Steiner education

Background

Rudolf Steiner (1861 - 1925) was an Austrian scientist and philosopher. The first Steiner school was set up in Stuttgart in 1919 to meet the needs of workers in the Waldorf Astoria cigarette factory. The movement grew and there are now approximately 850 schools worldwide. In the UK and Ireland there are 31 schools - 25 registered with the DfES in England;three in Scotland;one in Northern Ireland;one in Ireland; and one in Wales. The Steiner Waldorf Fellowship recognises 33 schools, of which 21 are full members of the Fellowship, 12 are 'sponsored' or 'provisionally sponsored' as members, with an additional 17 registered independent early years centres, a number of which receive the DfES nursery grant. The Steiner school in Wroxham, Norfolk, is designated an affiliated (non-accredited) school and is not a full member of the Steiner Waldorf Fellowship. A number of the schools are linked to Camphill Communities which supports young people and adults with special educational needs. Such schools do not necessarily have larger than usual proportions of children with special needs, but serve the families of workers in the community as well as other local families.

Steiner's philosophy is known as anthroposophy, working towards social, cultural and spiritual renewal. The Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, a registered charity, represents Steiner schools in the UK. Their council is made up of representatives from each established member school and maintains links with the worldwide movement. There is also a European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education made up of representatives of some 24 Steiner national associations. Each school is self-governing and independent. Schools do not have a headteacher but the teachers form a College of Teachers that makes decisions on policy along with their Trustees - all UK schools are charitably registered companies. Financial administration, developmental planning and public relations are usually undertaken jointly by teachers and parents working in council with an administrator for day to day matters.

Schools based on the Steiner principles of education flourish in most countries in Europe particularly in Germany, Holland, Austria, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Schools in some countries receive state funding. In the UK, as well as the schools within the Steiner Fellowship, there are a number of others which aspire to join. To apply to be a member of the Steiner Fellowship any aspiring school has to find a member school which is prepared to be its sponsor; understandably, established schools exercise great care in taking on this role. It is generally the aspiring institutions that have problems, often as a consequence of underfunding or fluctuating numbers resulting from their relatively small size.

Training is required for Steiner teachers. In England specific training for Steiner education is provided by the University of Plymouth's Faculty of Education, Exmouth - formerly Rolle College - including a BA in Education Studies, and a Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Education and Care (Early Years). Emerson College in West Sussex has a large number of Steiner students, some of whom are from overseas, and offers two part-time courses, which are run at Emerson College and in Bristol for students almost entirely from the UK. The London Waldorf Training Seminar also offers part-time training for school and early years practitioners.

Educational practice in Steiner schools is based on the founder's views that there are three stages in a child's intellectual, emotional and spiritual development. For example, in the first seven years, the nature of this early learning should be self-motivated, allowing the child to come to know the world in the way most appropriate to their age - through active feeling, touching, exploring and imitating, in other words, through doing. Only when new capabilities appear, at around the seventh year, is the child physically, emotionally and intellectually ready for formal instruction. Through experiential, self-motivated physical activity the small child 'grasps' the world in order to understand it - an essential prerequisite for the later activity of grasping the world through concepts.

In the kindergarten - roughly three to six years - children are encouraged to master physical skills before abstract intellectual ones. Cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills are accorded equal value in the kindergarten and many different competencies are developed. Activities reflect the concerns, interests and developmental stages of the child, and the carefully structured environment is designed to foster both personal and social learning.

Teaching is by example rather than by direct instruction and is integrated rather than subject based. Adult activities stimulate direct responses in the young child and teachers carry out their daily tasks in such a way as to be worthy of imitation. The curriculum is adapted to the child. In recognition of its vital role in early education, children are given time to play. Emphasis is given to regular patterns of activity during the day and over the week, both teacher led and child initiated. A cyclical pattern is reflected in themes of work related to seasons of the year, and there is a strong emphasis on the oral tradition of telling stories, as well as a combination of domestic and artistic activities, which are practised within the weekly routine.

The kindergarten is designed to be a warm and friendly place with a homelike environment, and the importance of a happy, smooth transition from home to school and close liaison between parents and teacher is encouraged at all times.

Formal aspects of the curriculum began in Class 1 which pupils usually enter at around the age of seven. The class in which the child is placed depends broadly on chronological age and there is no streaming in the lower classes, which can include mixed age groups, especially in the newer or smaller schools. Approaches to reading and writing are very different from maintained school practice, and focus on the chosen narrative through which pupils learn to recognise the words and to copy simple short sentences. In the next stage, seven to 14 years, pupils are allowed to develop their cognitive powers though, particularly in literacy, their attainment will typically be up to two years behind their peers especially up to the age of 11. The Steiner curriculum and its methodology are radically different from maintained schools' practice especially in the early years but the less pressured curriculum may have advantages in social terms and appears to have little adverse effect on ultimate educational attainments, though some national examinations may be taken a year later.

