WOODS the Creative School

8/13/2019 WOODS the Creative School

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The Creative School

A framework for success, quality and effectiveness

Bob Jeffrey and Peter Woods

LONDON AND NW !O"#

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%irst &ublis'ed ())* by "outled+e%almer New %etter Lane, London -.P .

/imultaneously &ublis'ed in t'e 0/A and -anadaby "outled+e%almer(1 West *2t' /treet, New !ork, N! )))

RoutledgeFalmer is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

3 ())* Bob Jeffrey and Peter Woods

4y&eset in /abon by #eystroke, Jacaranda Lod+e, Wolver'am&ton

Printed and bound in 5reat Britain by 4J 6nternational, Padstow, -ornwall

All ri+'ts reserved7 No &art of t'is book may be re&rinted or re&roducedor utilised in any form or by any electronic, mec'anical, or ot'er means,now known or 'ereafter invented, includin+ &'otoco&yin+ and recordin+,or in any information stora+e or retrieval system, wit'out &ermission inwritin+ from t'e &ublis'ers7

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalo+ue record for t'is book is available from t'e Britis' Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

A catalo+ue record for t'is book 'as been requested

6/BN )$.2$(8(2$( 9'bk:

6/BN )$.2$(8(.$. 9&bk:

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4o /ue ;um&'ries,;eadteac'er of -oombes 1


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Introduction

4'is is a book about one &articular sc'ool, a 'i+'ly successful one @ud+ed by a number of criteria, wit' a national and internationalre&utation7 6ts &ublication will coincide wit' t'e retirement of its first lon+$servin+ 'eadteac'er, and in some ways mi+'t be seen as acelebration of 'er life and work, w'ic' 'as been devoted to t'e advancement of t'e sc'ool7 But t'e book is more t'an t'is, offerin+ toot'er sc'ools at all levels e=am&les of 'ow creative teac'ers wit' t'eir own stron+ beliefs and values can not only come to terms wit' a'eavily &rescri&tive &ro+ramme +overned by contrary &rinci&les, but to some e=tent at least incor&orate it wit'in t'eir own desi+n7

6n recent years, c'ild$centredness, Plowdenism, &ro+ressivism, +rou& teac'in+, creativity, even t'e notion of relevance 9Wood'ead,112: 'ave taken a 'ammerin+ in t'e +overnments drive for t'eir limited version of raised standards of education7 4eac'ers 'avestru++led wit' t'e de+ree of &rescri&tion and constant overload7 -o&in+ is an issue in itself, teac'ers creativity bein+ diverted into 'owto mana+e7 %or t'ose w'o +o alon+ wit' t'e mana+erialist, market$orientated, &erformativist cast of t'e reforms, t'ere is no &roblem7

But w'at are t'ose w'o believe in ontessori, %roebel, Dewey, Cy+otsky, Bruner and ot'ers to do -oombes &rovides one notablea&&roac' to a solution, one t'at salva+es t'e best features of t'e reforms and embraces t'em wit'in t'eir own discourse7

Amon+ t'e lessons to be learned 'ere, we would ar+ue, is t'e need for teac'ers to 'ave a stron+ &olitical consciousness7 ducation and&olitics cannot be se&arated in t'e current climate, t'ou+' +overnment reforms are often &resented as educational common sense9Woods and Wen'am, 112: $ &art of t'e r'etoric or s&in to win &o&ular su&&ort for t'em7 4eac'ers need to understand t'e

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+uidin+ &rinci&les be'ind t'em, and 'ow t'eir own com&are7 %rom t'is kind of testin+ comes a +reater e=&licitness and firmness aboutt'eir beliefs, followed by a &lan of action to secure t'eir im&lementation7 -oombes teac'ers were as dismayed as any ot'ers by t'ec'an+es of t'e late 18)s and early 1)s7 But t'ey 'ave worked t'eir way t'rou+' t'em to, in t'e early years of t'e twenty$first century,a &osition of some &ersonal stren+t'7

Ot'er &rominent features of t'e -oombes a&&roac' include t'e 'i+'ly ima+inative and intensive use of t'e sc'ool +rounds, and t'e wayit is incor&orated in t'e curriculum and en'ances all as&ects of teac'in+7 4'e develo&ment 'as been over twenty years in t'e makin+,and is on+oin+7 Not all sc'ools will be able to emulate -oombes in t'is res&ect7 As a rural sc'ool it 'as certain advanta+es, t'ou+' it

does not 'ave a lar+e amount of s&ace7 But it is t'e mindset t'at is im&ortant, t'e realisation t'at all t'e s&ace t'at t'e sc'ool occu&iesis of &otential education si+nificance7 ven 'ard tarmac, as -oombes s'ows wit' its modification of t'e &lay+round, can 'ave a numberof uses7 W'ere t'ere are ot'er, more natural features available, t'e ideas +iven 'ere mi+'t &rovide some ins&iration7

4'is notion of educational s&ace and area runs far beyond t'e sc'ools +rounds7 -oombes is a community sc'ool in t'e true sense of t'econce&t, bot' servin+ and bein+ served by t'e w'ole of t'e community7 4'ere is tremendous resource and +oodwill available beyond t'esc'ool +ates, and t'e staff are constantly alert for 'ow it can be em&loyed in &rovidin+ uncommon interest, rousin+ ent'usiasm,demonstratin+ skills, advancin+ ac'ievement, stimulatin+ t'ou+'t7 4eac'ers own education and self$renewal benefits from t'is activity7All are teac'ers and all are learners in t'e -oombes environment7 W'ere a s&ecialist in&ut is wanted and is unavailable wit'in t'ecommunity, t'ey will +o beyond7 4'e sc'ool year is &unctuated by a number of e=citin+ events7 Life at -oombes is never dull7

4'ese teac'ers 'ave to deliver t'e National -urriculum, and t'e literacy and numeracy &ro+rammes, @ust as ot'er sc'ools7 ;ow dot'ey do it At t'e centre of t'is endeavour is an ima+inative modification of t'e curriculum w'ic' evades its domination by t'e&rescri&tive &ro+rammes7 Like everyt'in+ else at -oombes, t'is is an on+oin+ &ro@ect, discussed every week7 Not'in+ is allowed tosta+nate7 Wit'in t'is or+anisation t'e sc'ool bot' meets t'e demands made on it and accom&lis'es a +reat deal of its own &ro@ects7

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interconnected levels of learnin+ t'at are involved7

4eac'in+ itself is creative, never formulaic7 4'e aim is creative learnin+, wit' c'ildren comin+ to own t'eir own knowled+e and skills,bein+ ent'used and c'an+ed by t'e &rocess, and 'avin+ some control of t'e learnin+ &rocess, but under teac'er +uidance7 Personalinvolvement and e=citin+ events not only stimulate c'ildren, but +ive t'em somet'in+ to remember in later life7 Learnin+ is very muc'for life at -oombes7 6t is a new kind of c'ild$centredness, one, we feel, t'at is better ada&ted t'an t'e Plowdenism of t'e 1?)s and


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understandin+ teac'in+ and learnin+ at t'e sc'ool in +reater de&t'7 4o t'is end, Bob Jeffrey attended t'e sc'ool for t'ree days eac' 'alfterm over a &eriod of two years7 Durin+ t'is &eriod, t'e sc'ool staffin+ consisted of si= full$time teac'ers and at least five &art$timeteac'ers7 All t'e full$time teac'ers and t'ree of t'e &art$time teac'ers took &art in t'e researc' 9%i+ure :7

One si+nificant fact concernin+ t'e -oombes teac'ers is 'ow often first encounters wit' t'e sc'ool result in a determination to stay att'e sc'ool7 %inal$year teac'in+$&ractice students suc' as "ay and Jo became committed to +ettin+ a @ob t'ere, so muc' so t'at Jo tooka &art$time @ob in t'e 'o&e t'at a full$time one would come later7 Parents sometimes stayed on7 /ue "owe, for e=am&le, worked assecretary before decidin+ to train as a teac'er7 /'e 'as now been

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Teacher ge riginal school connection 'ears as a teacher $pecialism

/ue ;um&'ries

'eadteac'er2)E O&ened -oombes * "eli+ious education E environment

/ue "owe de&uty 'ead .)$2) Parent < /cience E desi+n tec'nolo+y

Judy .)$2) Parent ) Art E 'istory

-arol .)$2) %rom colle+e *) Lan+ua+e E 6-4

-arole *)$.) %rom colle+e < Lan+ua+e E +eo+ra&'y E drama

Jo ()$*) %rom colle+e *

Jude *)$.) Parent () at's E /N-O

5ill

&art time*)$.) %rom colle+e (2 usic E 6N/4

Jenny

&art time2)E Parent (2 P'ysical education

"ay

&art time()$*) %rom colle+e

Anne

&art time*)$.) Parent .

Ann *)$.) %rom colle+e ) Nursery -oordinator

Figure (-oombes teac'in+ staff, ())

a&&ointed to t'e 'eads'i& followin+ /ue ;um&'ries retirement in December ())(7

Data collection was t'rou+' qualitative met'ods, consistin+ c'iefly of interviews wit' teac'ers, su&&ort workers, &arents, c'ildrenand visitors7 4'e earlier researc', in t'e first &art of t'e 11)s, focused on teac'er creativity and 'ow t'e sc'ool ad@usted to t'e+overnments reforms7 We were more concerned in t'e later researc' &eriod wit' t'e c'ildrens e=&erience of creative teac'in+,

focusin+ on t'eir &ers&ectives, recorded t'rou+' e=tensive field notes7 We collected relevant documentation suc' as newsletters,+overnors and ins&ectors re&orts, timetables, sc'ool$&olicy statements and national test results7 We used &'oto+ra&'s e=tensivelyas data and as stimulants for e=&lorin+ c'ildrens &ers&ectives7 At one sta+e,

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c'ildren were +iven cameras to select t'eir own observations for discussion7 By com&arin+ t'e various different kinds of data, bot' wit'in and across cases, wewere able to identify &rominent issues and t'emes connected to our ma@or sub@ect of creative teac'in+ and learnin+ and t'e effects t'is 'as on t'e various&artici&ants7

An additional feature of t'e researc' was t'e e=tent of collaboration sou+'t wit' t'e teac'ers7 4o t'is end we worked wit' t'em on t'e researc' desi+n, identifyin+ob@ectives and settin+ &riorities7 We re&orted to staff meetin+s, circulated memos and &a&ers to staff and invited t'em to &resent t'eir &ers&ectives at conferenceswe or+anised7 4'is was for a number of reasons, first outlined in our more +eneral researc' into creative teac'in+ and t'e National -urriculum 9Woods and Jeffrey,11?:7 %irstly, it seemed et'ically a&&ro&riate7 We worked closely wit' t'ese teac'ers for lon+ &eriods in t'eir sc'ools and we viewed t'em as 'i+'ly skilled andaccom&lis'ed &rofessionals7 -onsequently, we believed t'at t'ey 'ad a vital interest in t'e outcomes of t'e researc' t'at was based on t'eir work7 /econdly, t'eyre&resented a resource, wit' &articular knowled+e, skills and insi+'t, t'at could be &ut into t'e researc' t'at was di fferent from t'at of us, t'e researc'ers, but @ustas valuable in its own way7 4'irdly, we see a ma@or &ur&ose of our researc' as feedin+ back into sc'ools and teac'in+, and we feel t'is needs to be carried outt'rou+' teac'ers if it is to 'ave any effect7 Our teac'ers are s'arin+ t'eir views and e=&eriences not only wit' us, but wit' t'eir fellow &rofessionals elsew'ere, fort'em to discuss and incor&orate into t'eir own &ers&ectives and cultures 9%ullan and ;ar+reaves, 11(:7 %ourt'ly, like critical t'eorists 95itlin, 11)F /myt'e,

