The Coombes Approach is learning as children like it - adventurous, in a green setting, with lots of nature outside and in a school building which is like a laboratory, a museum and an arts studio. The most inspiring learning environment I have ever come across. Sustainable education for an unknown future today! -- Pjotr Timmerman, Senior Lecturer in Science and Sustainability, Teacher Training Centre, HAN University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands
A group of teachers came together under dynamic leadership - and everyone learned (and continues to learn). Hard work, research, creativity, imagination, innovation, intellect, but mostly children are at the heart of the Coombes' instructional strategies. This school is an incredible oasis - a testament to the power of the importance of actively engaging children in learning about topics that matter in their lives with dedicated, caring, knowledgeable adults who share a passion for the teaching profession and fostering children's social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual development. By chapter nine, readers will be eager for a guided tour with one of the young child scientists as their interpreter. We learn best when we study with someone who knows more than we do; I learned much from these two authors. -- Carol Vukelich, Bruce L. and L. Sandra Hammonds Professor in Teacher Education, University of Delaware, USA
In this book the Coombes School's secrets are clarified in a fantastic and detailed way. It covers the educational policies, programmes and designs, which have been well-known as the most attractive school landscapes in the world for many years. The 'two Sues' demonstrate the value and importance of children-centred education and outdoor classrooms for children's development and lives. -- Ko Senda, Landscape Architect, Environment Design Institute, Tokyo, Japan
The Coombes School is known worldwide for its tremendous way of using the grounds for teaching and learning. There are footprints all across the globe of the 'Coombian' way of constantly changing the grounds and using experiences and experiments in the real world outside the classroom as the basis for every child's education in different school subjects. This is the main reason why Susan Humphries was appointed as Honorary Doctor in Landscape Architecture at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in 2011. The Coombes School is one of the very best examples in the world of outdoor-based learning. This book includes a reflective description of the philosophy behind the everyday work in school. The authors, who have both been connected to the school since the very beginning 40 years ago, express their strong belief and conviction that every child is a story, and the children's achievements can be seen as a consequence of how the school guides this story. This also relates to the only rule at the school - that everyone must be sharing and caring. This book is longed for amongst teachers and headteachers but also amongst planners and landscape architects who want to understand more about the need for creative outdoor settings for learning. This book will be vital for anyone who wants to create better conditions for children's play, learning and healthy development. -- Petter Akerblom, Landscape Architect and Senior lecturer, Movium - Centre for the Urban Public Space, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Sue Humphries and Sue Rowe are two of the most wonderful educators it has ever been my privilege to meet and The Coombes Approach is an extraordinary tour de force of how it is possible to design, use and develop school grounds. I hope that reading their book will stimulate teachers, parents and children to look afresh at outside spaces. The Coombes Approach shows you how grounds can be transformed into an outdoor classroom, a tree-house, a sculpture park, a farm, a science laboratory, an amphitheatre, a bird hide, an arboretum and much more. The imagination of the authors shines through this wonderful text. If you read only one educational book this year, it must be The Coombes Approach. -- Bill Lucas, Professor of Learning, University of Winchester and Founding Director of Learning through Landscapes, UK
Wherever anyone is engaged in school grounds improvement programmes or initiatives to work with school children out of doors Coombes stands as an outstanding source of ideas and a vibrant demonstration of the potential value. But this book is more than a guide to developing schools, it is a powerful story of how to live a life and how to create a community. The Coombes journey is all about dedication to a vision and a commitment to the welfare, wellbeing and lives of others, and a determination to make those lives better despite countless challenges and obstacles. Coombes was one of the great inspirations for creating Eden Project and the ripples from this story move out around the world. -- Tony Kendle, Foundation Director, Eden Project
The authors clearly make their point about the importance of making school experiences memorable if students are to truly learn and grow. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and professionals -- A.L. Hsu, State University of New York College at Old Westbury * CHOICE *
