In a nutshell what is a Steiner school? Never heard of it.
The general impression that's given about Steiner schooling is that it is a holistic approach to education, that for the early years focusses on outdoor play in nature and art and leaves academic subjects until later. So between 4 and 7 children spend their school days playing in the woods, painting and dancing. They learn practical outdoor activities like campfire building and woodcraft, they also learn to play music and crochet. They avoid technology.
It's a schooling system that's grown hugely in popularity over the last decade because more and more evidence is showing that children benefit greatly from delaying formal education in early childhood and they need far, far more outdoor play than this generation is getting. It also plays into many parents fears about screen addiction. So on the surface it seems like a really great alternative to traditional school, so much so that in many countries some Steiner schools have been adopted by their department of education and are available as free state schools. Which gives them great legitimacy.
What Steiner very much tries to keep quiet is that the schools aren't just pro-nature. They are very, very, very much anti-science. I've known of teachers who have gotten in trouble for using accurate scientific terms to describe a natural phenomenon. (Much like what Albinohedgehogs describes about the sun and the clouds.) Because apparently using accurate terminology stunts a child's ability to appreciate the beauty of nature. They are also extremely religious, if asked about this they will tell you they are spiritual, but the reality is that they will teach in a way designed to indoctrinate the children in a form of polytheistic and pantheistic modern paganism where gnomes and fairies are real.
But far worse than any of that. Steiner philosophy is stunningly racist. Steiner had vile, vile ideas about white supremacy and the infantile but dangerously influential darker races. And all his disturbing, nasty ideas form the core of Anthroposophy, the spirituality behind Steiner schools. The children aren't outwardly taught Anthroposophy (which is how teachers and parents of students defend the schooling system against accusations of racism) but parts of the curriculum are designed to subtly sow some of those ideas in the students and make them open to Anthroposophy as adults.
I know that most people who send their children to Steiner schools have no idea whatsoever about the reality of Steinerism. They just want their children to go to a school that they think is quite like the Finnish system with extra trees. My DS attends a truly amazing forest preschool and there is a movement headed by some of the parents to open a Steiner primary on the grounds. Because really, they just want a forest primary with delayed formal learning and by following the Steiner model the school is very likely to become a free state school within a few years. I went along to a few meetings about it because I would love for my son to stay where he is and just spend his early schooling years in a playful environment. But it was quickly obvious that the crazy aspects of Steiner would dominate the way of teaching, even though the parents and teachers from pre-existent schools denied it. I also had the good fortune to hear from a former Steiner teacher who enquired if it would be possible to take the job but not teach the nutty parts (not her terminology) and was told that wouldn't be acceptable. So I know that it will be full Steiner.
Does anyone know how closely European Steiner schools are linked with the UK ones and if there's reason to be concerned that there could be the same 'culture' there in terms of safeguarding concerns?
I've been told by the former Steiner teacher that Steiner is a protected, copyrighted educational term so any school using the name Steiner is strictly controlled by the European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education (ECSWE). So I'd strongly suspect that the same culture runs through all of them.