Waldorf Steiner Schools

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.

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

Luckygirl3

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

👍

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

I didn't make it clear that I understood your post Aveline.

Aveline

Oh no. I meant to sound ironic. Hard to convey in just writing. I'm sick of university being seen as the only successful outcome of school education.

Hear hear with knobs on!

Children need to be shown different goals than just purely academic ones. The race to qualifications puts many off studying. There are so many other options eg apprenticeships, technical colleges, vocational qualifications of all sorts leading to satisfying employment. These need to be highlighted.

Luckygirl3

*And university is the only laudable end goal* - I presume that is not intended as a serious statement!

It read like a follow-up to another post:

How do we pull back from this and create a system that is truly inclusive and does not put less able children off learning completely?

And university is the only laudable end goal

Other options should not be only available but desirable, every child valued and supported to reach their goals whatever they may be.

There are Steiner schools in 90 different countries, they all follow a similar curriculum but have very different locations, some are in cities and many in the countryside.. obviously they don't suit every child but in my experience of 4 particular schools the children adjust really well to life outside and seem to be popular with other young people.. I hope StayAnna that your GS really enjoys his schooling..

Well, son and DIL (and young GS) have just FaceTimed to say they were very impressed with their visit to their local Steiner school, and GS is to start there in a couple of weeks.

I even know of someone who was expelled from a Steiner school. I think it was drug related. There was an absolute ban on drugs.

He went to the state school and got on alright.

I know only three children who have transferred out of Steiner - all without issues, karmalady. I doubt all children are like the ones you have met who have somehow been unable to cope with rough and tumble and competitiveness of real life.

My grandson for example! He would have rather stayed put - but the family moved country so, as you say, needs must.

I expect we all know children who are unable to cope with the (very) rough stuff and lack of personalisation at some regular schools.

Just saying.

karmalady

yes, transfer to a state school is very difficult for a steiner pupil and sometimes, needs must. The steiner pupils I have met have been unable to cope with rough and tumble and competitiveness of real life

not true

I know someone who took his son out of a Steiner school and sent him to the local state school partly because of the lack of rough and tumble and competitiveness. The boy is very sporty and not so artsy, it didn't suit him.

This cartoon says a lot to me

yes, transfer to a state school is very difficult for a steiner pupil and sometimes, needs must. The steiner pupils I have met have been unable to cope with rough and tumble and competitiveness of real life

Oh no. I meant to sound ironic. Hard to convey in just writing. I'm sick of university being seen as the only successful outcome of school education.

And university is the only laudable end goal - I presume that is not intended as a serious statement!

I think the Baccalaureate is a good idea - and looks as if it may be introduced.

www.theguardian.com/education/2023/sep/21/rishi-sunaks-planned-a-levels-reforms-could-include-baccalaureate

And university is the only laudable end goal

Indeed.

How do we pull back from this and create a system that is truly inclusive and does not put less able children off learning completely?

And one where the most able are also developed and encouraged.

This is an interesting discussion about the state of education now. It seems a huge shame that the government introduced the national curriculum with its retrograde, Gove-induced, public school influenced attitude to learning and flew in the face of the advice of teachers and education advisors who live in the real world of pupils of all abilities. How do we pull back from this and create a system that is truly inclusive and does not put less able children off learning completely?

nanna8

Funny that today I was speaking with a church friend who said she would not send her children to a state school these days and would home school as an alternative. She actually homeschooled her 4 children back in the 1980s and 90s. She is appalled by the current curriculum here that is forced on the schools unless you pay for private education. My children all went to different high schools - different personalities suited different schools. Only one went to a state school ( funnily enough, she is the most right wing leaning of the lot)

Yes, I hear the same.
The curriculum in the private Catholic schools seems to be the same.

DD's friend and neighbour is homeschooling all hers.

Funny that today I was speaking with a church friend who said she would not send her children to a state school these days and would home school as an alternative. She actually homeschooled her 4 children back in the 1980s and 90s. She is appalled by the current curriculum here that is forced on the schools unless you pay for private education. My children all went to different high schools - different personalities suited different schools. Only one went to a state school ( funnily enough, she is the most right wing leaning of the lot)