Steiner school

[captainBeaky]

Hello, I'm posting here for traffic and would be grateful for any advice. My friend's DS (a very young 7) is having huge difficulties in mainstream school. He regularly breaks his heart about going, feels that he has no friends (although teachers say otherwise, but they have also said that other children look after him, almost like a pet.) He doesn't cope very well with the demands of school and is very slow in completing his work. He often gets dressed back to front. He is behind significantly academically (not that this bothers her, she is simply concerned about the affect this is having on his confidence)
He has recently been saying that he wants to die and has also said he wishes he was in a different family, even though friend and her partner are brilliant, loving parents.
She is extremely worried about him. He does seem very young for his age,and is often in his own little world. He is possibly somewhere on the autistic spectrum although no formal diagnosis has been made. She desperately wants to take him out of mainstream school but is not in a financial position to home educate.
A new Steiner school has opened about a 45 minute drive from her house. She went to look recently and felt it would be perfect for her son, but he is very unlikely to get a place as she doesn't live within the catchment area. Is there anything she can do? It is heartbreaking to know that he is so unhappy. Please advise if you can.

My son went to a Steiner school for about 6 months, when he was 6. Although the school suited him, he did not suit the school (he has Aspergers) and they were not geared up to cope unfortunately.

While he was there he absolutely loved it - they were gentle and caring but this was, they felt, at the expense of other children in the class (they only had one teacher and did not employ TA's).

I didn't think Steiner schools had 'catchment' areas (at least not like the LA schools do), but I could be wrong. I know it is imperative to her at the moment, but it may not be suited for him in the long run. She needs to research carefully as I feel Steiner schools are for young people who are 'independent thinkers', if you see what I mean.

My son did not settle in any primary (in fact, they did not want him!) and settled once he went to a special boarding school and started to learn at last.

Would you consider moving this to primary education? There's loads of traffic there. You may get a load of stuff about how ghastly Steiner schools are on AIBU which isn't what you're looking for.

Euphemia - care to elaborate to us not in the know?

m.bbc.co.uk/news/education-28646118

care to elaborate to us not in the know?
Then look some more into anthroposophy

Oh, have found this - is there a hidden agenda, then?

Works for all children irrespective of academic ability, class, ethnicity or religion;

Takes account of the needs of the whole child – academic, physical, emotional and spiritual;

Is based on an understanding of the relevance of the different phases of child development;

Develops a love of learning and an enthusiasm for school;

Sees artistic activity and the development of the imagination as integral to learning;

Is tried and tested and is part of state funded, mainstream provision in most European countries;

Is respected worldwide for its ability to produce very able young people who have a strong sense of self and diverse capacities that enable them to become socially and economically responsible citizens.

An aspect of Steiner philosophy is that any additional support need is a punishment for misdeeds in a past life.

Has he ever been formally assessed ? tbh Steiner schools have a reputation for not being supportive re SEN and not being academically orientated, even at secondary level. They are usually fee paying , can they afford it in terms of fees (which may well be subsidised) or time/cost to get him there.

I think Steiner had some odd views regarding race and disability. Don't know if that has anything to do with the schools. I used to live near a Steiner school and the local saying about the kids was "nice but dim." Don't see how the nice bit fitted with the racism.

Ah, well - so it goes. But I would still far rather my child be brought up in a Steiner school than the bear pits that go by the name of 'Local Comprehensive' these days

In her situation (and I have been there) my first port of call would be an assessment to see if he has any SEN. If he does then help may be available for him, such as a TA or at least an IEP.

I also considered Steiner but felt that whilst it was a lovely environment as long as you like gnomes it was not going to be conducive to academia. One teacher told me that most of her pupils who had come from mainstream did so because of varying SEN and could not cope (for varying reasons) in mainstream. It seemed to me that whilst they were allowed to work at their own pace, no attempt was made to "up" their performance and improve IYKWIM.