11F #inc'eloe, 11*:, we are o&&osed to elitist, 'ierarc'ical forms of researc' w'ic' e=&loit sub@ects for academics own benefit7 We are conscious of w'at %ine911.: describes as ot'erin+ $ seein+ teac'ers as com&letely se&arate and different from us, t'e researc'ers7 A fift', and related, &oint, is t'at we were only t ooconscious t'at we were two males researc'in+ an area entirely staffed by women7 One way in w'ic' we could seek to com&ensate for t'is was t o co$o&t t'eteac'ers on to t'e researc'7 Anot'er was to ensure t'at t'e &oint was a re+ular i tem on t'e a+endas of our researc' meetin+s, to+et'er wit' reflecti on on &ossibleinfluences on t'e researc'7


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Structure of the book

6n -'a&ter , we describe t'e et'os of t'e sc'ool, w'ic' is immediately a&&arent as one a&&roac'es its boundaries7 -'ildren and adults will often be seen workin+in t'e +rounds of t'e sc'ool, and as one enters t'e sc'ool a dynamism of activity, a welcomin+ +esture and immediate involvement is e=&erienced7 4'is o&en and

en+a+in+ et'os is e=em&lified by t'e e=tensive involvement of members of t'e community and worldwide +uests w'o are to be seen, on most days, contributin+ tot'e sc'ools curriculum and &ermeatin+ t'e sc'ools teac'in+ and learnin+ &ractices7 4'e distinctiveness of -oombes is e=&lained in terms of its a&&roac' to &olicy,curriculum and &eda+o+y7

6n -'a&ter (, we discuss t'e creative develo&ment of t'e sc'ool +rounds, w'ic' 'as been a ma@or feature of -oombes 'istory7 6n more ways t'an one, itconte=tualises t'e sc'ool and its activities7 A&art from ministerin+ to t'e teac'ers stron+ interest in environmental education, t'e +rounds &rovide an enormouslyvaluable resource for all curriculum areas7 We e=amine t'e nature of t'is develo&ment and t'e &rinci&les be'ind it7 4'e number and variety of &lants, trees, s'rubs,flowers, &onds, &at's and ot'er constructions in suc' a limited s&ace is amaGin+, and all desi+ned for teac'in+ in a systematic way7 4'e develo&ment 'as beenon+oin+ since t'e sc'ool o&ened and is still unfinis'ed $ it is a &erennial &ro@ect, a +rowin+ t'in+ and a source of deli+'t and ins&iration for teac'ers and c'ildrenalike7 4'e aim is to involve t'e c'ildren in t'e real world wit' 'ands$on activities to brin+ into &lay all t'eir senses, to l iberate t'eir t'ou+'ts and feelin+s, and tostimulate t'eir minds7 6n kee&in+ wit' -oombes 'oli stic a&&roac', its use of t'e +rounds i s totally inte+rated wit'in t'e curriculum7 4'e sc'ool t'us &rovides onee=am&le of 'ow an overfull, com&artmentalised National -urriculum 9-am&bell et al7, 11: can be brou+'t to+et'er into a co'erent w'ole7

4'e introduction of t'e National -urriculum in 181 followed quickly by national assessment &ro+rammes and national 9Ofsted: and local ins&ections, faced-oombes wit' a c'allen+e to its distinctive a&&roac' to teac'in+ and learnin+7 6nstead of @ust re@ectin+ or acce&tin+ t'e reforms, -oombes sou+'t ways of meetin+t'e &rescribed +overnmental demands w'ile sustainin+ its own values in its educational &ractices, even t'ou+' it seemed to borrow from conflictin+ &'iloso&'ies7We consider in -'a&ter * t'e micro$&olitical

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&rocesses involved in t'eir a&&ro&riation of t'e reforms $ ways in w'ic' t'e sc'ool sou+'t to make t'e reforms work in its,-oombes, way7 4'e &rocess of a&&ro&riation involves reco+nition of t'e &olitical as&ects of t'e reforms and t'e learnin+ t'eoriesbe'ind t'em7 6t also entails, by com&arison, s'ar&er definition of ones views and &rinci&les, and, wit' t'at, a stiffenin+ &ersonaland cor&orate resolve7 6t was from a &osition of some mental and moral stren+t', t'erefore, t'at -oombes teac'ers en+a+ed wit't'e National -urriculum7 4'ey sou+'t to teac' it creatively, adventurously, interestin+ly, and in ways t'at would lead c'ildren tointe+rate &ersonal knowled+e7 %inally, -oombes 'as built u& a number of alliances $ wit', for e=am&le, sc'ool +overnors, &arents,ins&ectors $ w'ic' serve bot' to reinforce its a&&roac' to t'e &rescribed curriculum and assessment, and to &rovide a stron+ local&olitical base7

6n -'a&ter ., we s'ow 'ow t'e sc'ool res&onded radically by reor+anisin+ its w'ole curriculum structure in an innovative mannerw'ilst continuin+ to maintain t'e interest it 'ad in bein+ c'ild considerate7 6t is rat'er a com&licated arran+ement, sustained byeveryday discussion about t'e contin+encies of t'e moment7 4'ere are class +rou&s wit' t'eir own class teac'er for re+istrationand ot'er activitiesF a+e co'orts for t'e core curriculum sub@ects of literacy and numeracy, w'ere t'ey +o to ot'er teac'ersF andmi=ed a+e +rou&s for ot'er curriculum sub@ects7 A si+nificant &ro&ortion of time is set aside for considered needs of t'e moment7 6naddition t'ere are s&ecial events, termly t'emes and sub@ect days7 4'e aim is to ma=imise t'e resources of t'e sc'ool, to &rovidevariety and novel e=&eriences for t'e c'ildren, to ensure t'at t'e &rescribed demands of t'e National -urriculum are met but in aninterestin+, e=citin+ and meanin+ful way7 4'e aim is also to maintain creative activities suc' as art and music and to &rovide amany$sided and multilevelled education but in an inte+rated way7 One of t'e ways t'is is done is t'rou+' w'at we term networklearnin+ involvin+ net$like structures of knowled+e and multi&le &ers&ectives a&&re'ended t'rou+' all t'e senses7

4'e main test of success of any sc'ool is in t'e effect it 'as on &u&ils learnin+7 -reative teac'in+ needs to lead to creative learnin+76n -'a&ter 2 we &rovide details of t'e im&act of -oombes teac'in+ on t'e c'ildren, w'at learnin+ means to t'e c'ildren, and w'at&art t'e c'ildren t'emselves &lay in t'e develo&ment of knowled+e and &eda+o+y7 4'e essence of teac'in+ and learnin+

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Chapter 1The Coombes ethos

Cisitors to -oombes -ounty 6nfant and Nursery /c'ool at Arborfield, near "eadin+, encounter a very distinctive atmos&'ere7 6t i s to do wit' t'e activities t'at aretakin+ &lace, some of t'em quite unusualF wit' t'e lar+e numbers of involved adultsF wit' t'e dis&osition of c'ildren and adults, t'e relations'i&s amon+ t'em and'ow t'ey react to+et'erF wit' conte=ts, dHcor, illustrations, teac'in+ aidsF and wit' 'ow you are +reeted and welcomed7 As you +o t'rou+' t'e day, movin+ fromone intri+uin+ event or situation to anot'er, t'e c'arismatic climate seems to be comin+ out of t'e walls 9&arent:7 An et'os is somet'in+ t'at is felt rat'er t'ant'ou+'t7 4'e most &rominent features of t'is et'os, t'erefore, carry a stron+ emotional t'eme7 4'ey are dynamism, a&&reciation, ca&tivation and care7

A dynamic ethos

4'ere is a continuous t'rob of movement and a quiet 'um of activity7 6t is a cor&oreal et'os as c'il dren stretc', @um&, slide, ti&toe, ste& cautiously, 'old 'ands,fiddle wit' eac' ot'ers 'air and lift and swin+ eac' ot'er round7 /miles, welcomes and lau+'ter &ervade t'e sc'ool7 !oun+ c'ildren are ener+etic &eo&le, forevermovin+ t'eir bodies and minds across t'e s&ace t'ey in'abit, e=&eriencin+ t'e deli+'ts of &'ysical e=&ression and t'e e=citement of encounterin+ and en+a+in+wit' new &'enomena7 4'e sc'ool understands youn+ c'ildren as active a+ents w'o e=&eriment wit' t'eir bodies, emotions and intellects7 4eac'ers acknowled+et'e enormous ca&acity of youn+ c'ildren to t ake in an e=tensive variety of e=&eriences in any one day7 !ou can walk in and find one +rou& of c'ildren wit'ma+nets all over t'e floor, anot'er doin+ t'in+s

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wit' keys, ot'ers workin+ wit' stin+in+ nettles, or weavin+ and 'arvestin+, or countin+ sunflower seeds 9&arent:7

W'en /ue "owe 9de&uty 'ead: first visited t'e sc'ool as a &ros&ective &arent,

it was t'e &lay+round develo&ments t'at immediately arrested t'e eye, and made one t'ink, W'ats 'a&&enin+ 'ere 4'at ric' qualityof environment outside t'e sc'ool made you want to +o indoors and see w'at was 'a&&enin+7 4'at day was actually ;alloween, and

everyone was dressed u&, t'ere were c'ildren divin+ t'eir 'eads in and a&&le$bobbin+, and teac'ers wit' +reen faces and wild 'air, andt'e &lace was 'ummin+, really 'ummin+7 And its like t'at most days, most weeks7 4'eres a dynamic centre to t'e week7

An appreciative ethos

-oombess et'os is also a&&reciative7 4'e ecolo+ical environment, social interactions, s&iritual narratives, t'e skills and crafts of t'ecommunity, cycles of life and annual cultural celebrations are all a&&reciated for t'eir uniqueness and t'eir si+nification7 veryone,includin+ &arents, en@oy t'e +rand events t'at &ermeate most weeks of t'e year and t'e &olicy of a 'ands$on a&&roac' ensures t'atc'ildrens curiosity is stimulated and satisfied7 Pleasure is +ained from many adventures> seein+ a -oombes'en+e rise before t'eir eyesin t'e +roundsF 'el&in+ to cut down t'e -'ristmas tree, &lantin+ daffodils, &otatoes, sunflowersF beatin+ t'e bounds of t'e sc'ool sitewit' lon+ sticks and returnin+ to one of t'e many annual events, suc' as t'e &i&'any marc' around t'e +rounds in January7A&&reciation involves understandin+, awareness, discernment and insi+'t as eac' new en+a+ement not only reveals features andqualities of itself but @oins wit' all t'e ot'er en+a+in+ e=&eriences to com&re'end t'e breadt' of t'e world and t'e deli+'ts of learnin+7

very week, &eo&le visit t'e sc'ool to talk about t'eir lives, &erform t'eir skills and re&roduce t'eir crafts $ 6ris' dancers, /cottis'ba+&i&e &erformers, 'ar&ists, artists, stone masons, a military band, a bell$rin+in+ +rou&, a vet ministerin+ to t'e s'ee&, a member oft'e -romwell society on a 'orse, a crew in an army 'elico&ter, a @u++ler on a one$w'eel bike, a s&ecialist in c'ildrens &lay+round son+sand r'ymes from America, a uslim woman

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talkin+ about 'er fait' and culture7 4'ere are also environmental maintenance events suc' as s'ee&$s'earin+, 'ed+e$buildin+, andwillow$arc'$weavin+7 4'ese talks, demonstrations or &erformances en+a+e t'e c'ildrens interest and take t'em on somet'in+ akinto a 5rand 4our of t'e world outside t'e sc'ool>

6n t'e sea$s'anty e=&erience instructors talked above t'e c'ildren and alon+side t'em as t'ey ta&&ed t'eir feet, wi++led t'eir 'i&s,&ractised dance ste&s, s'ook arms, @um&ed u& and down, stretc'ed le+s, twisted and turned and swun+ t'eir arms7 4'eye=&erimented by runnin+ too far and e=a++eratin+ t'eir arm movements w'ile marc'in+7 6n a smaller dance +rou& some 'adt'umbs in t'eir mout's as t'ey concentrated on dance instructions and t'eir eyes scrutinised t'e &erformers as t'ey antici&ated&artici&ation7 As t'e dance movements were e=&lained t'ey w'is&ered quietly and e=&erimented wit' t'eir arms and feet7 4'eyfocused intently on t'e detail of t'e &layin+ instruments w'en invited to ask questions7

