WHO

Pooles Park primary school – nationally renowned for their environmental work

THE BRIEF

Cob oven with lockable door

THE OUTCOME

Cob became a very popular activity with the after-school club. The children engagement with the project gave them a profound sense of ownership and achievement. “This is the best thing the school has ever done”, said one child.
The children gained new levels of learning and self-esteem though practical skills including building foundations, bricklaying, rammed earth tires, sculpting and making cob.

They engaged in team building and leadership activities as children were encouraged to teach each cob building.
We worked with the school and teaching staff to:

• Engage pupils across the school, relating our teaching where possible to curriculum

• To enhance understanding of working with waste as a resource

• To learn about use and recycling of car tires

• To make their own building materials and learn skills to build with them

• To have a new sense of ownership of their outdoor space

We engaged with local Finsbury Park community, including the Transition Town network. The school has received numerous awards including the Growing Schools Award, The WWF Green Ambassadors Awards and Lottery Funding.


Cob in the Community developed several policies specific to working with schools and children such as health and safety, model release forms and fact sheets on how to use the oven safely. We were invited back by the Eco Coordinator to build structures in another school.

TECHNICAL

• We used 2 tonnes of clay sourced from a local landscape project in N5. We used circa 3 tonnes of sand, 12 recycled tires, recycled wood, 25 engineering bricks for the oven arch and hearth.