn't do--ethics, comm evs, disconnections, mandatory attendance at events, police state tactics. And the dreamers left.

 

[Tom of Helatrobus]

Study tech has some neat components that have value. Critical thinking is not one of them, by the way. But the Scientologist put far too much emphasis on the "one size fits all" solution of looking up words, word clearing and demo kits. Of course is it typical arrogance of Scientologists to fail to incorporate other teaching/ learning techniques just because lrh didn't mention them.

 

[Gottabrain]

Study tech has some neat components that have value. Critical thinking is not one of them, by the way.... Of course is it typical arrogance of Scientologists to fail to incorporate other teaching/ learning techniques just because lrh didn't mention them.

Critical thinking is paramount.

Though I went to Catholic schools in the 60s & 70s, even Catholicism was addressed with critical thinking. In years 9-12, classes in Catholicism or Bible were not even mandatory, though they were offered as electives (your choice of classes after required basics).

"Women in Scripture" was one of the most enlightening, progressive and instructive courses in critical thinking I have taken in my life. The teacher gave us basic ideas of popular interpretations - from symbolic to literal - and we discussed our own conclusions, both positive and negative. We studied the time periods, we studied current women as role models and compared the cultures and expectations.

It was an eye-opener for me. Here a Catholic school was asking me to think critically of my own religion and teaching me how to do so.

Over the years, I've come across many of my fellow students from that school. We all felt that our education there - and most especially, the critical thinking, made us successful in life and able to overcome and survive any mistakes we made. Others from schools with less dedicated teachers did not fare as well. Suicides. Drug and alcohol addictions. Mental institutions. But none of my classmates met any of those horrible ends.

After leaving Scn, I fell back on that critical thinking. I am grateful to the nuns and teachers of that Catholic school, which is doing astounding well even today.

Any school that doesn't teach critical thinking has taken a vital survival tool from its youth - and leaves those children to go through life handicapped.

I hope Greenfield School closes soon. I wish all Scientology schools would - and any other religious or other institutions that would brainwash children into one prejudiced way of thinking instead of giving them a proper education and teaching them to think for themselves - preparing them for the world, life and a job - as a school is supposed to do.

 

[frhidden]

Greenfields statistics: 200 pupils to 100 pupils over the last few years.

Greenfields is a recruitment pool for the sea org.

 

[RogerB]

Great story RogerB! Says it all. Amazing how LRH had this bit of tech about the "Danger" formula and bypassing and the downfall of some country all because a senior had to bypass his juniors. The neat thing about Scientology, back pre-'82, or so, was the amount of new and interesting applications that people came up with. Lots of folks I met had dreams that Scientology was part of--music, teaching, science and the arts. A great deal of those dreams were semi-nutso but a lot of those Scienos had a lot of energy and the high energy level was the one thing that drew them in to the high energy of an org. And Scientology blew nearly every one of those folks right out the door by telling them what that couldn't do--ethics, comm evs, disconnections, mandatory attendance at events, police state tactics. And the dreamers left.

Yep . . . all the "doers" have been wiped out, and all they have left are the "complyers" . . . . and complyers don't and can't come up with any bright ideas and they are typically poor producers to boot!

So, no coincidence Cof$ actual wanted stats are collapsed . . . the doers and producers have been driven off the lines.

That apart from the fact that the tech is in actuality incomplete and screwy. The further one goes with it, the greater the "overt product" produced.

R

 

[Axiom142]

Thanks for that story Roger, you really should write a book on your Scientology experiences.

Margaret Neal (previously Hodkin) told me that she had helped start Greenfields with (I think) Veronica Tupholme.

The way the cult treated the boy you mentioned, is truly disgusted. And to think that they are the first ones to complain of religious discrimination!

Greenfields is the default school for Scientologists to send their kids to and it has been shamelessly used as a recruiting pool for the Sea Org. The fact that the school has lost a significant number of pupils over the past few years is a reflection of the dwindling spiral that the cult is in.

I know of several parents who have taken their children out of Greenfields because they want to distance themselves from the cult.

Axiom142

 

[Terril park]

Greenfields statistics: 200 pupils to 100 pupils over the last few years.

Greenfields is a recruitment pool for the sea org.