9%ield note:


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4'e dancin+ to and sin+in+ of sea s'anties lasted for forty minutes in eac' classroom and at t'e end of t'e day all t'e sc'ool+at'ered to+et'er in t'e 'all to &erform and e='ibit t'eir new skills and knowled+e7 Parents collectin+ t'eir c'ildren were e='ortedto @oin in t'is activity7

New t'emes, or new ways of a&&roac'in+ t'e same t'emes are deliberate &olicy7 4eac'ers believe in first$class e=&eriences foradults and c'ildren, so t'at t'ey can resonate wit' t'ose e=&eriences and be ener+ised ne=t day7 A concert, for e=am&le, &rovidedvaluable reflective time, a c'ance to reor+anise t'eir t'inkin+, to be refres'ed, and u&$and$runnin+ t'e ne=t day7 6t mi+'t take

you away from a task, but you +et back to it wit' renewed vi+our7 /ue ;um&'ries 9'eadteac'er: believed &assionately in t'eability of certain e=&eriences to re+enerate everyone, reflective nu++ets s'e called t'em, w'ic' were even more im&ortant nowt'an formerly because of t'e mec'anistic a&&roac'es induced by current develo&ments7

-ommunity$en+a+in+ events are a central feature of t'e re+ular curriculum cycle $ Calentines Day, saints days, reli+ious festivalsand national events includin+ Bastille Day7 Lifelon+ learnin+ days are 'eld annually w'ere e=tended families @oin in t'e curriculumas

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well as creatin+ it7 A tec'nolo+y week is 'eld w'ere c'ildren brin+ in carriers and em&loy t'em to trans&ort t'e ri&e &um&kins from t'e+rounds for ;alloween, and &lantin+ and 'arvestin+ are ea+erly antici&ated as &art of t'e sc'ools cycle of events7

4'ese events constitute an everyday community knowled+e, a common$sense knowled+e 9Bernstein, 1

6ts a sense of bein+ en+a+ed and intri+ued by work t'at +oes on around t'em7 6ts comin+ into t'em from t'e community, via anational world, and via a National -urriculum7 6t is by encoura+in+ ot'er nationals, by encoura+in+ &eo&le wit' a mark for talent,w'et'er its sowin+, knittin+, or writin+ &oetry7 4'ey are bein+ connected to muc' wider artistic, work and s&iritual concerns7 6n t'isway t'ey are learnin+ more t'an t'e National -urriculum, w'ic' 6 'o&e we are doin+ well, but t'ese ot'ers are equally im&ortant, as isnursin+ t'e side of t'e c'ild t'at is +oin+ to be em&at'etic, ima+inative and tolerant7

9/ue ;um&'ries:

A captivating ethos

-oombes embraces &u&ils, &arents and teac'ers alike7 Jenny 'as been at t'e sc'ool for twenty$si= years>

6 brou+'t my eldest dau+'ter, Jo, as a risin+ five to t'e -oombes, and came in as a 'el&in+ mum, t'e way we encoura+e all mums to

come in and 'el&, and 6ve been 'ere ever since7

"ay was a student at t'e sc'ool7 On t'e first day s'e t'ou+'t it was

wonderful7 4'e c'ildren @ust seemed really 'a&&y, t'e staff were really, really welcomin+, and 6 could see c'ildren usin+ t'e +rounds insuc' a creative way, 6 @ust knew t'at 6 wanted to come back, so as soon as t'ere was a &lace 6 +ot back in7 6ve loved it7

/ue "owe was similarly ca&tivated>

6 t'ink it was my e=&erience 'ere as a mot'er, comin+ in to 'el&, and seein+ a style of education t'at 6 didnt realise e=isted anyw'ere,and becomin+ increasin+ly involved7

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Navnite 9&arent: 'ad found c'ildren in ot'er sc'ools wit'drawn and reserved, but 'ere,

it was very natural, it 'ad a certain sort of ambience about it7 4'eres not'in+ fabricated or set u&, to me its @ustanot'er 'ome away from 'ome because t'ere is so muc' em&'asis on lovin+, carin+ and s'arin+7 6ts @ust like aw'ole bi+ family, its not like individual c'ildren, its everyone to+et'er7

4'e ma+netism of t'e sc'ool also works for t'e s'y c'ild7 Dees dau+'ter was &ainfully s'y and found it verydifficult to mi= wit' &eo&le7 /ue ;um&'ries su++ested t'ey s&end a day wit' 'er &ros&ective class>

6 stayed for a bit, t'en 6 realised t'at 6 could sneak off, s'e was com&letely absorbed in w'at was +oin+ on7 6came back a little later and s'e didnt even notice 6 was t'ere7 6 decided t'ere and t'en it was com&letely w'at 6was lookin+ for7 Wit'in a week of 'er startin+ 'ere t'ey were makin+ &um&kin sou&, t'en t'ey were burnin+down 'ouses and eatin+ baked &otatoes, t'en t'ey were movin+ into t'e -'ristmas stuff and 6 was @ust likeWowI W'ats t'is about

artin found

t'e buGG, t'is unknown quantity t'at you @ust cannot &ut your fin+er on7 6t @ust e=udes from t'e walls of t'e


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buildin+7 4'eres a ma+ic formula7

4'e w'ole community 'as been ca&tivated by -oombes7 /ue ;um&'ries s&oke of t'e tremendous su&&ort t'eyreceived from &arents7 6f you or+anise it, you make t'e w'ole community &art of t'e work7 An illustration of/ues o&&ortunism was +iven durin+ t'e s'ee&$was'in+7 Limara said, y mummy was'es 'er own 'air, and s'eused to be a 'airdresser7 A'aI said /ue, 6 'ave an idea7 6f we asked 'er to come in, would s'e +ive us a

demonstration 6ll volunteer to 'ave my 'air doneI 4'us are ideas +enerated to sustain t'e flow of interactionbetween sc'ool and community, and between sc'ool work and everyday life7 4'ere were frequent dis&lays ofcommunity affection w'ic' 'asnt dwindled a bit, and

$.$

a very im&ressive under+round network w'ic' reac'es out to &eo&le miles away and &ulls t'em in to serve t'e sc'ools traditions7

/ue s&oke of days of e=citement, w'en it works for all of you $ &u&ils, teac'ers, &arents $ as a kind of yeast7 4'ere was an o&endoor for &arents to enter t'e sc'ool to observe or to assist7 4'e sc'ool was a laboratory for anyone w'o ste&s over t'e door7 6f&eo&le feel t'at t'ey want to do somet'in+, t'e more &eo&le develo& a sense of owners'i& $ an owners'i& action &lan $ were all+oin+ to be better off for it 9/ue ;um&'ries:7 4'is is anot'er as&ect of t'e 'olism t'at &ervades t'e underlyin+ &'iloso&'y,involvin+ all w'o 'ave links wit' t'e sc'ool in w'atever role7 On s&ecial$event days 9see -'a&ter .:, w'en e=tra adult 'el& wasrequired, t'ey turned out in force7 But t'ey were free to use and en@oy t'e +rounds t'emselves7 /ue 'as fond ideas of an o&ensc'ool for use by t'e community in t'e evenin+, &er'a&s as a &lace for youn+sters to use7

4'e sense of an e=tended family 'ere is ty&ical of a learnin+ community 9see, for e=am&le, -ocklin et al7, 11?:7 6t runs counter to

t'e kind of sc'ool w'ose function is mainly to se&arate c'ildren from families and to introduce t'em to wider society 9acbet',11.:7 4'e latter is a more traditional view of sc'ool, wit' a boundary set u& between t'e sc'ool and t'e outside world, andbetween teac'ers and &arents7 But t'e -oombes community would not reco+nise t'ese divisions7 4'ey would ar+ue t'at t'einterests of society $ and of individuals $ is better served by combinin+ forces7

;owever, t'ey also reco+nise t'e need to ensure a secure and safe environment for t'e c'ildren7 All re+ular visitors are vettedaccordin+ to t'e local education aut'oritys +uidelines and new visitors 'ave to si+n in and wear bad+es of identification7 6na&&ro&riate cases +rou&s of visitors are assi+ned to sc'ool staff for t'e time t'ey are in t'e sc'ool7 4'e reality of -oombes o&en&olicy is t'at t'e e=tensive number of adults on t'e sc'ool site means t'at it is 'i+'ly unusual for any adult to be found alone wit'c'ildren7 4'ere is almost always more t'an one adult wit' any +rou& of c'ildren and t'e rooms 'ave been desi+ned to be easilyviewed by t'ose &assin+ by7

$2$

A caring ethos

Audrey 9&arent: was overw'elmed by w'at a &ositive e=&erience it obviously was for all t'e c'ildren7 /'e t'ou+'t it was a matter

of carin+ and res&ect>

4'e fundamental t'in+ is t'at c'ildren are tau+'t to care for eac' ot'er and to s'are everyt'in+ and so t'eyre tau+'t res&ect fort'emselves and res&ect for ot'er &eo&le and res&ect for t'e environment7

-arol affirmed, 4'eres a very, very stron+ em&'asis on carin+7 artin was im&ressed wit' t'e continuity of learnin+, stemmin+from t'e o&en &olicy of t'e sc'ool>

4'e sc'ool is e=ce&tional in t'e way t'ey welcome c'ildren and &arents and anybody t'ats associated wit' a &articular c'ild intot'e sc'ool7 akin+ t'em welcome makes t'em want to be &art of t'e sc'ool, makes t'em want to learn and take in and s'areeveryt'in+ t'ey learn 'ere7 /o t'ey come 'ome and t'ey tell us about it, we talk to t'em about it, and t'ey come back a+ain t'efollowin+ day and e=&lain a+ain w'at t'ey 'ave learned7 6ts @ust a continuation7 4'ey dont actually leave sc'ool7 Were very&leased wit' all as&ects of work, &lay, and carin+ and s'arin+ and bein+ &art of an e=tended family7 /'e doesnt feel as if s'e iscomin+ to sc'ool, s'es @ust comin+ to anot'er &art of 'er family, and w'en s'e comes 'ome to us s'e comes back to t'e ot'er&art of 'er family7 /'es +ot no &roblem wit' crossin+ t'e boundary of t'e sc'ool +ates7

-at' 'ad recently moved to t'e area7 /'e came to -oombes to look round and found>

4'ey were so very kind w'en we came in7 6 walked into t'e wron+ classroom, and t'ey said, O' ark, 6 'o&e you come into thisclass, and 6 @ust t'ou+'t, 4'eyre so very friendly7 At 'is &revious sc'ool 'e cried for t'e w'ole weekI At least w'en 'e came'ere, 'e cried for one day, and t'e ne=t day 'e was quite 'a&&y to +o to sc'ool7

W'en 4'eresa &'oned u& for an a&&ointment s'e was told, !ou dont need an a&&ointment7 4urn u& w'enever you like, +o

$?$

w'erever you like7 /'e found, you can @ust wander around, but if you ask if you can 'el& t'ey will find somet'in+ for you7 /o you+et very involved7 /idone found t'e same7 /'e 'ad not en@oyed sc'ool 'erself, and always felt on ed+e walkin+ into a sc'ool, butw'en 6 walked in 'ere t'eyre @ust so friendly7 6 really value t'e fact t'at 6 can walk in at any time and @oin in7 4'at means a lot tome7

Beryl llinor 9sc'ool +overnor:, reflectin+ on w'y -oombes was suc' a s&ecial sc'ool, concluded

