TV Programme about the Coombes Infant School - 1995 скачать в хорошем качестве

TV Programme about the Coombes Infant School - 1995

This is a TV programme about the Coombes Infant School, in Arborfield. I was a pupil at this school in the early 1970’s, so it was great to see the then Head Teacher, Sue Humphries, and my old teacher Carol Cooke. Sue Humphries established and then developed the school over many many years, and her determination and commitment to children’s education was astonishing. Back in the early years, when I was there, she had already built an adventure playground, with tree trunks and strange concrete structures in the playground, for us to climb on. But that, it seems, was just the start.... Her philosophy seemed to be that children need to learn for themselves, through practical experience, what was safe and what was not. This was more important than wrapping them up in cotton wool, in a attempt to keep them 100% safe, at all times. It’s a bit like letting children get coughs and colds, in order to build up their immune systems. Sue’s career is well documented, so I won’t attempt to repeat that, but my personal recollections are that if you didn’t look busy (i.e. walking quickly in a purposeful manner) you would soon be found a job to do! And her determination to do things which may have seemed crazy or impossible was well known. When she decided that she wanted a giant chess set, for the children to use in the playground, she co-opted my father in to manufacture them from sheet steel, in his factory – whether he wanted to or not. This was long before giant plastic chess sets existed. I have read that the school is very different now, but I wonder how many people (both pupils and staff) have passed through Coombes, over the years, and now look back with fond memories? I also can’t help wondering, if her strong belief that children need to connect with the outside world/nature, hasn’t somehow contributed to the current popularity of ‘Forest School’ clubs – something which both of my own children thoroughly enjoy. I believe this programme was recorded in c.1995.