I can verify that as some lifelong friends sent several children to
Greenfields.

Under Margaret Hodkin the school was excellent. She was an educator by training and IIRC a former headmistress, and clearly following her dream. Met her, wonderful lady.

There were I heard around 200 students back then.

She seriously regrets, I heard, that she allowed a CO$ body to take over
the school.

And on another rumour line that she dosn't want to be associated with CO$.

One of these children was dyslexic. Greenfields refused to recognise that as a condition or do anything about it. Epic fail!!

However parent power did, and the child concerned has recently graduated university.

One child was pulled into a multi hour recruit for the SO and didn't know if he'd see his parents again. Traumatic!

The family was very worried they'd be expell declared if one of the parents was let off the leash!

Many scientologists wouldn't let kids go there because of possible declares erc.

I like study tech and word clearing etc.

However young people need inspiration.

This it seems is missing from greenfields now.

 

[RogerB]

Thanks for that story Roger, you really should write a book on your Scientology experiences.

Margaret Neal (previously Hodkin) told me that she had helped start Greenfields with (I think) Veronica Tupholme.

The way the cult treated the boy you mentioned, is truly disgusted. And to think that they are the first ones to complain of religious discrimination!

Greenfields is the default school for Scientologists to send their kids to and it has been shamelessly used as a recruiting pool for the Sea Org. The fact that the school has lost a significant number of pupils over the past few years is a reflection of the dwindling spiral that the cult is in.

I know of several parents who have taken their children out of Greenfields because they want to distance themselves from the cult.

Axiom142

Thanks, Mate . . . err, umm, a book eh? Do you think it'd be a big seller ???

Though it might do a bit of damage to the cult . . . hey, they might even be stupid enough to run an attack on it and result in giving it max publicity . . . now that's an idea whose time has come!

Yes, Margaret Hodkin is the lovely lady I supported. And there was the other who was a pro teacher I never met.

Memories, oh, memories, my man . . . .

Rog

 

[Axiom142]

Thanks, Mate . . . err, umm, a book eh? Do you think it'd be a big seller ???

Though it might do a bit of damage to the cult . . . hey, they might even be stupid enough to run an attack on it and result in giving it max publicity . . . now that's an idea whose time has come!

Yes, Margaret Hodkin is the lovely lady I supported. And there was the other who was a pro teacher I never met.

Memories, oh, memories, my man . . . .

Rog

Well I it might not make it onto the New York Times Bestseller list, but it is apparent that you were around during an important part of the history of the cult. You have obviously met a many of the ‘movers and shakers’ during this time and I think it would be great if you could record, in one place, some of your experiences.

Axiom142

 

[Freeminds]

You write that book, I'd buy it. I support the ex community that way.

I think a lot of us do. You go to the trouble of writing a book, and I'd want to read it.

 

[Axiom142]

I can verify that as some lifelong friends sent several children to
Greenfields.

Under Margaret Hodkin the school was excellent. She was an educator by training and IIRC a former headmistress, and clearly following her dream. Met her, wonderful lady.

There were I heard around 200 students back then.

She seriously regrets, I heard, that she allowed a CO$ body to take over
the school.

And on another rumour line that she dosn't want to be associated with CO$.

...

I totally agree Terril, Margaret is a wonderful person. When I was going through a particularly tough time while ‘on lines’ at St Hill and everything seemed to be caving in on top of me, Margaret took the time to talk to me and made the whole world seem just that little bit more sane. She was a very calming island in the insanity of the CoS. If just half the Scientologists were like her, there wouldn’t be a problem.

But unfortunately, this kind of person (sane, rational, caring and compassionate) isn’t valued in the cult any more. Just to give you an example - around 2003, I was not doing very well in my auditing and having a lot of problems getting an F/N at the examiner. This was causing me a lot of anguish as it meant that I was constantly having to have repair sessions, which then would have to be ‘repaired’ etc, etc. Anyway, I was waiting in the HGC lounge for my auditor to become available. Now, you would think that the staff would want to make sure that their paying customers were kept stress-free and in the best frame of mind for going into session, i.e. unhappy customers become ex-customers. But, a young woman (late teens, early twenties), Sea Org with that dedicated ‘no bullshit’ look – you know the type – approached me to do a survey.

