About Us

Education must be for living… when degrees are taken, jobs are found, wealth is accumulated and age creeps on us, an individual will need the firm foundation of character to deal with life… this is what our education must give. So, the most important keynote in education is culture… to produce a cultured individual…” – Rukmini Devi

The Besant Arundale Senior Secondary School was founded by Rukmini Devi in 1973. With a strength of about 500, the school has a Montessori environment for ages 2 ½ to 5 ½ years and CBSE system for classes I-XII. It is based on the philosophy of education without fear and aims at providing education by striking a fine balance between traditional and modern methods of teaching and learning. Apart from the regular courses in science and humanities it is one of the few schools that offer dance, music and visual arts at the Senior Secondary level as main subjects, enjoying the advantage of a highly qualified staff base as part of the Kalakshetra family.

From its inception, the Besant Arundale Senior Secondary School (BASS) has been affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum, allowing children to participate in an all- India system. The primary medium of instruction is English. Tamil, Sanskrit and Hindi are also taught.

In keeping with Kalakshetra’s tradition of Indianess in the approach to education, students wear simple South Indian clothing, pavadai and davani for girls and pyjama-kurta for boys and footwear is removed before entering classrooms and other work spaces. The day begins with prayers from all religions and all classes have dance, music and art and craft as a part of their curriculum, apart from formal academics. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities are also encouraged. Regular inter-school sports and cultural competitions, club activities and quizzes, debating etc form an integral part of the students’ experience in the school. The Besant Arundale School is committed to the its founder’s vision of holistic learning in an ambience of art and culture.