4'eres a lot of love in t'is sc'ool, and 6 t'ink t'ats w'at draws me to it &articularly7 Because we all need love and t'is sc'ool does+enerate a +reat deal7 6ts t'e dedication of t'e 'eadteac'er and 'er staff7 4'e &arents t'at are so willin+ to 'el&, t'e ot'ermembers of t'e community are willin+ to 'el&, and t'e well$bein+ and t'e way t'at c'ildren learn and t'e way t'eyre so 'a&&y,


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its $ well $ its ma+icI

Linda 9teac'in+ assistant: felt similarly, 6ts a very lovin+ friendly atmos&'ered sc'ool7 6 love it7 As you walk t'rou+' t'e front doort'eres a friendly atmos&'ere t'at seems to envelo& you7

The distinctiveness of Coombes

-oombes 'as over two 'undred &u&ils, from a mi=ed rural catc'ment area7 6ts c'ildren 9*$< years old: are nearly all from t'e w'itema@ority et'nic +rou& includin+ a&&ro=imately .) &er cent of its &u&ils from t'e local army +arrison and a re+ular +rou& of travellerc'ildren7 Bot' +rou&s are &rone to move re+ularly and consequently t'e sc'ool 'as a relatively 'i+' transient &o&ulation7 6ts staffare well establis'ed in t'eir &osts7 -oombes 'as won national and international acclaim7 6t is rat'er an unusual sc'ool7 6t attractsa&&ro=imately a t'ousand visitors a year from all over t'e world and its staff +ive courses and lectures about t'e sc'ool and itsteac'in+ in many countries7 6t 'as won a number of awards, notably a &resti+ious Jerwood Award in 11)7 6ts lon+standin+'eadteac'er, /ue ;um&'ries, was awarded an B in 112 for outstandin+ services to education7 -oombes features re+ularly int'e educational &ress, 'as been t'e sub@ect of television &ro+rammes, for e=am&le, an O&en 0niversity course 9()8, 4C(, A/c'ool for our 4imes: and 'as been written about 9Woods 112F "owe and

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Chapter 2Learning through the environmentThe creative use of space

-oombes 'as acquired international reco+nition for t'e ima+inative develo&ment of its sc'ool +rounds7 A Learning

through Landscapesre&ort 9Adams, 11): records t'at an immense variety of environments 'ave been establis'ed,usin+ every available inc' of s&ace7 /ue ;um&'ries sums u& t'eir &olicy>

We see t'e outside of t'e sc'ool as a wealt'y resource, w'ic' can be drawn u&on, if we are &re&ared to &lan itsdevelo&ment7 We wanted t'e outside environment to reflect t'e same de+ree of care and ima+ination t'at was +ivento ot'er areas of t'e sc'ool7

6n t'is c'a&ter, we consider t'e -oombes ac'ievement and t'e factors be'ind it7 We describe t'e &lannin+ andnature of t'e +rounds, and e=amine t'e learnin+ &rinci&les be'ind t'em7 4'ere are two +rou&s of t'ese connectedwit' involvement on t'e one 'and, and 'olism on t'e ot'er, wit' t'e ma@or t'eme of environmentalism runnin+t'rou+' t'em bot'7 4'ese lead to ins&iration, and all &roduce creative learnin+7

The school grounds a creative use of space

-oombes o&ened in 1


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t'e wind reac'in+ t'e &lants, or t'e len+t' of sunli+'t, amount of li+'t or s'adow7

6n t'is way s'e 'ad created s&ace in t'e narrow s&it of land between t'e sc'ool and t'e road>

!ouve +ot a tromp l/0uileffect7 %rom t'e s&ot we stand to t'e road is no distance, but by fillin+ t'e middle

+round you create

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Figure 14'e sc'ool +rounds

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a de&t' t'at isnt t'ere at all7 6ts sur&risin+ 'ow t'e arran+ement of forms and a &lantin+ sc'eme create t'is &owerful illusion7

/'e 'as some old &'oto+ra&'s wit' t'e buildin+s on t'e ot'er side of t'e road, and t'ey sur&rise you because you realise 'ow closeeveryt'in+ is to you7

Aconites, snowdro&s, crocuses and narcissi flower before t'e trees are in leaf7 4'ey are set in natural drifts so you can see and smellt'em, avoidin+ t'e formal ranks of town &arks7 4'e aim is for a natural &rofusion of s&rin+ flowers to deli+'t eyes and 'earts7 On oneside is a s'elter$belt so t'e wind doesnt scour t'e &lay+round7 4'ere is even a secondary s'elter$belt be'ind7 4'e &lay+round wasnot very 'os&itable to be+in wit', and t'e centre must be ke&t o&en because its tarmac, cant be colonised easily and t'e c'ildrenneed t'e s&ace to &lay in all weat'ers7 !ou can &lant trees around t'e ed+es to

&rovide constant contact wit' t'e &lants and t'e smells and t'e c'an+in+ forms all t'e time7 4'e idea is to &ut c'ildren in a woodlandsettin+ w'ere, around t'e 'ard ed+es of t'e &lay+round, trees droo&, dro& leaves, s'ed blossom, &roduce a&&les7 Plants in t'e +ardensoffer different smells to attract insects, birds and 'umans, and if you want to +o on a ladybird safari or you want to do snail racin+, itsall available to you7

4'e sc'ool site 'as to be mana+ed7 -o&&icin+ and &ollardin+ are re+ularly carried out on some of t'e trees7 -o&&icin+ involves cuttin+t'e tree back and induces t'e t'rowin+ of a lot of new s&urs, &rovidin+ very +ood cover for birds, and better nestin+ &otential7Pollardin+ removes t'e crown of a tree 9&reventin+ it +rowin+ too tall: and it t'en sends out new branc'es from t'e to& of t'e stem7Willows are treated in t'is way, t'e cut branc'es t'en &rovidin+ nouris'in+ food for t'e s'ee&7 /ue 'erself comes out wit' secateursoccasionally but to do several t'in+s, includin+ &reventin+ t'e 'orse c'estnuts comin+ t'rou+', and anyt'in+ t'at is an alien, suc' aslaburnum or sumac' t'at come in wit' t'e leaf litter7

4'e sc'ool e=&lains its aims and strate+ies, and t'e central &'iloso&'y t'us>

Learnin+, &lay and dreamin+ 'ave a unity, w'ic' ins&ire eac' ot'er7 Adults tend to se&arate t'e &arts, c'ildren do not7 We

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'el& t'em stretc' t'eir intellectual &owers by teac'in+ out$ofdoors and or+anisin+ natural renewable resources in t'e samecareful way as wit' or+anisin+ an indoor classroom7 %ruit trees bloom and fruit over &at'waysF mat's dia+rams cover t'e tarmacF

old lo+s and low walls &rovide seatin+, and t'ere are many &laces to 'ide and be silent7 6t is continually evolvin+ by addin+ newtrees, new &lay+round desi+ns, different &lay+round furniture $ and by seasonal c'an+es, dayli+'t len+t', &lant +rowt', andanimal and insect activity7 4'e 'ard s&aces are framed by +ardens and woodland areas and &rotected by t'em7 All &rovide easy
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'and, eye, ear and nose contact and feed t'e intellectual, emotional and s&iritual elements7 Around t'e &lay+round are boats,walls, lo+s, ste&&in+$stones, a tunnel, a bird wall, buildin+s 9a castle, a look$out &ost, a cave, a &lay table, a 'ouse and t'ree tree'ouses:, all desi+ned to e=cite t'e ima+ination and interest, and &rovide lots of dramatic &lay7

4'e &lay+round is marked out wit' desi+ns for +ames collected from around t'e world> Pon+ ;au #i, a /c'le+el dia+ram, Nineans orris, Ac'i, /tar, concentric circles, a number snake, a 'undred square, a c'ess board 9wit' &ieces made by a &arent:, alo+ic track and a com&ass rose 9a +uide to t'e sc'ools &osition:7 W'enever t'e weat'er &ermits, t'e c'ildren eat out of doors,under t'e cano&y of t'e trees7 Dinner su&ervisors brin+ out t'e tables and &ut t'em on t'e &at'ways7 Occasionally t'ey set u& oldcar&ets under t'e trees for t'e c'ildren to sit on7

/ue &oints to 'ow t'in+s could 'ave been im&roved, for e=am&le>

4'e &inetum s'ould 'ave been e=tended by anot'er five or si= metres, so t'at t'ere would 'ave been not'in+ in t'is area e=ce&tcone$&roducin+ trees7 !ou could 'ave +one from tree to tree, looked at t'e c'aracteristics and noted t'e similarities anddifferences7 A+ain, it would 'ave been better to +rou& silver birc' to+et'er wit' t'e 'olly so t'at t'ere was an aest'etic keynotet'ere7 !oud 'ave +rou&ed t'e s&ecies of oaks to+et'er so t'at you could move from tree to t ree, s'owin+ c'ildren 'ow t'eydiffered7

/'e 'o&es ot'ers learn from t'ese &oints7 4'e site is still develo&in+7 %or e=am&le, s'e &ointed to t'e trees linin+ t'e drive,ventually

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t'ese trees will arc' and @oin u&, and +ive t'e sensation of an old countrylane7

4'e usual &ractice is for sc'ool &lay+rounds to be re+ular $ rectan+ular orsquare7 ven t'ose &lay+rounds wit' some variation in s'a&e tend to followstrai+'t lines7 6n +eneral, t'e ed+es of t'e &lay+round are difficult tomaintain because t'e +rass +ets eroded7 6n t'e wet weat'er it is mud, andin t'e dry weat'er, dust7 -oombes 'as dere+ularised its &lay+round s'a&e74'e &lay+round ed+es do not lead directly on to t'e +ardens7 4'e w'ole&lay+round is surrounded by barriers be'ind w'ic' &lantin+ takes &lace7 4'eidea of t'e barrier 9in most cases, a ?) cm 'i+' double$course brick wallindented to &rovided nic'es for small$+rou& &lay and +at'erin+s: is to +iveaccessible seatin+ at any moment durin+ &lay7 Additionally, t'e c'ildren canclimb on to t'e walls to 'ave a different &ers&ective on t'e &lay+round, ort'ey may c'oose to lie flat on t'e to&7 4'e barrier serves as a series ofready$made s'elves u&on w'ic' a&&aratus may be set, or a book dis&laye='ibited7

W'at was once a rectan+ular &lay s&ace 'as been indented7 On t'e nort'side t'ere are broad ste&s leadin+ to two tree 'ouses, as well as a tunnelleadin+ to a back &at'way, and an access &oint to t'e field area7 On t'ewest side t'ere is a castle and a terrace area7 On t'e sout' side t'ere aretwo lar+e raised beds &lanted wit' 'erbs, fruit trees and slow$+rowin+ dwarfconifers7 On t'e east side t'ere is a +arden enclosed by a crenellated brickwall7 4'e c'ildren do not enter t'is small +arden w'ic' is &lanted wit' 'olly,'aGel, silver birc' and a&&le trees, but may reac' into it for ladybirds, snails,leaves, etc7 4'e crenellations are ornamental and &rovide seatin+ at different'ei+'ts, but t'ey also in'ibit c'ildren from runnin+ on t'e to&7 4'e &lantin+w'ic' 'as taken &lace in t'e +arden areas immediately be'ind t'e wallbarriers 'as served to soften t'e &lay+round ed+es, to &rotect t'e c'ildrenfrom t'e &revailin+ wind, and to reac' out into t'e &lay+round itself7 any oft'e trees blossom and s'ower t'e c'ildren wit' &etals7

4'ou+' -oombes is not over$endowed wit' s&ace, t'e develo&ment of t'e+rounds is an on+oin+ &ro@ect, a livin+ t'in+ in itself7 /ue and /ue write,

Over t'e years, we 'ave undertaken a &ro+ramme of environmental &lantin+and im&rovement7 Our sc'ool +rounds, and t'e diversity of 'abitatscontained wit'in t'em, are essential com&onents of our work wit' t'ec'ildren7 ac' term over t'e