The strongly ideological basis produces some unusual principles; for example, teachers can keep their class for seven years. In practice this works in slightly over half of the classes, often due to staff turnover. Teachers are paid very low, agreed, rates of pay. Resourcing of schools is often poor and depends greatly on fundraising. This is in partly because Steiner schools, although private, do not select children on academic capability or ability to pay and as a result many schools struggle financially, surviving through the wholehearted commitment of parents and teachers.

Some special features include:

For the first two hours each day a 'main lesson' is given. This is an extended project for linking learning across subject areas. Main lessons focus on a particular subject for four weeks, such as history, mathematics, or biology.
Foreign language teaching, usually German and/or French, is given throughout the school in regular sessions every week from the age of about six, sometimes through games in kindergartens.
The school doctor (anthroposophical) discusses with the teacher the classroom work of each child as well as their medical and pastoral needs.
Both in each lesson and in the shape of each day, a balance is sought between scientific and intellectual work, social experience and creative, artistic activity.

As an alternative educational system Steiner schools attract many parents who choose alternative styles of life. Steiner schools have often succeeded with children who have failed to thrive in normal schools. Because expectations of pupils are geared to different age-related stages, it is useful to compare standards of achievement across Steiner schools and to expect that, in comparison with National Curriculum expectations, pupils' attainment will be up to two years behind at Key Stage 2, narrowing at Key Stage 3. This is a complex issue as some aspects of subjects will be well developed, whereas others are less so: any blanket statement about attainment levels needs to be treated with caution. Thus in English, speaking and listening skills are likely to be at similar levels to mainstream schools, reading skills may be similar to mainstream by age 11, but writing for a wide range of purposes is less specifically developed by the Steiner curriculum by the end of Key Stage 2.

It is important to record any specific issues. For example, turnover of staff is sometimes high and recruitment often includes foreign nationals with little or no knowledge of wider curriculum expectations in England.

Pupils who have failed to thrive in other schools are included in the population of all schools: some have considerable special educational needs and schools are not always equipped to meet their needs. These factors might result in a need for more frequent inspection of some schools. The Fellowship is well aware of the issue of the proportion of pupils with special needs and advises schools to maintain an appropriate balance within each class or group. Overall policies promote integration wherever possible across the whole curriculum.

Instruction

Schools follow the Steiner Waldorf Curriculum which should direct the practice of individual teachers and ensure continuity and progression. It provides detailed guidance on both content and delivery of the curriculum.

The planning in many classes is often minimal and care needs to be taken to ascertain what the curricular experience of pupils is like from year to year across particular subjects - the Steiner Waldorf Curriculum does provide this overall structure if it is properly followed. Alongside this consideration, inspectors need to consider whether pupils moving into the maintained sector for any reason would be able to transfer at an appropriate level without significant gaps in their knowledge and experience.

Because of the later start to formal aspects of the curriculum and because of the inclusion of more opportunities for practical activities in crafts, pupils' levels of attainment in academic subjects are often below those of pupils of similar age nationally. Attainment should be judged against the requirements of the Steiner Waldorf curriculum, which is broad and balanced, and related to national levels of expectation especially where possible, in English and mathematics.

Teaching should be expected to follow the Steiner model and, while documentation is often very limited, teachers should be expected to have written planning which takes account of the learning needs of the class. Usually extensive notes - sometimes called 'child studies' - are kept on all aspects of individual pupils' progress and these should inform the content and pace of work.

The main lesson carries much of the academic content of the curriculum and so should be planned to ensure an appropriate balance of subjects across the term and year. Teaching style reflects a whole class approach and tends to take a single task set for all pupils so that particular care needs to be taken to ensure that the needs of the most and least able are being met.

There is often a wide range of ability in each class and particularly in the primary phase pupils enter with very different previous experiences. Most classes will include pupils with special needs who have not flourished in other schools. Assessing the effectiveness of learning is sometimes difficult but since most classes are relatively small, it is usually possible to talk to individual students without disrupting the lesson.

Behaviour is usually good but in some cases adversely affected by pupils with special needs whose behaviour, or need for support, can militate against the progress and attainment of other pupils in the class.

It is worth noting that information and communication technology (ICT) is not taught at primary level. It is increasingly taught at Key Stage 3, although not universally, whilst all schools with Key Stage 4 teach it. Television is regarded as likely to inhibit the development of the imagination so is not used in schools and parents are often actively discouraged from permitting their children, especially younger ones, from watching it.

