State funded Steiner School, Herefordshire

[Emerald6]

Hi all

Just wondering if anyone has experience of sending children to the Steiner school in Herefordshire? It's the UK's first state funded Steiner school and it's on our doorstep so we're considering the kindergarten & school for our little one next year. I'm not too interested on personal opinions of Steiner education but more on that specific school.

Thanks :)

[CuttedUpPear]

All I can say is that we were on the waiting list for DS (age 14 at the time) for a year, however I didn't realise that I should have renewed his place on the list over the summer holidays in 2011. His best friend from school, who hadn't been on the list at all, got in.

I was told that now there is no chance of DS ever going there because the best friend took the last place. I appealed on psychological grounds (DS is SEN) to no avail.
I am so gutted for DS - I have just taken him out of school because of his emotional distress and his educational future is uncertain.

Sorry for sounding off, that's my experience of them anyway.

[Emerald6]

Thanks for letting me know about their waiting lists and I'm sorry to read your sons place was taken.
We are new in the area and I don't know any parents who send their children there but I do get the feeling from admissions that the waiting lists are becoming longer and longer and local house rents are ridiculous....

I hope your son finds a good school - have you heard about the new one in Herefordshire aimed at 14 - 19 year olds? I can't remember the name offhand, but I will hunt down the magazine I saw it featured in recently.

[worldgonecrazy]

I don't know the school but have heard about the horrendous waiting lists. Good luck with applying. I don't know how the Hereford school works, but at my DD's Steiner school, those parents who attend Parent & Child groups for the under 3s are put higher up the waiting list than those who try and get in at a later stage, because technically we have spent more time on the waiting list, if that makes sense.

[CuttedUpPear]

Emerald thanks in advance for hunting out the name of that school.

Good luck with the Steiner school, obviously it is good because we wouldn't have wanted to go there otherwise!

[Emerald6]

Hi CuttedUpPear, here's the school link, I've just seen it doesn't open till 2013 but it sounds interesting.... www.robertowenschool.co.uk/