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years 'as seen at least one ma@or &ro@ect undertaken, and often t'e stimulus for t'e &ro@ect will 'ave come directly from t'e c'ildrenssu++estions or from a &erceived curricular need7 /ometimes, develo&ment work will take &lace because of a &revious addition to our+ardens and +rounds, w'ic' leads us on to t'e ne=t sta+e7 %or instance, we 'ave created a series of all$weat'er &at'ways t'at criss$cross t'e sc'ool +roundsF as eac' section is com&leted, t'e site of t'e ne=t needed &at'way becomes more a&&arent7

/ometimes, t'e ne=t &'ase will be t'e result of a c'ance comment from a member of staff, a &arent or +overnor, or a visitor to t'esc'ool7 We make &ro+ress in our environmental work by remainin+ o&en to new ideas, su++estions, or by evaluatin+ w'at we 'ave beendoin+ and lookin+ to take t'e work onwards7 -omments about needin+ to do somet'in+ s&ecial for t'e illennium led us to t'e idea of

settin+ u& a +eolo+y trail t'rou+'out t'e +rounds $ at least ( different ty&es of rock from t'e Britis' 6sles set in different ways7 4odate, and wit' si= mont's of t'e year still to +o, we now 'ave seven +rou&s of rock ran+in+ from -ornis' arran+ed as a &latform seatin+area, to Purbeck limestone set as #in+ Art'urs -'air on a small artificial 'ill, to !orks'ire limestone sam&les set in a formation similarto t'e central circle of /tone'en+e $ our very own -oombes'en+e7 /ometimes, it is t'e c'ildren t'emselves w'o come u& wit' t'e ideas


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t'at take us into t'e ne=t bit of environmental work7 "ecently t'ey asked for a tree 'ouse wit' a tree +rowin+ t'rou+' t'e middle, andwe are now in t'e &rocess of buildin+ it7

9"owe and ;um&'ries, ()), &&7 ?1$

We learn by touc'in+, smellin+, 'earin+, seein+ and res&ondin+ emotionally and s&iritually to stimuli7 We can reinforce t'ee=&erience by talkin+, readin+ and writin+, but t'e startin+ &oints 'ave to be direct, &ersonal e=&eriences7 Our intention is to +ive&redictor e=&eriences, and to e=&edite and +ive learnin+ to more abstract and symbolic t'ou+'t t'rou+' t'ese concrete startin+&oints7 4'e s&iral curriculum is based on t'ese early startin+ &oints7

;ands$on activity is considered essential, and t'e +rounds are desi+ned to facilitate it7 4'e all$weat'er &at's t'rou+' t'e +roundswere &lanned so t'at c'ildren will 'ave contact wit' t'e wild flowers and wit' t'e fruit, wit'out disturbin+ t'e very delicate under$storey7 Around t'e beds are 'erbs and &leasantly smellin+ t'in+s t'at you can &luck and &ocket, because its somet'in+ t'at youmi+'t draw out later on w'en you need a little bit of nose and mout' comfort7 4'e c'ildren scatter 'andfuls of sunflower seeds int'e +ardens, and t'en farm t'em>

4'ey can &ull t'e sunflower out, take t'e seeds out of t'e 'ead, &ull it a&art to see 'ow its constructed to +et some idea about t'edetail7 6 know t'at lots of &eo&le dont like t'ose ideas about &ickin+, but we believe in +ivin+ c'ildren back t'eir ri+'ts7 ;ands aret'e cuttin+ ed+e of t'e mind, and if you dont &ut 'ands$on, and 'ave smell and taste and contact, t'en you cannot actually moveforward or &ro+ress7 6t isnt any +ood brin+in+ c'ildren out 'ere wit' t'eir 'ands be'ind t'eir backs7 4'ey need to 'ave 'undredsof seeds in t'eir 'ands to &lant7 4'e result s'ould be &rolific enou+' for c'ildren to 'arvest in quantity and investi+ate t'e w'ole&lant7 4'e sunflower &lantin+ and 'arvestin+ &ro+ramme is a su&reme e=am&le of t'e seed to seed cycle7

4'ere were enou+' sunflowers t'at year for eac' c'ild in t'e sc'ool to 'ave one7 4'ey 'ad a sunflower @un+le in t'e sc'ool 'all,

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and 'ad a teddy bears &icnic w'ere t'ey feasted on sunflower seeds, mar+arine made from sunflowers, and sunflower 'oney7/'arin+ and coo&eration are im&ortant &rinci&les underlyin+ t'ese events7

New o&&ortunities are a&&earin+ all t'e time7 6n t'e ditc', rus'es are be+innin+ to +row and

W'en youre talkin+ about rus' torc'es, rus' mats, or readin+ t'e traditional stories like -a& o "us'es, t'erell be t'e means int'e sc'ool +ardens to come out and access t'e &lant itself7 Books offer vicarious learnin+ $ for youn+ c'ildren, t'e direct e=&erience


13/76

is crucial7

On t'e last day of t'e aster term it is traditional for everybody to make t'eir own birds nest from materials w'ic' t'e birds usenaturally>

/o you &ick a&art two or t'ree old nests and you look at books or slides7 4'en you +o out and you identify moss, straw, twi+s, dry

+rass, dead leaves7 4'en you &ut t'ese t'in+s to+et'er and you try to make a nest7 Of course, t'e easiest ones are t'ose made ofmoss because t'ey 'old to+et'er so well7

any different kinds of life abound7 4'e 'abitat &iles +uarantee 'ibernatin+ newts, and

4'ere are nic'es for different forms of life7 6f we s'ifted t'is lot now, 6 could absolutely +uarantee wed find five or si= toads7 4'atwould be enou+' for a +rou& to 'ave a lesson7 !oud 'ave to come out and find t'em first, but its absolutely de&endable7 4'eywould be 'andled +ently, &laced in an aquarium, and brou+'t indoors7 4'e c'ildren would 'ave t'eir lesson on livin+ t'in+s, t'enbrin+ t'em out later in t'e day and release t'em, so t'ey return to t'eir ori+inal 'abitat7

4'e c'ildren &ond di& t'rou+'out t'e year, findin+ newts, toads, fro+s, water snails, insects, leec'es, dra+onflies and many ot'erforms of life7 4'ere are some remarkable butterflies, cater&illars and mot's7 4'e minute you +et a w'ole lot of wild flowers, yoube+in to +et a lot of ni+'t$time activity wit' mot's7 4'ey 'ad set

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mot' tra&s, so t'at t'e c'ildren could study t'em, bein+ sure to release t'em afterwards7

On one afternoon, t'e local s'e&'erd came in to was' t'e s'ee&7 All of t'e sc'ool witnessed t'is, suitably clad in rubber boots anda&rons7 4'ey @oined in t'e 'osin+ and was'in+7 4'ey felt t'eir fleeces before and after7 /o&'ie felt lots of bits w'en s'e rubbedt'em, "ic'ard lots of dirt, -'ris some twi+s, and it was very scratc'y7 After t'eir s'am&oo t'ey were nice and soft7 Ot'ers said,6t stunk of dirty, 6 rinsed t'e s'ee& wit' a 'ose &i&e7 Afterwards t'ey wrote about and illustrated t'eir e=&erience7 Ale=9rece&tion: wrote a &a+e of emer+ent writin+, but 'e read it to us wit' &erfect sense7 A&&arently, it was 'is first attem&t at writin+74'is was w'at 'e read>

4'e water was warm and t'e s'ee& liked it7 All t'e boys and +irls t'ou+'t it was +ood7 4'ey &ut in t'e bat' took turns at squirtin+at t'e s'ee& wit' t'e 'ose &i&e7 4'e s'ee& was scared7 4'e 'ose was too fast7 /o it @ust be brave and didnt scare it7 6t was nearlyliked it $ liked t'e bat', but not t'e 'ose &i&e7

4'is seemed to us a brilliant attem&t at a first story, w'ic' conveyed t'e basic details, t'e feelin+s involved 9es&ecially of t'es'ee&:, and some intelli+ent reasonin+7

4'e dominant feature of t'e +rounds is undoubtedly t'e trees7 4'ere are immediate rewards in terms of learnin+, and also a lar+erone7 5rowin+ a future wood is a most rewardin+ e=&erience7 4'e sc'ool 'as a +row your own forest idea, w'ic' involves all t'ec'ildren, and +ives a sense of directly contributin+ to a small &art of t'e &lanet7 4'at very autumn t'ey 'ad &lanted some t'irtytrees, wit' eac' class +rou& 'avin+ si= trees to &lant7 /ometimes t'ey sowed seeds, &i&s or stones, but most trees were bou+'t asw'i&s or lar+er7 4'at means you can +et 'ands$on, and can 'el& to di+ t'e 'ole and all t'at sort of t'in+7 -'ildren 'ad been&lantin+ trees re+ularly for twenty$ei+'t years7 /ome years, a class mi+'t only 'ave 'ad a cou&le of trees to &lant, but in ot'eryears every c'ild in t'e sc'ool will &lant a tree $ t'ats t'e nicest t'in+7

;avin+ &lanted trees, you 'ave t'e ri+'t to en@oy t'em7 %or e=am&le>

We always &ick our own -'ristmas tree and we cut it down ceremonially, stand around it, carry it in, and decorate it on

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t'at day wit' t'in+s t'e c'ildren 'ave made7 6f you 'ave t'e res&onsibility and t'e @oy in &lantin+, you are entitled to &ick and 'arvest7

6vy, 'olly and mistletoe are also +rown and used in t'is way7 4'e same a&&lies to t'e fruit trees $ a&&le, &ear, quince, medlar, c'erry,almond, 'aGel, c'estnut, walnut, &lum7 /ome fruits are eaten fres', ot'ers make @am, @elly, c'utneysF t'e rest are taken 'ome7 6n/e&tember, every c'ild +oes out and ceremonially &icks an a&&le, +oes in, rubs it, bites it, and eventually +oes out a+ain and &lants t'e&i&s, w'ic' also connects wit' traditional tales like Jo'nny A&&leseed and William 4ell7 4'e cro&s 'el& t'e teac'ers deal wit' vitalconcerns suc' as

diet, met'ods of food &reservation, e=&eriments wit' salt, su+ar and vine+ar, t'e seed to seed cycle, &atterns of weat'er and its effect,mildew and fun+us, decay and deat', symbiotic relations'i&, &arasites, soil structure, annual and seasonal &atterns, food c'ains, ourde&endence as 'uman bein+s on t'e soil in +eneral7

6n ot'er ways, too, trees are a considerable resource7 4'ere are trees to climb, to work under, to swin+ on7 4'eir s'a&es, te=tures andcolours fill t'e mind as well as t'e skyline7 4'ey &lay amon+ t'em, eat under t'em7 Branc'es over'an+ recreation s&aces and become&art of t'eir recreation7

4'ey 'ave &lanted trees around t'e &lay+round and u& to t'e sc'ool buildin+s, miti+atin+ t'e effect of t'e &revailin+ east wind, +ivin+colour and s'a&e to t'eir once naked boundary, and offerin+ c'ildren eye, ear and nose contact wit' a ran+e of livin+ t'in+s7 W'at t'ec'ildren view from t'e sc'ool windows and in t'e &lay+round is a variety of &ictures, c'an+in+ t'rou+'out t'e year7 6t e=cites t'eir

interest, stimulates t'eir curiosity, and feeds t'eir intellect and ima+ination7 Above all, its t'e feel t'at you +et from it t'at counts7


14/76

4'e 'ands$on e=&erience is taken t'rou+' from t'e in&ut of knowled+e and sensation $ t'e initial sowin+ of seeds, &lantin+ trees,'andlin+ leaves, etc7 $ to demonstrations of its out&ut $ t'e makin+ of books, &lays, birds nests even, and t'e cookin+ and eatin+ offood7 4'ere are some ma+nificent bound books on dis&lay, all made by teac'ers, wit' some 'el& from &arents7 /ome of t'ese 'ave