The amount of taught time has been an issue at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in many schools with pupils spending substantially less time in school than their counterparts in maintained schools. Inspectors should check taught time with a view to recommending additional time if pupils' levels of attainment and rates of progress indicate that this might be necessary.

Proprietor and management

Schools that carry the name Steiner Waldorf are members of the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship but each school is autonomous. The collegiate organisation of schools without a more formal management structure or headteacher can lead to some lack of direction since technically no one person has authority to make decisions and direct or monitor practice. Management is both helped and occasionally hindered by the close involvement of many parents in school life, whether as teachers or in support roles. This enables weaknesses to be quickly identified, but can delay radical action whilst staff are being supported to improve.

In some schools, good systems exist for supporting and monitoring teaching, especially with regard to newly qualified teachers, but this is by no means generally so. Staff checks are usually assiduously done for UK teachers. Many schools have foreign nationals and, acting on advice from the Fellowship, schools are now generally much clearer about obtaining the relevant checks on these staff members. In-service training is offered through the Steiner Fellowship Advisory Service (www.steinerwaldorf.org.uk) which runs courses regularly and also through visits from the Fellowship's advisers. This has been a significant development in the last decade.

Premises and accommodation

This requires careful professional judgement as premises often 'grow around' an original site which can vary from the outbuildings of an organic farm to a cricket pavilion. Longer established institutions have some purpose-built accommodation. Inspectors should be attentive to aspects of health and safety such as the general condition of the accommodation, size of rooms, and areas for outside play and learning (ponds, logs, wild areas, bread ovens or horticultural plots).

Attention to fire checks and health and safety issues is particularly important because of high staff turnover. Whilst the office of administrator does not rotate, that of Chair of the College of Teachers generally does so. Schools are responsive to advice despite very limited funding.

Welfare

Admissions and attendance registers should conform to requirements. Schools may need to be reminded of their responsibility to notify the local authority if pupils' absence gives cause for concern. Attendance should be formally monitored. Where children of compulsory school age attend the kindergarten, the Fellowship and HMI have advised schools to obtain from parents a written statement that when the child is not at school, they are being home educated. Such children usually have between 18 and 20 hours attendance a week, if they come for five sessions.

Schools should have admissions policies. This is particularly important since they are likely to have a number of pupils seeking admission who have failed to thrive in other institutions. In some cases the schools fail to take sufficient account of the effects of these admissions on the learning entitlement of other pupils.

Boarding

Schools have recently ceased to have boarding houses, instead host families are used where boarding is offered, often the parents of other pupils. Where small numbers of pupils stay with families, rigorous application of the premises regulations is inappropriate. The criterion should be what is acceptable in a good family environment, supported by appropriate health, safety and welfare monitoring by the school.

List of Steiner schools in England as at 1 April 2004

LA No.	DfES No	LA name	School name
203	6299	Greenwich	Greenwhich Steiner School Initiative
206	6379	Islington	St Paul's Steiner School
208	6344	Lambeth	Waldorf School of South West London
212	6404	Wandsworth	The St Michael Steiner School
309	6067	Haringey	North London Rudolf Steiner School
332	6000	Dudley	Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School
801	6011	Bristol, City of	Bristol Steiner School
815	6023	North Yorkshire	Botton Village School
816	6008	York	York Steiner School
830	6010	Derbyshire	Michael House School
835	6004	Dorset	Sheiling School
835	6022	Dorset	Ringwood Waldorf School
845	6037	East Sussex	Michael Hall Steiner School
846	6016	Brighton and Hove	Brighton Steiner School Limitied
869	6013	West Berkshire	Alder Bridge School
873	6029	Cambridgeshire	Cambridge Steiner School
878	6029	Devon	Rudolf Steiner School
884	6005	Herefordshire	Hereford Waldorf School
886	6052	Kent	Canterbury (Perry Court) Rudolf Steiner School
888	6040	Lancashire	Lancaster Steiner School
892	6010	Nottingham	Iona School
916	6031	Gloucestershire	Wynstones
919	6109	Hertfordshire	Rudolf Steiner School
933	6196	Somerset	The Meadow Steiner School
938	6219	West Sussex	Philpots Manor School

There is also the Raphael Steiner School Initiative at Eye near Diss in Norfolk recently registered with the DfES.

Affiliated to the Fellowship:

Wroxham Steiner School near Norwich
The Hiram Trust, Stroud, Gloucestershire provides crafts courses mainly for adults
Waldorf College near Stroud, Gloucestershire
Philpots Manor near Forest Row, East Sussex is an independent special school
Sheiling School, Ringwood, Hampshire is part of a Camphill Community and caters for pupils with special educational needs.

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