I wasn’t in the mood to do such a thing as I was already feeling anxious about going into session. Margaret Neal obviously picked up on this and came over and said to the woman “Perhaps you could do this another time, Ax needs to go into session soon” (or words to that effect). Obviously she couldn’t just go charging in and say “This is not a good time, you are obviously enturbulating one of my PCs. Please go away!” But, all of this just went right over the head of the Sea Orger who responded angrily that she was doing a survey and Margaret was being rude.

I couldn’t believe her attitude. She was still wet behind the ears, probably knew very little of actual Scientology tech and there she was telling off someone who had been around in Scientology since the 50s and had held many very important posts including Keeper of the Tech. With typical Sea Org arrogance she thought she was better than everyone else just because she wore a stupid pretend navy uniform. Obviously Margaret couldn’t make a fuss because this would have just made the situation worse and besides ordinary staff simply could challenge the authority of a Sea Orger. But I was outraged that such a brat could treat someone who had done a hundred times more for Scientology, like that.

I would be interested to hear where you got the latest piece of gossip from Terril (PM me). As far as I know she is still very much ‘in’. I saw here just a few weeks ago, working in the cult-run IHELP centre in E.G. I’m not sure if she is still working at St Hill as well, but she was supervising in the Academy at St Hill the last time I was on lines in ’87.

Axiom142

 

[Freeminds]

I found an old write-up on Greenfields School, from Brighton's Evening Argus in 1994 (text available here).

Asked if it had formal links with the cult, Mr Hodkin replied: "I don't think there is anything you would describe as formal links between the school and the church. There wouldn't be any really. The school is run by an independent trust."

The small print at the bottom of school literature tells a different story.

The sentence reads: "Greenfields is licensed by Applied Scholastics International...a trademark owned by ABLE."

No further information is given about the groups.

In fact, ABLE (The Association for Better Living and Education) was set up by the cult in 1988 to "support, promote and expand the social betterment organisations that use Mr Hubbard's technologies in society."

Peter Hodkin was speaking in his role as school solicitor. (What kind of school retains a solicitor to answer questions from journalists? Answer: a very, very creepy one.)

The article goes on to talk about word-clearing tech, and to examine the academic achievements of Greenfields... which weren't any better in 1994 than they are now.

Worth a read. A very 'brave' article, from back in the days when the cult still had the resources to stalk its critics. A shame it wasn't seen more widely.



Now... does anybody remember Martina Douglas?

 

[Intelligence]

Thanks, Mate . . . err, umm, a book eh? Do you think it'd be a big seller ???

Though it might do a bit of damage to the cult . . . hey, they might even be stupid enough to run an attack on it and result in giving it max publicity . . . now that's an idea whose time has come!

Yes, Margaret Hodkin is the lovely lady I supported. And there was the other who was a pro teacher I never met.

Memories, oh, memories, my man . . . .

Rog

Yes, please do write a book - - even what I read just here, I found most interesting indeed.

 

[Freeminds]

Marcus Allen on TV, 'Facing South' in 1987. The story of how his SP declare led to his son Alexander being "sent home" (or expelled) from Greenfields. For allegedly having a bad stammer that mysteriously doesn't manifest itself when he speaks to the TV crew...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcwRp9-K4TE

If that doesn't adequately prove a connection between Scientology and Greenfields, I don't know what will. Fortunately, pupil numbers are falling: the message is getting around.

 

[RogerB]

Marcus Allen on TV, 'Facing South' in 1987. The story of how his SP declare led to his son Alexander being "sent home" (or expelled) from Greenfields. For allegedly having a bad stammer that mysteriously doesn't manifest itself when he speaks to the TV crew...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcwRp9-K4TE

If that doesn't adequately prove a connection between Scientology and Greenfields, I don't know what will. Fortunately, pupil numbers are falling: the message is getting around.

Alexander is my God Son . . . the one I wrote of

Rog

 

[Axiom142]

Well this is not strictly to do with Greenfields, but in a way it is related. It shows the cult targeting school kids.

Why do they do this?

Probably for the same reason that Hitler formed the Hitler Youth movement – get them early enough and you have a blank slate to mould as you wish.

This photo was taken last year and shows a poster displayed in a café in East Grinstead.

Axiom142