The Valley School is a co-ed day school affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). Established in 1978, it is one of the five schools of the Krishnamurti Foundation India. The Valley School is based on the teachings of the eminent philosopher and a great thinker of our times, Jiddu Krishnamurti. It is located in a 120 acres campus to the south of Bangalore, in a picturesque valley with undulating hills and farms and with a reserve forest on the fringe. The school has been successful in implementing an ‘Open Classroom’ where vertical groups of children from class I to IV can learn together. The open classroom not only allows for a variety of foundational skills to be explored but also provides the opportunity for students to direct their own learning.
It has a student strength of about 365 and teacher strength of about 60. The school believes that the learning can take place, if one can avoid the division of school activities as academic non- academic, and separate them from day to day living. It also believes that grouping children based on classes and grades and expecting all of them to learn at the same level and pace is inappropriate.
Spread on a 120-acre campus, the Valley School is set over amidst a rich tapestry of flora and fauna with rolling hills, ancient banyan trees, a lake, a dam and two artificial ponds. Academic buildings are situated in the eastern section of the campus while the student dormitories, residential quarters, guesthouses and the old “Art Village” are located on the western side. The old art village was destroyed and taken by the Forest Department in the year 2008. The new art village is located and built around the school amphitheatre.
The school is divided into three divisions- junior school for classes I to IV, middle school for classes V to VII and senior school for classes VIII to XII.
Sports and games facilities include a football field, three basketball courts and a volleyball court.
The faculty stresses on providing holistic education to help students act with intelligence, sensitivity, care and attention. The methodology and pedagogical techniques must ensure that there is no hierarchy of knowledge.
The structural lay out in the junior and middle school is as follows:
As children move into the higher age groups, they are exposed to the system as per the norms of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi. Children go on to take up the ICSE examinations conducted by the ICSE board when they are in Class X.
For the ISC programme, 36 students (preferably from the Valley School or other KFI institutions) are selected each year. In addition to English (compulsory subject), each student is expected to opt for four electives, choosing not more than one from each set of the list below. Under Indian music (Hindustani), both vocal and instrumental (Tabla) options are available. A minimum of three students must opt for an elective for it to be offered.
Students may opt for the following subject-combinations in the ISC level.
The Valley School understands that students learn in different ways and at different paces and adopts a variety of teaching-learning processes that allow students to approach learning with understanding. Students from all classes are also taken on field trips and encouraged to take part in sports and cultural programmes to ensure all-round development of pupils.
S. Jayaram
The admission procedure is conducted online. Applications must be submitted by the mentioned deadline. All admission details and vacancies can be found on the official website at this link:
https://www.thevalleyschool.info/admissions/
The ethos and culture of the school is based on the teachings of J. Krishnamurti- acknowledged as one of the world’s foremost teachers- and the attempt is to discover a way of living that is whole, sane and intelligent and not merely concerned with intellect and skills. Students are taught to look beyond academic excellence and explore not only the outer world but also the inner ways of thinking and good behaviour.
The School has had a 100 percent pass percentage in both classes X and XII since the batch of 1999.
There are separate hostels for the boys and girls. Each can accommodate 12 students and a house parent living with them. Presently boarding facilities are available for out station students who enrol into the ISC program (class XI and XII).