Constructions of Progressive Learning

Dartington Hall School in Devon, England (1926-87) was one of the most celebrated showpieces of progressive education. Founded within a wider project of social and rural reconstruction, it gained international attention for its commitment to freedom, creativity and child centred learning. Eminent thinkers including Bertrand Russell and Aldous Huxley sent their children to Dartington, while visitors travelled from near and far to observe its distinctive ethos. In its early decades, the school developed some of the most specialised educational architecture in the country, collaborating with notable architects such as Oswald P. Milne and William Lescaze.Constructions of Progressive Learning tells the story of the institution through its architecture - a perspective largely overlooked in histories of progressive education. The book demonstrates how Dartington's learning environments both shaped and reflected changing ideas about the body, gender, democracy, pedagogy and class. It argues that the architecture of progressive education was not fixed, but evolved in response to shifts in leadership, policy and educational philosophy. Drawing on Dartington's innovations in performance writing, the book weaves archival research, oral history and site writing practices into a richly layered narrative. The method brings marginalised voices of forgotten staff and students into dialogue with more dominant accounts of headmasters and architects. In doing so, the book offers a timely reflection on how educational environments might centre wellbeing, relationships and lived experience, rather than performance metrics alone.