For all you thinking of Canterbury Steiner School for your child(ren), I think it will be informative for you to ask the questions below BEFORE signing up.
We were at the school and left. During and since we left, about 75% of other pupils have left. However, the school continues to market itself as education for up to 16 years of age. If you dig a little you will find that the upper school closed about 2 years ago so the marketing blurb is a lie. This is one of many.
You may be happy at the school but please be informed before you make that decision.
From my other post-----------
Canterbury Steiner School has had 3 different leaders or Heads in three years. The discussion regarding Heads in a Steiner school is for another time.
Pupil numbers are at an all time low, 53 when I last checked.
Classes have merged. Class 1 and 2 are now one class and so on.
The upper school is shut so no GCSEs. The official line is the "upper school is in hibernation" !!!!!
Almost all of the good teachers have left.
There are staff members currently at the school who actively trawl web sites like google in an effort to promote the school. Their posts often contain untruths and serve to distort and prolong the thread. Just try and guess which reviews here on mumsnet are from current staff members!!
If you want to send your children there then ask yourself (and the school) the following questions
- Why 3 heads in 3 years?
- Why is the upper school closed?
- What happened to the new school at the top of the hill that was PROMISED to current and future parents/pupils?
- What is the current number of pupils?
- Why have a large proportion of people left over recent years?
- Why do staff regularly post on review sites and not disclose their interest, leading to misinformation.
- Teenage female pupils refused to be taught Eurythmy by the trained Eurythmy teacher some years ago. Ask Why? and what action was taken against the teacher?
- Why have classes of different ages merged when a core principle of the school is age appropriate learning. How can you teach to children of mixed ages in one classroom ( e.g. 8, 9 and 10 years old) and maintain age appropriate education?
- Why did 3 of the most senior members of the school (including the head) all take early retirement (jumped ship) in 2014 and all at the same time?
If you care where your children are going then you should, as a minimum, ask the above. We were at the school before we asked even some of the above. BIG MISTAKE. ASK BEFORE YOU SEND YOUR CHILDREN THERE.
At the very least, why use your children as an experiment to check if the school is good or not? There are other schools nearby, some even formed by decent ex-Canterbury Steiner teachers - search and you will find. Other schools do not attract the negative comments that Canterbury Steiner School does.
There are reasons why LARGE numbers have left the school over the recent 4 years, these people are not stupid.
Do not pay any attention to posts that have a whiff of propaganda put out by current staff members of the school.
DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND ASK QUESTIONS.
The school is in crisis.