Waldorf Steiner Schools

Agreeing with last few posts - it is all to do with valuing and not seeing these other options as somehow second best.

Luckygirl3

Agreeing with last few posts - it is all to do with valuing and not seeing these other options as somehow second best.

👍

So much has been lost from state schools. It's mostly the stuff it is difficult to test or assess. Like play sessions, creative arts, music, story telling and reading books aloud by the teacher (something which was once a feature of every afternoon in a primary school) . Apparently 1 in 4 11 year olds are not reading to the expected age and many children don't enjoy reading. Perhaps because no one now regards books and stories as something to be shared and enjoyed and reading is just something you do to get through tests

I only know of one child who was Steiner educated until the end of year 1, when he transferred into my class.
He settled in well, and caught up with the better readers quite quickly but he found cursive handwriting harder. His children now attend our school, so he must have enjoyed it.
His mum never talked about Steiner, and I didn’t ask about the change. She only said how pleased she was that he’d settled in with us so quickly.

Steiner’s educational system was based on his spiritual philosophy, anthroposophy, which blended religious ideas from the Far East with aspects of Christianity'. He was also an occultist and believed in karma and reincarnation. Not just any reincarnation but reincarnation working through the races with white Europeans being at the top. He believed black races worked on an instinctual level while white races were intellectual He was a racist.

If you're considering a Steiner education perhaps some in-depth research into Steiner and the specific school may be useful. It may be holistic/child centred but do they have an anti bullying policy in place? Some schools don't and bullying can be considered 'karma'. Steiner schools have a chequered history with several being under threat of closure by LAs quite recently and others on a watch list.

Choice is up to the individual but research is key.

I wouldn’t send any of mine to a Steiner school but that is because I don’t agree with their philosophy not because they don’t educate their pupils ‘properly.’ I wouldn’t choose a Catholic school, either, for the same reason.

Katek - I didn't want to mention the 'racist' element of original steiner philosophy, though wondered if some would. In fairness, in my experience, it has long been expunged (would be interested if anyone thinks it hasn't).
Both families I knew who went to Steiner schools were of mixed heritage. I never asked them if they were aware of the background, but I do know they were very happy with the education

I always liked the idea of steiner schools

Katek

Steiner’s educational system was based on his spiritual philosophy, anthroposophy, which blended religious ideas from the Far East with aspects of Christianity'. He was also an occultist and believed in karma and reincarnation. Not just any reincarnation but reincarnation working through the races with white Europeans being at the top. He believed black races worked on an instinctual level while white races were intellectual He was a racist.

If you're considering a Steiner education perhaps some in-depth research into Steiner and the specific school may be useful. It may be holistic/child centred but do they have an anti bullying policy in place? Some schools don't and bullying can be considered 'karma'. Steiner schools have a chequered history with several being under threat of closure by LAs quite recently and others on a watch list.

Choice is up to the individual but research is key.

The Steiner Schools Fellowship appear to be acknowledging and addressing these issues.

A hundred years ago Rudolf Steiner provided insights, indications and understanding of child development that inform the basis upon which Steiner Waldorf Education has developed in the UK today. It is an education philosophy that puts at its heart respect for the unique nature of each human being. However there are concepts and statements in Steiner’s work, particularly in relation to reincarnation, which depict white Europeans as more spiritually evolved than other races. We wholeheartedly repudiate these. They do not reflect the values of this organisation or the wider Steiner Waldorf Education movement in the UK. They sit in contrast with the bulk of Steiner’s philosophy which puts at its heart the equal value, dignity and potential of each human being regardless of who they are. It is these principles which inform our central values and from which we draw in our work

www.steinerwaldorf.org/anti-racism-statement/

I was interested to see that the nearest Steiner School mentions no ICT till year 5, yet there were pictures of children on devices.

Germanshepherdsmum

I think I would sum it up as laissez-faire and arty farty. Apologies to anyone here who or whose children/grandchildren have gone to one of these places.

... my grandchildren did (in South Africa).

My son pulled them both out a couple of years prior to moving on to 'upper' school (age 14-19). He thought the Steiner curriculum too "limited" and too focused on the, as you say, 'arty-farty', and he was worried about their future job prospects.

They are both now receiving a formal education - which was a bit of a shock to the system! My eldest grandson, whilst at SW, actually complained to my son that he didn't think he was getting a 'proper' education! When your child comes home and tells you he doesn't think he's "learning enough stuff" - then you know there's a problem!

I think it was good for the early-years - there was a lot of confidence-building and nurtering, but not for the senior years.

The "laissez-faire" and "arty-farty" stuff is simply a stereotype based on no knowledge of what actually happens in these schools.

