Pentagram stickers, John Travolta posters and basketball hoops: exclusive photos show the creepy interior of Scientology’s private school in Sussex.
Greenfields School is located a stone’s throw away from the Church of Scientology’s UK headquarters at Saint Hill near East Grinstead, Sussex and is the only school in the United Kingdom to employ L. Ron Hubbard’s ‘Study Technology’. Although it is technically independent of the Church’s corporate structure, it operates under the umbrella of Scientology front group the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) and is staffed predominantly by senior Scientologists.
Headteacher Andrew Hodgson, for instance, was recently featured in Scientology propaganda material where he described having a “wellspring of power” and feeling “unstoppable” after progressing to the next level on the ‘Bridge to Total Freedom’. The school’s board of trustees is also led by Scientology lawyer Peter Hodkin, who appeared at a Mid-Sussex District Council representing the Church earlier this month.
Now, Scientology Business can reveal photographs from inside the school sent in to us by a reader, and it’s just as creepy as you might expect.
In one room, the walls are decorated with posters depicting the history of the school and a visit made by celebrity Scientologist John Travolta in 1993. The historic photos (left) appear to have been edited to remove former teacher Mark Kent, who was jailed in 1994 for a string of sex offences after he was found to have molested at least six boys over a seven year period, including possessing video footage of boys at the school showering. During sentencing at Hove Crown Court, Judge John Gower told Mr. Kent “the boys and parents put their trust in you. You betrayed it for the gratification of your own perverted lust.”
The second poster, in phrasing that shows a striking similarity to North Korean propaganda material praising Kim Jong-Un, says “John Travolta has always been a great supporter of Applied Scholastics and schools using the Study Technology of L. Ron Hubbard. He was in Sussex for a day trip for various Public Relations commitments and had been invited to come to Greenfields School if he could.”
“Despite a very tight schedule, late in the afternoon he insisted on coming to visit the school, especially after being told byt he Deputy Head who met him that all the students, staff and trustees were waiting together in the hall on the chance that he could come – and they were all very excited to meet him! John was happy to have photos taken with the students and Founder Margaret Hodkin.”
“He spoke to the students about his experience with the Study Technology, and true to his reputation was extremely friendly and interested in the students; he wished them well for the future, and had to be pulled away to get to other engagements. He left a lasting impression on those who met him at the school.”
As a boarding school, Greenfields houses students in dormitories and the photos show children share bedrooms with a mixture of single and bunk beds throughout.
In one room, a small basket ball hoop is fixed to the wall which is adorned with creepy stickers, understood to have been placed there by children living at the school. One of the stickers features a pentagram and another reads “We are the weirdos mister.” Another says “witch” and one references ouija, a dark magic ritual used to summon demons and communicate with those who have died.
In another room, a number of books and DVD films are seen on the shelves. The movies we could make out are:
- Moulin Rouge
- Rebel Without a Cause
- The Lost Boys
- Hurt Locker
- Life is Beautiful
- Shaun of the Dead
- Little Woman
- Captain fantastic
- Pulp Fiction (which stars John Travolta, of course)
- Erin Brockovitch
- Bend it Like Beckham
- Flying Daggers
- Farewell
- Wadjda
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Attack/Block
- Mulholland Drive
- The Hate U Give
- Amy
- Memento
- Skyfall
- Submarine
- La La Land
- Slumdog Millionaire
A range of work schemes and study materials are also kept on the shelves, including Year 7 lesson plans and folders labelled ‘A Level Drama’ and ‘GCSE Film Studies’
A book was also found in one of the rooms referencing Bill Cipher, the main villain in the cartoon series Gravity Falls. The character is trillions of years old and grew bored of living in the “Second Dimension” and so destroyed his entire home world, killing everyone he had ever known – including his parents.
The story shares eery similarities with Scientology’s teaching that 76 million years ago a galactic warlord named ‘Xenu’ rounded up spiritual beings from across the galaxy, transported them to the prison planet known as Earth and blew them up in volcanoes with hydrogen bombs – the reason we humans today suffer from conditions like anxiety, depression and trauma.
The majority of Scientologists do not know the Xenu story, as it is only revealed after they reach ‘Operating Thetan Level 3’, which takes hundreds of hours of indoctrination at a cost of several hundred thousand pounds. However, it is widely accepted within the Church’s membership that L. Ron Hubbard explored the topic of ‘space opera’, and references it in non-confidential materials that are widely available to those who haven’t reached OT3.
The book was found on a sofa next to a pack of toilet roll and materials used for painting and decorating.
Greenfields School recently lost its ability to sponsor student visas after an inspection by the Home Office. At the time, Hodgson wrote to parents “I regret to inform you that our ability to sponsor students has been withdrawn by UK Visas and Immigration. This means that we will no longer be able to sponsor students from overseas. Current sponsorship will end on July 31st 2024.”
A subsequent inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate flagged several serious safeguarding concerns, which were later addressed. The school passed a second inspection last year with Hodgson issuing a statement that said “I am very pleased to be sharing the most recent report on Greenfields School from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). The report states that the school meets all the standards that were considered during the inspection.”
A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council told Scientology Business “Following the report from the ISI, the Local Authority followed up these concerns with the school and were satisfied that all appropriate actions were being taken to address the safeguarding concerns. The ISI confirmed this view in their follow up visit in December 2024.
“As with all educational establishments, the school is responsible for reducing any risks with regards to preventing and responding to extremism and radicalisation. The Local Authority’s training offer and guidance documents support schools in fulfilling these duties.”
