Leila Rendel
Leila Rendel OBE | |
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 Rendel in 1964 | |
| Born | Leila Margaret Rendel 11 October 1882 Kensington, London, UK |
| Died | 16 March 1969 (aged 86) , UK |
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Leila Rendel
Life and career
Rendel was born in London to an upper-middle-class family active in liberal and radical causes. Her father, William Stuart Rendel, was a civil engineer. He was the son of
Rendel left school at 15 after which she was educated by a governess and later attended a school in Wimbledon run by the French feminist Marie Souvestre. After her father's death in 1898, Rendel spent most of her early adult life at the Bloomsbury home of her grandfather, Alexander Rendel. During that period she developed close relationships with her aunt, Edith Rendel, and her cousin, Mary Stocks, both of whom were active suffragists and social reformers.[1][2]
Rendel initially trained as teacher of physical education at Chelsea College of Physical Training from 1902 to 1904. In 1905 she was appointed to the teaching staff of the newly established
In 1911, Rendel and Potter decided to set up their own nursery school based on the progressive ideas of McMillan and Edith Rendel. It was located at Cartwright Gardens in St Pancras and mainly catered to the children of women working in a nearby matchbox factory. An admirer of Randolph Caldecott's children's book illustrations, she named the school The Caldecott Community and adorned its walls with Caldecott's pictures.[6][7] Rendel's grandfather, Alexander, provided them with an endowment and further donations were received from her large circle of family and friends. By 1914 the school was well-established with a written constitution and the Professor of Education at the University of London as its chairman. Princess Louise served as its president.[8]
The condemnation of the St Pancras building by the local council in 1917 and the continued
In 1967, Rendel began retiring from active directorship of the Caldecott Community but remained active in the school's life. She died two years later at the age of 86 while undergoing surgery after a fall at her house on the grounds of the school. According to her biographer, Simon Rodway, she had suffered a broken hip in the fall and while lying on the floor and waiting for the ambulance, she insisted on reading the latest book on child care.[7][1]
References
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 27 September 2018 (subscription required).
- ISBN 0415858046
- ^ Maclean, Isabella (1976). The history of Dunfermline College of Physical Education. University of Edinburgh Library: Edinburgh.
- ISBN 1135699887
- ISBN 0286627507
- s.n. (December 2010). "A century of care in Kent". Kent Life. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- ^ s.n. (10 February 2011). "Social Pioneer Opened Nursery". Kentish Express. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- ^ Stocks, Mary (March–May 1963). "Social Pioneers: Leila Rendel". Social Service Quarterly, pp. 151–153. National Council of Social Service
- ISBN 1134534191
- ^ "No. 38161". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1947. p. 18.. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
Further reading
- Ives, Cyril (June 2016). "A Child of Misfortune". The Therapeutic Care Journal
- Rendel, Leila (1952). "The Child of Misfortune". Caldecott Community
External links
- Official website of the Caldecott Foundation
- Website of 'The Caldecott Association' of former students and staff
- Caldecott Community Archives
- Video: Leila Rendel by Barry Northam (memories of Leila Rendel by an ex-pupil of the Caldecott Community)