John Newsom: A Hertfordshire Educationist
This biography of an outstanding figure in the post-World War II British school system offers new and important insights into the history of education. Detailing Newsom's ides about the type of schooling children would need after the war, it is shown how he quickly coordinated the country's welfare and education services as many thousands of evacuees escaped to Hertfordshire from the German bombing raids on London. His success at a time of accentuated demand for social reform is made apparent, explaining his radical school designs which were linked to liberal child-centered teaching approaches. Attention is paid to those areas of education particularly close to Newsom's heart--the arts, outdoor camps and expeditions, and the reconciliation of war-torn nations through overseas exchanges.