In the early days, treatment of disability was often ‘out of sight, out of mind’ but the team at Sunfield believed in pioneering a different, more holistic, approach to the care and education of disabled children. Throughout
World War II, Sunfield continued its work and even accommodated the children of Elmfield school for a time. In 1947, Fried Geuter and Michael Wilson approached the anthroposophical mathematician and General Secretary of the
Anthroposophical Society in Britain,
George Adams Kaufmann, to settle in Clent. There, Adams and Michael Wilson founded the Goethean Science Foundation, for the purpose of supporting anthroposophical scientific research.
Olive Whicher also moved there to participate in this research work. Many other anthroposophical initiatives were also inspired by the work at Sunfield over the years, including the Park Attwood Clinic in Kidderminster, and
Hawkwood College. Fried Geuter left Sunfield Homes in 1951, with his second wife, Isabel Newitt, who had been a co-worker there with him. They went on to found the
Ravenswood community in 1953. Fried's son joined Sunfield and continued his father's work with Michael Wilson, who remained a director for 40 years after Sunfield's foundation. In 1954, Clive Robbins joined his wife Mildred at Sunfield. In 1958, an American composer and professor of music, Paul Nordoff, visited and was asked by Dr Herbert Geuter, the son of Fried Geuter, to play to one of the children and observe their reactions. The results inspired Nordoff to give up his academic career and devote the remainder of his life to developing music as a therapy. He and Clive worked together for the next 17 years to establish Nordoff-Robbins music therapy, which is still practised in many countries today. In 1962, Sunfield became the first home of
Emerson College, which was founded there by
Francis Edmunds, his wife Elizabeth who was working as a colleague at Sunfield, Michael Wilson and David Clement. They were initially joined by 11 students from the United States of America, New Zealand, South Africa, Norway, France and Britain. Emerson offered a foundation year in
Anthroposophy followed by specialised courses in
Waldorf education,
Biodynamics and later other courses. At the time, the Stourbridge area was cited as being probably the area of greatest anthroposophical activity in the country. It included Elmfield School, Sunfield, Broome Biodynamic Farm and the Goethean Science Foundation. Many of the people involved in these activities could therefore be called upon as visiting teachers to the new college. During the summer of 1964, Emerson College moved from Clent to
Forest Row. By 1968, a new hall had been built at Sunfield, as well as a specially designed pool for hydro and colour therapy. As Sunfield developed, the children were also encouraged to become involved in the growing of produce and animal husbandry at Sunfield's farm. Therapies involving play, painting, colour, music and movement and were researched and promoted. Michael Wilson himself pioneered colour therapy, water therapy, other artistic therapies, and assisted in the establishment of music therapy. Sunfield is once again closely associated with Steiner's principles and follows the principles of Practical Skills Therapeutic Skills Education (PSTE) method that draws its inspiration from the insights of Rudolf Steiner, John Ruskin and William Morris. ==Arms==