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wooden covers, &ainted illustrations or beautiful &'oto+ra&'s7 4'ey &rovide bot' a record, and a vivid means of reflection7 Amon+t'em are 4'e -oombes Potato ;arvest, -oombes /c'ools /tone /ou&, -oombes /c'ools "eci&e Book, Porky and Brian 9about

t'e sc'ools &i+s:, Pum&kin Day, akin+ Pancakes, A Planter at Work> A 5uide for !oun+ Woodlanders, e+an t'e /'ee&,5rowin+ %ood> 4'e /eed to /eed -ycle, -uttin+ Down a 4ree, A Birds ye Ciew of t'e -oombes, and several stories7 Ot'eractivities durin+ our time t'ere included a &aintin+ e='ibition under t'e 'eadin+ Our %irst 4rees Are in Blossom, wit' &ictures ofquince, c'erry, &ear, &lum, a&&le, medlar and lilac7

4'is close contact wit' t'e +rounds, t'e a&&lication of all t'eir senses, and t'eir involvement in its develo&ment and maintenance,+ives t'e c'ildren, /ue feels, a sense of owners'i&7 4'ere are no com&licated rules +overnin+ t'eir use of t'e +rounds7 /ue is verydee&ly influenced by t'e view t'at no one &erson owns land, or t'e &ast7 4'rou+' t'e summer and autumn t'ey 'ave days w'ent'e car &ark at t'e front of t'e sc'ool becomes t'e &lay+round7 4'e c'ildren are free to +o into t'e wooded areas t'ere7-om&action and wear &roblems &revent t'is 'a&&enin+ every day, for you would 'ave no 'erb layer left, and no re+enerativesystem7 4'ere was also a lot of fascinatin+ cater&illar and insect life, like t'e 'awk$mot', for e=am&le, w'ic' dro&s off trees andde&ends on a soft landin+ and an immediate burial to +o t'rou+' metamor&'osis7 6f t'e +round is com&acted, t'en it cant +o intosta+e two, and t'ats been t'e tra+edy of a number of wild areas w'ere you let folks +o anyw'ere7

6t is a freedom, t'erefore, w'ic' o&erates wit'in rules emer+in+ from t'e e=i+encies of natural &reservation7 6t is t'e same naturallaws t'at +ive t'e c'ildren t'eir ri+'ts $ ri+'ts wit' res&onsibility7 A sc'ool &am&'let asserts t'at an ima+inative, ric' environmentw'ic' meets all 'uman needs is every c'ilds ri+'t7 By workin+ wit' c'ildren, were assistin+ t'em towards t'e future w'ic' ist'eirs7

4'e ran+e and variety of &laces for c'ildren to +o, to observe, to &lay, converse, sit quietly on t'eir own, adds a furt'er dimensionto c'ildrens learnin+ and develo&ment>

6t +ives t'e c'ildren a new feel and a sense of owners'i& about many of t'e &laces in t'e sc'ool, and t'ey dont 'ave to &lay onlyin t'e same s&ot7 6ts so tranquillisin+ for t'em7 6t isnt somet'in+ t'at you can verbalise, but bein+ surrounded by

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beautiful t'in+s in interestin+ form 'as a dee& effect on t'e 'uman &syc'e7

Holism

%or t'e %roebelians, nature study is a means to understandin+ t'e unity of creation>

-ountry c'ildren +row u& in an environment of farms and +ardens w'ere t'ere is birt', life, deat', life re$born year in, year out in awealt' of e=am&les t'e w'ole seasonal r'yt'm of nature t'at mirrors t'e r'yt'm of life itself7 We cannot recreate it in t'e classroom,but we must seek w'atever instance we can to illustrate t'is cycle of life to develo& an a&&reciation of t'e beauty, &ur&osefulness andslow sureness of natural +rowt'7

9;utc'inson, 1?, &7 :

4'e em&'asis on 'olism is a &rominent feature at -oombes7 4'e teac'ers make no distinction between t'e learnin+ environment insideand outside t'e sc'ool, and work to &romote t'e universality of t'e learnin+ e=&erience7

The 'oneness' of life

6n attac'in+ learnin+ to natural life, t'ere is an aim of s'owin+ its roundedness, interconnectedness, &atterns and r'yt'ms7 4'ese arefirm bases for learnin+7 4'e w'ole +rounds, for e=am&le,

are meant to be somet'in+ of a botanical clock, so t'at t'e &roduction of small +rou&s of wild flowers like bluebells, snowdro&s, lilies$of$t'e$valley, come at de&endable &oints in t'e year7 /o t'e botanical clock runs and re$runs, and +ives you some idea in t'e two yearst'at youre 'ere of continuity and t'e annual cycle7

Pro@ects in t'e +rounds follow t'e cycle of t'e seasons, wit' festivals, s&ecial days, activities suc' as sowin+, &lantin+, &icnickin+,'arvestin+ and dramatic events7 4'e sc'ool values traditional celebrations7 ot'ers Day, for e=am&le, is celebrated by makin+ bouquetsof s&rin+ flowers, +rown in t'e +rounds, to take 'ome7

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4'e sc'ools anniversary of o&enin+ is always celebrated out of doors as well as indoors7

4'e environmental aim is closely allied7 Amon+st t'ese trees, /ue likes to t'ink it +ives you a feelin+ of bein+ in a @un+le and t'edelicacy of t'e rain$forest>

6f you can be+in to +lim&se somet'in+ of t'e fra+ile nature of t'e &lanet and about 'ow some resources are renewable, and t'at, inrenewin+ t'em, t'ere is an adventure and a beauty, and t'e tyin+ of t'e 'uman to t'e r'yt'ms beyond a sin+le life7


15/76

4'e centrality of t'e eart' is em&'asised>

-ro&s suc' as r'ubarb are 'arvested by t'e c'ildren, w'o t'en was', c'o& and cook it and feast on it before t'ey +o 'ome7 4'is is anessential e=&erience if youre to understand t'at all food comes from t'e soil and all matter ultimately returns t'ere7 -'ildren &ickblackcurrants, squas' t'em, look at t'e colours, know t'at t'ats t'e basis for blackcurrant yo+'urt and "ibena7 6ts tyin+ you to ori+ins,its +ivin+ us literally food for t'ou+'t7

/ue ;um&'ries considers it vital t'at c'ildren be involved in +rowin+ and 'arvestin+ food cro&s7 4'ey +row &eas, beans, onions,

marrows, &um&kins, tomatoes, artic'okes and &otatoes7 /ocial education as well as tec'nolo+y is a central feature in t'e cookin+,eatin+ and s'arin+ of food, some of w'ic' takes &lace in an eart' and sea festival w'ic' is &art of t'e celebration of t'e autumn'arvest7 atin+ out of doors is a re+ular occurrence wit' &icnics, Jubilee street &arties, barbecues and cam&$fire cookin+7 %ood not eatenor used at sc'ool may be taken 'ome7 -'ildren t'us witness at first 'and t'e seed$to$seed cycle7

Processes are e=&erienced from be+innin+ to end7 4'us, w'en t'e s'ee& are s'eared,

We start a wool works'o& immediately t'at day7 %elt$makin+ is lovely7 !ou can look at 'ats and ot'er t'in+s, but youre also makin+t'read and twistin+ fibres for stren+t' and doin+ tec'nical t'in+s wit' it7 4'e c'ildren be+in to understand t'at t'e raw fleece is t'ebasis for car&ets, blankets, clot'es7

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4'e sc'ool also 'as a te=tiles day, w'en t'e wool is was'ed, dyed, carded, s&un or woven, knitted or felted7 4'e c'ildren also make sim&les&indles7

very attem&t is made to ensure t'at as little as &ossible is wasted at -oombes7 4'e s'ee& are moved every t'ree weeks, and in cro&&in+t'e +rass, t'eyre actually 'el&in+ t'e wild flower &roduction7 W'en t'ere is no +rass to +raGe, co&&icin+ and &ollardin+ &rovide somefodder for t'e s'ee&7 4'e basic soil is clay7 /o t'ey 'ave du+ a ditc' and o&ened one end to +ive a clay bed7 -'ildren 'arvest t'e clay toresource t'eir craft work7 /eeds are returned to t'e +round7 4'ousands of tons of leaf litter swe&t u& off t'e roads by Wokin+'am District-ouncil 'ave been dum&ed at t'e sc'ool and used for landsca&in+7 4'e leaves form com&ost 'ea&s w'ic' decay to &rovide 'umus$ric'forcin+ beds>

Dead animals are buried, and later disinterred for study of t'eir skeletons7 6f c'ildren or &arents come across a road kill, w'ic' is not in toobad a state, we encoura+e t'em to brin+ it into sc'ool7 We t'en bury it and leave it for nine mont's or so7 4'en t'e teac'er will e='ume it7W'at we try to do is to matc' u& a fres' carcass wit' an e='umed one7 4'ere are bad+ers, cats, fo=es, etc7, buried all over t'e +rounds7

Integrating the curriculum through the environment

4'e 'olism t'at ties t'e c'ild to matters in 'and t'rou+' t'e mediation of t'e environment is reflected in t'e way t'e environment alsoserves as an inte+ratin+ and an e=tendin+ force on t'e curriculum7 A sc'ool &am&'let declares

W'at we do outside at sc'ool feeds w'at 'a&&ens inside and resources it, and vice versa7 6t 'as si+nificance for every curriculum area, andin &articular for lan+ua+e7 4'e environmental work acts as a catalyst t'rou+'out t'e sc'ool7

Lan+ua+e is &articularly im&ortant, t'e c'ildren bein+ continu$ously involved in describin+, e=&lainin+, questionin+, e=&erimentin+ andtestin+7 4'ey contribute t'eir ideas to c'an+e, write about t'eir e=&eriences, s'arin+ t'em wit' ot'ers7 %lowers are used for mat'ematics,science, lan+ua+e and craft work7 4'ere are o&&ortunities

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for 'istorical andreli+ious researc'74'e system itselfis t'e medievalone w'ereeveryt'in+flouris'es wit' t'eweeds7 4'eresrosemary, and

wode for dyes,and bay, all sortsof 'istorical andmedieval &lants74'is year t'eymade &ot$&ourri,'erbal teas, @ellies,etc7 from t'ecro&s7 /ue &ointedto t'e lambs> ;owdo you +et acrosst'is meta&'or ofKfeed my s'ee&K,or Kas t'e %at'ercares for 'iss'ee&K $ t'e&oetry of t'e Bible$ unless you 'avedirect e=&erienceat some &oint wit't'ese t'in+s

4'rou+' t'esemeans t'ey try to+ive c'ildren


16/76

connectors wit'&ast traditions anda+e$old customs74'ey seek a&ositive valuin+ oft'e &ast, a linkwit' t'eir culturaland s&iritual

'erita+e to +ivemeanin+ to t'e&resent7 /uear+ues t'at&ersonalfoundations arenecessary for t'ea&&reciation ofliterature, art,music, reli+ion,'istory, etc7nvironmentalwork introducesand reinforcesconce&ts ofcreation, care,order, love,families, birt' anddeat', all of w'ic'may be ascribed toa su&reme bein+7A favourite quoteis t'at of /ir4'omas Browne,6f you want toknow 5od, lookaround you7Nature is t'e art of5od7 /taff at-oombes believein t'e intrinsicvalue of ritual andtradition7 4'rou+'t'ese, c'ildrendevelo& a sense oft'e sc'ool identityas well as a senseof self, and afeelin+ about t'eculture in w'ic'individuals arelivin+ and workin+74'e traditionsform culturalreference &oints

for t'e c'ildren,and 'ave t'esame sort ofim&ortance asrites$of$&assa+eoccasionst'rou+'out t'eyear and t'rou+'w'ic' c'ildren liveeac' year7 "itualsand traditions arevitally im&ortant74'ey are t'eima+e buildersw'ic' c'ildrenaccess7

-oombes isofferin+ one wayin w'ic' anoverfull 9-am&bell

et al7, 11:,com&artmentalisedcurriculum can beinte+rated7;ar+reaves 911:'as raisedquestions aboutco'erence andmana+eability int'e National-urriculum7 ;edistin+uis'esbetween contentco'erence 9wit'inand betweensub@ects: ande=&erientialco'erence, t'at islearnin+ as it ise=&erienced by&u&ils7 ;esummarises Jo'n

