National Froebel Foundation Archive

Scope and Content

Records of the National Froebel Foundation, including:

  • A complete set of meeting minute books and reports of the Froebel Society, the National Froebel Union, National Froebel Foundation, Froebel Educational Institute and affiliated committees from 1874 until 1974
  • Student registers – the complete set of the Froebel Society, National Froebel Union and National Froebel Foundation teacher certificate registers 1874 – 1962
  • Cash books
  • Lecture notebooks of Joachim Liebschner

Administrative / Biographical History

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.)

Access Information

Part of this collection is open for access.

Records are available for consultation by appointment only; we require a 24 hour notice. (Please note that you need to contact us by Thursday afternoon if you wish to visit us on the following Tuesday.)

Appointments can be made by contacting the archivist using any of the methods below:

Email: archives@roehampton.ac.uk

Telephone: 020 8392 3323

Postal address: Archives and Special Collections, Library and Learning Services, University of Roehampton, Roehampton Lane, London, SW15 5SZ.

(Some records within this collection are closed and not available for research. For further information, please contact the archivist using the contact details above.)

Acquisition Information

Deposited by the National Froebel Foundation in 2007.

Archivist's Note

Description created in June 2015.

Related Material

Related material held by Archives and Special Collections includes:

  • The Froebel Archive for Early Childhood Studies, containing the records of Froebel College (formerly known as the Froebel Educational Institute). See reference code: FA
  • The Children's Literature Collection, containing published books and resources relating to children's literature. See reference code: CLC
  • The Richmal Crompton Collection, containing her archives, her personal library and a collection of her published works for children and for adult readers. See reference code: RC