If she is convinced on Steiner then I would suggest that she phone them up and arrange a "walk in" session. This allows prospective parents to sit in lessons and observe to give them a feel for what the methodology is about. Also bear in mind that Steiner is a charitable organization, so prospective parents and children are interviewed to ensure that the parents are committed to the cause and are willing to dedicate a certain amount of free time to help out. They don't have catchment areas, but it isn't as simple as handing over money and they let you through the doors. Some Steiner schools openly state that they cannot facilitate children with SEN as they are not funded by LA.

My son was diagnosed with dyslexia and other sensory issues which went completely undetected until he was nearly 10, so really I can't reiterate enough my advice about getting him assessed first.

Gnomes. Just sayin'

A close family member is moving her son out of a Steiner school and into a mainstream school for almost exactly the reasons your friend is contemplating the opposite move. I'm not anti Steiner and I even agree with some of the weirder parts of his philosophy (not the racial stuff- and you'll be very unlikely to find anything but racial inclusiveness reflected in a Steiner school) but they are not geared up for additional needs of any kind, very little additional support has been given for children on the AS in the school near us, and no referrals or diagnoses are encouraged. My other criticisms are that organisation and management are weak and woolly, and that behaviour management isn't effective. The kindergarten is lovely though, I adore all the beautiful wooden toys and the singing, the celebrations of the seasons, the natural materials for crafts, the baking.

I've known three different Steiner schools btw through friends who are parents and teachers at them and what I've said above holds for all of them. I gather there are some that are managed more effectively than the three I have seen.

Hope your friend finds the right place for her son.

What madmum said. Get him assessed first then ask current and prospective schools how they can meet his needs

He needs to be assessed by the professionals first before moving schools is considered. His parents need to know what his needs are before making a decision to move schools. My ds has ASD & is currently in a mainstream school but in an assisted classroom. He has the proper support in place because he has been assessed & diagnosed. Your friend should make an apt with her gp & senco to get the ball rolling.

I get the impression from your OP that your friend is really clutching at straws and I think that taking her son out of his current school would not be the most logical first move. As pp have said it would be far better to get him assessed for SEN first followed by an ILP within the school that he is already in or at least another that is close by and convenient.

I am not anti Steiner, I was educated in a Steiner school for six years and I loved it. It taught me a whole heap of things that I would never have got from mainstream education BUT I am dyslexic and managed to get to the age of 12 with absolutely no one realising that I could not read . They are not great schools for diagnosing or dealing with special needs but they are great schools for many other things.

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I will pass this information on to her.

I'm surprised she's not in a position to home educate but is in a position to spend 3 hours driving per day. I mean, it's possible, but I would wonder if she's fully thought it through.

A Montesorri instead?

Just adding that last thought. Fwiw I would have assessed first.

I agree that the child needs assessing...........and it can takes months, if not years, so it needs to be done asap. It can be a long hard grind with the educational establishment, even with a formal diagnosis. And, even then, you are not guaranteed the extra help and support you need.

Your friend should contact Parent Partnership in her area, as they know the ropes and are wonderfully supportive.

Skylark her partner works near to the school and I could pick him up. It is a free school.

There are some state steiner schools nowadays I believe.

I think the 'type' of school is not necessarily the issue here. If your friend's child has SEN then I really think he needs proper assessment and intervention to thrive.

State steiners of very recent vintage should have appropriate SEN arrangements In place.

A formal assessment resulting in a education, health and care plan ( the new statements) would be helpful as the Steiner School could be named on it and they would then have to admit him. You'd have to persuade council to put it down as the appropriate school though.

There is an independent special school near me that follows steiner waldorf education. I looked round it for DS as he has ASD but it was a bit too out there for me. They do half the day on normal school work then the other half doing craft based work. He spent a day there to try it out and basically they let him do what he wanted and tried to educate around what DS was doing.
DS needs a lot more structure than they could ever offer and I ended up putting in a different independent special school that specialises in autism.