ABSTRACT
Coombes’ teachers were presented with a number of challenges to their ‘integrated code’ during the 1990s. There were the demands of the new reforms, increasing cohort assessment requirements, the subject-dominated format of Ofsted inspections, parental expectation of attainment levels of achievement and demands for more specialist subject teachers in primary schools. Coombes is not an ‘institution that is frightened of changes’ (Sue Rowe) and they continually update their policies and organisation. They have developed a complex, composite organisation for teaching in order both to respond positively to the reforms and to maintain their value systems. It consists of three distinct entities woven together by termly themes, celebration of a large number of annual cycles and special events that punctuate the curriculum throughout the year. The curriculum experience is underpinned by a pedagogy outlined earlier that prioritises the use of the grounds and a handson approach to learning. Together, the composite curriculum, the themes, cycles and special events and their specialist pedagogy create a form of network learning.
