The Prince of Wales's book 'Harmony' inspires a UK schools project

In October 2013, the School began a new project inspired by a book written by its President, H.R.H. The Prince of Wales.

The book, Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World, published on Bluedoor by Harper Collins, outlines The Prince's vision for a more balanced, sustainable and ecologically sound world.

The Harmony project provides teachers with cross-curricular resources and inspiration in a set of four seasonally-themed workbooks. Teachers receiving these resources also attend workshops hosted by PSTA’s partner in this project, Ashley C of E Primary School in Surrey. The autumn workshop took place in October and investigated the science of artists’ materials, the experimental process and themes of harvest and conservation.

Winter’s workshop will take place in January and will provide teachers with resources which cover such subjects as crystal formation and snowflakes, geometry, symmetry and tessellation. In spring, the curriculum support materials will investigate principles of growth, plant structures and symmetry in blossoms, flowers and leaves. Summer's workshop will conclude the cycle with an investigation of 3D geometry and the Platonic solids.

The Harmony project shows teachers how to respond to the requirements of the National Curriculum with a more holistic understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Early signs suggest a very promising response to the project by teachers and students alike and we are looking forward to an end-of-year exhibition showcasing the results of these resources as applied in the individual classrooms of almost 60 participating teachers.

The School is very grateful to the Surrey Educational Trust for providing substantial funding towards this project.

The Harmony project has already attracted interest from other educational institutions. If you are interested in this project, or one like it, please get in touch.