I am aware of their shortcomings, and, as always, favour looking at your child as an individual and deciding whether this system is right for them. My 3 children went to 3 different schools based on their strengths/weaknesses and personalities. A Steiner school might not be right for many, especially in the upper school where some children feel the need to move away from the system, which is what my DD2 did. It was right for her when she was there, then something else was right as she got older. I do not see that as a good reason to damn the schools out of hand and certainly not in the absence of proper knowledge.

I have tried to explain that the art aspect of the system relates to not making a firm division between art and science, but seeing both as being inextricably linked. Understanding a scientific concept need not be in isolation from the awe and wonder we might feel at these concepts, and art and poetry are part of the science curriculum. And lower down the school the art is integral to what the children do - and is not based on whether someone has artistic skill - the processes used are simple and allow every child to achieve satisfying results.... wet on wet painting, use of large crayons and blending colours. My 8 year old GS came home in tears from his state primary last Friday because he had "failed" to do a task in his art class - what in heaven's name is that about? I am sure that by these parameters, Picasso would have failed spectacularly! Children in a Steiner school engage in art because it is satisfying and creative, not because they have a set goal. in Maths "carrying" numbers when adding involved them drawing with coloured crayons a cross-section of a barn and carrying sacks of grain into the loft are when one side was full. How much more imaginative and helpful is that than the printed-from-the-computer worksheets that my GC come home with? Learning through doing is a long established fundamental of pedagogy.

You are happy GSM to damn this system whilst having no experience or knowledge of it, and without comparing it with what else is on offer - i.e. the state system and the ways in which this fails so many thousands of our children, and destroys teacher enthusiasm.

I think both systems have their virtues and their problems, but I hope we can try and be objective and not just condemn either out of hand without looking at them in more detail and with an open mind.

The "laissez-faire" and "arty-farty" stuff is simply a stereotype based on no knowledge of what actually happens in these schools

It was described to me like that by the mother of a pupil.
DD thought of sending DGS there but decided that type of environment would not suit him.

The "laissez-faire" and "arty-farty" stuff is simply a stereotype based on no knowledge of what actually happens in these schools. agree with you Luckygirl.

I do agree that we seem to have lost something in our State education system with the more rigid curriculum and testing imposed on schools.

And perhaps the same comment should also apply to what actually happens in private schools and how they operate!

Although, reading the prospectus for that school, apart from Government imposed testing at primary level, the ethos seems to be similar to the state primary school my DGC attended here.

Perhaps they were lucky.

It might help to define "arty farty". Is about art or the arts? Is it about farts (the one I knew offered a wholefood diet)? Or is it about dog whistle stereotypes?
I am no great fan of either Steiner schools or our National Curriculum, but I know what stifles a good debate.

😁

I think I used the term laissez-faire, not arty-farty.

It was described to me like that by the mother of a pupil.

As laissez-faire.

She said if he wanted to skip lessons, go and climb a tree, fall out and break his arm then that was his decision to make aged 6.

Callistemon21

^It was described to me like that by the mother of a pupil^.

As laissez-faire.

She said if he wanted to skip lessons, go and climb a tree, fall out and break his arm then that was his decision to make aged 6.

From my understanding, that’s really not typical of Steiner schools - maybe more Summerhill?

Steiner schools are mega strict about curriculum and timetable - it is central to their approach.

Luckygirl3! thanks for asking for objectivity and for people to not just condemn a "system" of education out of hand. I know less about some forms of education than others but still think we should look at them all with open minds. This is how a good education can become a better one.

If nothing else a more "arty" education allows for the freedom of experimentation - which, after all is at the root of science.

If you have more than one child, I feel they are likely to do best with different systems according to need at a particular time.

A good friend of mine had four children who variously went to two different state junior schools, to a grammar school, to a school-based 6th form college, to (3 different) tec colleges to a private school and a freeschool. All of them were home educated for periods of time. All were happy with the choices made (even the grammar school which was rejected after an academic year).

The education was chosen to suit the children as individuals as they grew and needs changed. By the time they were secondary age they were making fairly independent (if guided) decisions about where to study.

I have no doubt they would have maybe looked at Montessori and at Neil and Steiner had there been such a school nearby.

It was seen as an obvious thing to do to move schools if one stopped suiting/dflivering for the child.
My friend was an educational psychologist.

My view is that a good education is one that helps a young person to grow and develop. It should be tailored to the child and meet their needs. It should instill in them a lifetime love of learning and contribute to giving them the tools to navigate life. It should encourage critical thinking.
Whichever system works to do these things is a good system I feel.

StacyAnna

Callistemon21

It was described to me like that by the mother of a pupil.

As laissez-faire.

She said if he wanted to skip lessons, go and climb a tree, fall out and break his arm then that was his decision to make aged 6.

From my understanding, that’s really not typical of Steiner schools - maybe more Summerhill?

My own DD would have loved it 🙂

Luckygirl3

Steiner schools are mega strict about curriculum and timetable - it is central to their approach.

that was certainly my experience of them.. absolutely not laissez-faire