;olts 91?.: viewof &u&ils standin+amid a bomb$siteof disconnected


17/76

bricks andfra+ments 9ibid7,&7 *.:7 4eac'ersare facin+ amassive task ofcurriculum co$ordination, andmuc' of t'at is left

lar+ely to t'em7;e fears t'atmany teac'ers willrender t'e taskmana+eable bydoin+ t'in+s in amec'anical way bytickin+ offc'ecklists7-oombes offers away of ac'ievin+co'erence t'rou+'brin+in+ t'ecurriculum to life7Partly t'rou+' t'eenvironment, t'eyare able todemonstrate t'einterrelatedness ofsub@ects and t'eirinternalconsistency,t'rou+' met'odst'at

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feature sin+le sub@ects and t'rou+' multi$disci&linary to&ics7 4'ey break down t'e traditional boundaries between sc'ool and&lay+rounds and between sc'ool and t'e outside world7

By re+ardin+ t'e +rounds as a classroom or library, and by &romotin+ interaction amon+ all t'ese s&'eres, t'ey contribute toa sense of unity7 4'e world is t'e sc'ool, and t'e &atterns, cycles, re+ularities and interde&endability of natural forms of life&resent co'esive a+encies for t'e curriculum7 Wit' t'e kind of environmental education envisa+ed by W'eatley 911(: it is farmore t'an @ust a combination of &ro+rammes of study e=tracted from science and +eo+ra&'y7 6t also encom&asses moral,cultural, s&iritual, &olitical, aest'etic and emotional dimensions7 6t touc'es on all as&ects of our lives 9ibid7, &7 *):7

6nvolvement and 'olism also find e=&ression in t'e social life of t'e sc'ool7 W'ere c'ildren are tau+'t in a conte=t w'ic' is verysocial, very involvin+, and democratically under&inned, its likely to be absorbed and remembered and taken in as an owned&art of w'at is bein+ done to you7 %urt'er, t'e social life of t'e sc'ool is

t'e be+innin+ of morality7 4'at is w'at buoys it u& emotionally7 We come at t'at t'rou+' increasin+ t'e social ambience in t'esc'ool and &eo&les awareness of eac' ot'er7 !ou create society in t'e microcosm in suc' a way t'at it isnt com&etitive, itsvery muc' dwellin+ on t'e collaborative and t'e co$o&erative, and on our res&onsibility to eac' ot'er7 6ts t'e only defensiblemorality7 4'e most im&ortant t'in+ we could do is to &rovide an education for a 'i+' social 6 so t'at c'ildren can ada&t andabsorb, and know t'e really &ertinent issues, t'e multicultural and multi$fait' issues, if were to live in a world t'at doesnt seeitself in suc' se&arate bits7

Inspiration and excitement

otivation, stimulation, ins&iration, confidence $ all are +enerally re+arded as 'i+'ly si+nificant factors in learnin+7 4'e +ardensand &lay+round &rovide an air of e=citement around t'e sc'ool, a buGG, t'at en+a+es all t'e senses and kee&s t'em alert7 4'einvolvement and 'olism contribute to t'is7 Anot'er contributory feature is relevance7 A sc'ool &am&'let draws attention to t'evalue of natural e=&eriments>

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18/76

&lace of a t'ousand o&&ortunities

to encoura+e fantasy &lay, +ood social be'aviour, t'e e=&ression of motor skills, bi+ &'ysical movement $ @um&in+, lea&in+, 'idin+,'o&&in+ about7 any of our &lay+rounds arent &'ysically c'allen+in+ enou+'7

4'e &lay+round is often turned into an arena for street t'eatre, concerts, circus adventures, @u++lers, trick cyclists, marc'in+

bands, 'orsewomen and a ran+e of musicians includin+ African drum$mers, 6ris' dancers and t'e termly release of &i+eons anddoves of &eace7

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/ue feels t'at an e=cess of caution 'as led to c'ildren bein+ &rovided wit' a sterile settin+, w'ic' is a+ainst t'eir needs7 4'ey actuallyneed risk, and if its not &rovided, t'ey miss many o&&ortunities for develo&ment7 /'e cited t'e c'ildren of &rivile+ed back+rounds w'oski, ride, aqua&lane, +lide, etc7 durin+ t'e 'olidays and at sc'ool7 4'e teac'ers also needed an element of risk, and t'is contributed tot'e e=citement>

6ts t'e atmos&'ere t'ats set in a room $ w'en you walk into a classroom and you feel t'at buGG comin+ out from t'e c'ildren, a sort ofsubdued e=citement, or not so subdued e=citement, a certain vitality, w'ic' comes in &art from t'e teac'er bein+ vulnerable toe=&eriences7 Were constantly &uttin+ ourselves at risk in front of t'e c'ildren, and some t'in+s can +o wron+7 6ts necessary forc'ildren to see t'at7

!romoting curriculum sub"ects/o far, we 'ave stressed t'e de+ree to w'ic' t'e sc'ool +rounds can &romote environmental education and 'ow t'ey can serve tointe+rate t'e curriculum +enerally7 We wis' to say a little more 'ere about 'ow t'e use of t'e +rounds en'ances t'e teac'in+ of&articular curriculum areas7

4'e reli+ious education curriculum includes t'e &i&'any e=&erience w'erein t'e c'ildren undertake a &il+rima+e t'rou+' t'e sc'ool+rounds, visitin+ a number of inns7 6ncluded in t'is e=&loration is t'e story of "oman soldiers, camels or 'orses on a trek, mockslee&in+ sessions, t'e relevance of li+'t, t'e e=&erience of reli+ious fra+rance, iddle astern foods, music, art7 4'e -'inese New !earis celebrated by c'ildren makin+ dra+on costumes and takin+ &art in a -'inese dra+on dance in t'e +rounds as &art of a week$lon+celebration 9see -'a&ter .:7 Palm /unday is celebrated by c'ildren and adults linin+ &at'ways and wavin+ branc'es of cut laurel towelcome Jesus $ c'ildren on 'obby$'orses and t'e eatin+ of ;ot -ross Buns is done around a lar+e cross marked in c'alk or &a&er ont'e &lay+round7 Divali is celebrated by floatin+ candles on t'e sc'ool &onds and creatin+ &at'ways of li+'ts wit' candles in @ars7 4'ec'ildren make oses baskets and models and float t'ese on &onds and &uddles7

/cience is a ma@or &riority at t'e sc'ool, as we discuss furt'er in -'a&ter *, and use is made of t'e +rounds to e=&eriment wit' water

-39-

$ bubble$blowin+, makin+ water travel by squirtin+ or s&las'in+ and lookin+ at reflections7 =&eriments wit' air are carried out t'rou+' t'emakin+ of kites, 'elico&ters and &a&er aero&lanes7 Work is done outside wit' &arac'utes, feat'ers, &a&er streamers and balloons7 Oneyear, arran+ements were made for t'e landin+ of a real 'elico&ter and a 'ot$air balloon7 At some &oint every year, t'ey do rock and soilstudies>

-lay is +at'ered from t'e sc'ool +rounds and t'e c'ildren become familiar wit' t'e c'aracteristics of t'eir local soil7 4'e smell of t'eto&soil and t'e smell and feel of t'e clay reinforce t'e learnin+7 art' is one of t'e most interestin+ to&ics to e=&lore scientifically but italso 'as +eo+ra&'ical connotations and fi+ures in our environmental awareness &ro+ramme7 %irstly t'e to&soil is e=aminedF we di+ u&squares of turf and t'e c'il$dren &ull t'ese to &ieces and identify t'e &lants, insects and animals t'ey find7 4'ey &ull at t'e fibres to see'ow t'e 'erb layer is mes'ed to+et'erF t'ey e=amine t'e stren+t' of t'is mes'in+F and t'ey 'unt for si+ns of decom&osin+ matter7 4'eye=&eriment wit' t'e soil in water to look at t'e sediment> t'ey discover t'at t'ere is air in t'e soil and t'ey collect t'e small stones and&articles7 4'e clay underneat' is com&ared and contrasted wit' t'e to&soilF we t'en use it for investi+ations into water ti+'tness andmalleabilityF we look at 'ow t'e s'a&e of a lum& of clay can be c'an+ed by a&&lyin+ &ressure to itF 'ow its nature c'an+es as we addwater to it or dry it out7 We make sim&le &ots and a &rimitive sawdust kiln and alter t'e state of t'e clay, returnin+ it to its rock state7 4'ew'oleness of e=&eriences suc' as t'is, w'ere clay is taken directly from t'e +round +oes beyond knowin+ t'e facts so t'at you can be

tested on t'em7 6t +oes to true understandin+ and knowled+e7 et'ods of teac'in+ like t'is are &art of an a&&roac' to life w'ere c'ildrenare makin+ creative contributions to t'eir own learnin+F t'e final sta+e in t'is unit of work comes w'en t'e c'ildren take 'ome t'eir fired&ot and it becomes a reminder of t'e workF an icon7

9"owe and ;um&'ries, ()), &7 ?*:

ac' year, a +rou& of c'ildren build a kiln as &art of t'e fire to&ic7 4'ey li+'t it and fire t'eir own &ots7 /cience and art are

$.)$

drawn to+et'erin t'e waynaturalresources wereused for Williamorris desi+nsfrom twi+s,flowers and

decayin+ matter9see -'a&ters .


19/76

and 2:7

4ec'nolo+y andt'e use of s&aceis e=em&lified byt'eir tec'nolo+yday>

4'e c'ildrenbrin+ in toys andequi&ment totrans&ortt'emselves andeac' ot'eraround t'e+rounds of t'esc'ool7Additionally t'isbrin+s ininvesti+ationsinto w'eels and+ears7 4'e workis furt'erdevelo&ed in t'eAutumn term,w'en t'ec'ildren are+iven t'e task of

brin+in+ in t'e'eavy &um&kinst'ey 'ave +rownin t'e +ardens7/ome of t'e&um&kins are'u+e and wouldneed two adultsto s'ift t'emFwe ask t'ec'ildren to utiliGea ran+e ofresources tobrin+ t'e cro& inunaided,undama+ed andsafely7 W'at t'ec'ildren learnfrom t'ese&rocedures istransferred toot'er areas oft'e curriculum>t'e &um&kinsare not +rowns&ecifically forresearc' intoforcesF t'ey areillustrations oft'e seed to seedcycle7 4'etrans&orttec'nolo+y dayis written u& byt'e c'ildren as awritin+ e=erciseand t'ecurriculum istau+'t in aninte+rated way7

96bid7:

4'e +rounds areuseful for+eo+ra&'y>

a&s of t'e+ardens areused to teac'+rid referencesand t'e c'ildrensearc' wit'int'ese for t'eclues to solveriddles or findt'e source oftreasures7

4ranslatin+ t'esymbols on t'ema&s startsw'ere t'e c'ild


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really is in&'ysical andemotionaltermsF 'e isreadin+ 'is ownsettin+ andreco+nisin+features and

&lants known to'im7 4'e ma&sare t'e bestworks'eets we&roduce7

W'en t'ec'ildren &lantt'eir differentcro&s in t'e/&rin+ and earlysummer, t'eymark t'eir&lantin+ areason ma&s of t'esc'ool +roundFt'e site ofautumnal&lantin+ of

s&rin+flowerin+bulbs is similarlymarked onma&s7-arto+ra&'ers'ave ma&&edt'e +rounds forus and t'ec'ildren uset'ese master&lans as well asmakin+ t'eirown7 4'e veryyoun+estc'ildren start outby drawin+landsca&efeatures, t'enmove on todrawin+ birdseye views beforebein+ introducedto t'e notion ofabstract ma&sand +eo+ra&'icalsymbols7 6t is bybecomin+t'orou+'lyacquainted wit't'eir immediatelandsca&e t'atyoun+ c'ildrenstart to develo&a set of+eo+ra&'ical

$.$

are introduced to t'e ;aiku form and are encoura+ed to 'ave a +o at writin+ t'eir own, often in our outdoor settin+F in our bluebellwoods on a warm /&rin+ dayF by t'e iced$over &onds in winterF or under fallin+ leaves in Autumn7 4'e sunflowers are a wonderfulstimulus for creative writin+, and t'e c'ildrens efforts are twinned wit' t'e &ublis'ed work of ot'er &oets to make a w'ole &acka+e oft'emed work7

96bid7, &&7 ?.$2:

Art, craft and desi+n, increasin+ly squeeGed in recent years by +overnment reforms, are im&ortant sub@ects at -oombes, and areen'anced by t'e +rounds>

A lot of our art work is ins&ired by artists suc' as Andy 5oldswort'y and Ant'ony 5ormleyF t'e idea of e&'emeral art in t'eenvironment w'ic' can be recorded on di+ital film for t'e c'ildren is very a&&ealin+7 We often work outside usin+ t'e increasin+ly ric'resource of our develo&in+ outdoor landsca&e7 At aster time, t'e c'ildren make &atterns and &ictures usin+ leaves and flowers+at'ered from t'e +rounds, and t'ey &ut dyed e++s in t'em to act as a focal &oint in t'e &ictures7 %lower 'eads, leaves in Autumn,twi+s, stones, willow +at'ered from our trees are used by t'e c'ildren in t'eir *$D workF often t'eir artistry is set out of doors, butsometimes t'ey brin+ in t'eir raw materials and set u& e&'emeral art dis&lays in t'e classroom or sc'ool 'all7 4'ese are recorded incolour &rints, slide ima+es or di+ital ima+es w'ic' u&date our intranet site7 We encoura+e t'e c'ildren to &erceive t'emselves as artists,and to make bold and lar+e statements in t'e &lay+round or car &ark areas7 We +ive t'e c'ildren c'alks or c'arcoal and ask t'em to &ut

t'eir ima+es onto t'e tarmac or concrete floors7 4'e ne=t rain will was' away t'e ima+es, but t'e act of drawin+ directly onto t'e site isvery liberatin+7 6t takes us back to our distant ancestors w'o made t'eir marks on t'e walls of caves and mountainsF w'o set t'eir&etro+ly&'s into t'e landsca&e and w'ose work in t'is modern world is &erceived as &owerful art7


21/76

96bid7, &7

As well as e=&eriencin+ t'e essence of concert music, t'e c'ildren are encoura+ed to be musicians t'emselves7 Our music

$.*$

s&ecialist leads t'em t'rou+' a diverse &ro+ramme wit' a stron+ em&'asis on r'yt'm, tonal quality and com&osition7 4'e initial&ro+ramme for t'e youn+est c'ildren is based on w'ole body movement to a ran+e of soundsF t'e c'ildren learn to res&ond to a varietyof sound wit' t'eir bodies> movin+ to music is a natural way of e=&lorin+ it7 "'yt'mic work usin+ lon+ sticks w'ic' 'ave been 'arvestedfrom t'e willow, as' and 'aGel trees in t'e sc'ool +rounds, is anot'er feature of t'e &ro+ramme7 4'e annual co&&icin+ and &ollardin+cycle +ives us sticks, w'ic' can be used for r'yt'm work7 4'e c'ildren start t'eir &ercussion work wit' claves or s'ort sticks +at'eredfrom t'e environment and &ro+ress to t'e lon+ sticks 9often muc' taller t'an t'ey t'emselves:7 4'ey learn to work co$o&eratively tobeat out &atterns of sound, at first ec'oin+ t'e sound made by t'e teac'er and over a &eriod of time t'ey learn to res&ond to musicalnotation alone7 6n t'is way, t'e c'ildren &ro+ress to fairly com&le= musical &atterns as &art of t'e intended s&iral curriculum7

96bid7, &7

/unflower 'arvest is an annual event, w'en t'e c'ildren brin+ in t'e cro&7 We &lant enou+' sunflowers for eac' c'ild to 'ave at leastone to &ick in t'e Autumn7 4'e c'ildren +o out to estimate 'ow many sunflowers are in bloom 9dealin+ in fairly bi+ numbers:7 At &ickin+time, t'e c'ildren 'ave some c'oice in t'e sunflower t'ey want to +at'er, and t'e &lant is &icked root, ball and all7 /ince many of t'esunflowers +row to two or t'ree metres in 'ei+'t, t'ere are o&&ortunities for com&arison of 'ei+'ts between t'e sunflowers andbetween t'e sunflowers and t'e c'ildren7 4'e c'ildren take t'eir &lants into t'e &lay+round, and investi+ate t'em mat'ematically, e7+7>'ow many &etalsse&alsleaves W'at is t'e circumference of t'e 'ead W'at is t'e len+t' usin+ non$standard and standard

$..$

measures ;ow many seeds are t'ere and w'at is t'e best way for countin+ and recordin+ lar+e numbers 4'e c'ildren make a c'alkre&resentation of t'eir &lants, and t'en t'ey take t'e sunflowers to &ieces, sortin+ and settin+ t'e different com&onents7 4'e flowers'ave cross$curricular &ur&ose as well as mat'ematical +ainF we use t'em for creative writin+, for artwork and e='ibitions, as a stimulusfor movement, dance and sin+in+ and for +eo+ra&'ical studies7

96bid7, &7 ? we do a&&le fractions by cuttin+ t'ea&&les in 'alf, quarters, ei+'t's and t'en t'e c'ildren are asked to &ut t'e a&&le @i+saw back to+et'er a+ain to 'el& in t'eir s&atialawareness7 We collect a variety of reci&es, w'ic' use a&&les as a &rinci&al in+redient, and t'e c'ildren wei+', measure and cook t'e rawin+redients $ and t'en eat t'eir learnin+7

96bid7, &&7 ?


22/76

and for +roundin+ knowled+e in t'e real world7

/econdly, -oombes illustrates t'e im&ortance of conte=t for learnin+7 4'is, of course, is a ma@or &oint in constructivist literature9Donaldson, 1 reco+nition, identification,

en+a+ement and alliances7 4'rou+' t'em it will be seen t'at w'at was initially feared as bein+ &otentially dama+in+, 'as, in someres&ects, stren+t'enedF t'rou+' confusion 'as come more clarificationF and from des&air 'as come new 'o&e and stron+er will7


23/76

$.8$

$eatures of appropriationRecognition

4'ere is evidence of intensification 9A&&le, 18?: at -oombes7 6t cannot avoid t'e &ressures com&letely7 6ndeed, t'ey are a considerableconcern7 ;owever, it mi+'t be ar+ued t'at t'e reco+nition of t'ese is a form of a&&ro&riation7 4eac'ers retain t'eir reflective ability andare able to analyse t'e new develo&ments for w'at t'ey are7 4'ey reco+nise t'e t'reat of alienation t'at full com&liance would im&ly74'eir outlook is still +overned by t'e old and continuin+ ideal, and t'ey evaluate usin+ its terms and criteria7

any of t'eir activities were @ustified in t'e National -urriculum, but, in line wit' e=&eriences of ot'er teac'ers 9Osborn et al7, ())):t'ere is no lon+er time in w'ic' to do t'em>

W'at defeats us a bit is t'e vast amount of &a&erwork7 !ouve only +ot a certain amount of time in t'e day7

Our teac'in+ time 'as been reduced because you s&end so muc' of your time standin+ back observin+ and assessin+ t'at it must 'avereduced t'e time t'at youre actually teac'in+ t'em or interactin+ wit' t'em7

4'ey 'ad lost fle=ibility7 6t was

a lot more difficult to say, 4oday 6m +oin+ to do so$and$so because 6 want to and because 6 feel like doin+ it, and itll be +ood fun7

4'is was not self$indul+ence, nor did it 'a&&en often, but now and a+ain its so refres'in+ to @ust disre+ard everyt'in+ and dosomet'in+ s&ontaneously on somet'in+ t'at a c'ild mi+'t 'ave mentioned7

A dan+er durin+ t'e early introduction of reforms was t'at youre now s&endin+ so muc' of your ener+y on &a&erwork and form$fillin+and t'at muc' of our creative ener+y is bein+ sa&&ed, and t'ats a dreadful admission, but 6 t'ink its true7 4'ere is a tension betweenbein+ accountable, in audit terms, to t'e likes of Ofsted 9Jeffrey, ())(: and maintainin+ educational values>

$.1$

!ou sto& every now and t'en and t'ink, W'at am 6 doin+ t'is for 6 know t'at t'e c'ild can do it, 6 know t'at t'e c'ild understands itwit'out 'avin+ formal assessment, but t'ere is someone u& t'e c'ain w'o comes in to look at your bits of evidence7 We now 'ave tot'ink of w'at evidence well 'ave at t'e end of it as o&&osed to t'inkin+ mostly of t'e quality of t'e learnin+ e=&erience7

4'eir main +rievance in common wit' many ot'er &rimary teac'ers 9see, for e=am&le, Broadfoot et al7, 11*: was wit' standardisednational assessment7 6n t'e first run, in w'ic' -oombes &u&ils in +eneral e=ceeded t'eir standard levels, /ue felt we wasted t'reeweeks $ we all stood still7 4'ey 'ated doin+ t'ese tests and it made t'eir blood boil because many of t'e tests were sim&ly bad

education7 4'ey felt insulted t'at t'ey 'ad no redress to analyse t'e tests and to come back and say K6m sorry, t'is isnt workin+K, orKt'is isnt suitableK7

4'ese teac'ers clearly 'ave a conce&tion of education t'at t'ey feel is su&erior to t'at embodied in w'at t'ey were at t'e time bein+required to do in t'e National -urriculum w'ere t'e em&'asis was on &roduct and standardisation of t'e &roduct7 6n some res&ects,t'e contrast was en'ancin+ t'eir vision7 6t aided t'eir sense of identification and unity in quite a cat'artic way7

Identification

6dentification, t'erefore, is t'e second a&&ro&riation strate+y7 -om&arin+ t'eir own views and &ractices wit' t'ose embodied in t'eNational -urriculum and assessment brin+s t'e &rinci&les on w'ic' t'eir &ractices rest to t'e forefront of t'e staffs minds, forces t'emto articulate and 'ence s'ar&ens t'eir beliefs7

4'ere were e=am&les of &ast +lories>

We s&ent an enormous amount of time settin+ u& massive e='ibitions of work from t'e c'ildren7 We did scarecrows, w'ere every c'ildmade a life$siGe scarecrow and set it in t'e sc'ool +rounds7

6ve been on courses w'ere we were talkin+ about t'e re$draftin+ of attainment tar+ets, and food is no lon+er in #ey /ta+e but itsone of t'e t'in+s w'ic' t'ey can 'ave as a common s'ared e=&erience7 !ou t'ink of all t'e 'istory t'at

$2)$

you +et from time$linin+, different cookin+ equi&ment and so on but t'ey said, No7 6f its not down in black and w'ite, t'en we willnot encoura+e our teac'ers to teac' it because t'eyve enou+' in t'e National -urriculum and t'ats 'ow well leave it7 And t'atsa sad t'in+, isnt it 4'at &eo&le look at t'ose documents and t'ink, 4'is is itI

4'ey rely on t'eir tacit knowled+e, w'ic' 'as been so stron+ly validated in t'eir e=&erience>

Our instinct is to kee& on doin+ w'at we believe in and +ive t'e c'ildren first$'and quality e=&erience in de&t'7 We are dismayed att'e t'ou+'t of tryin+ to im&lement somet'in+ like science or tec'nolo+y or 'istory or +eo+ra&'y from a works'eet7 We know 'ow itcan be done, and it can be real, and t'ey can e=&erience it, and we know were doin+ t'e ri+'t t'in+7 very time we +o out we seet'in+s, and some t'in+s we t'ink O', t'ats +

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WOODS the Creative School