Steiner Free Academy In Exeter

[sannaville]

Hi all, dd2 is a late August birthday and had a bit of a rough start. She doesn't like preschool much and I'm not entirely sure she will adjust well to your average reception class. I've seen the new Steiner free Academy will be opening this year in exeter and am considering this as an option.

Does anyone know much about it and will it differ much from the traditional Steiner paying schools ? I've read they can be quite cult like. Unfortunately there's no Montessori in Exeter and we can't afford private school anyway. All views welcome!

Thanks

I'm not sure that in itself was enough to close the school at no notice though. Something I've read talks about it being unsafe for pupils and staff.

Re SEN - there's a belief that sen can be caused by faulty of incomplete reincarnation. Given their other beliefs about race, illness and disabilty being karma for things done in previous incarnations, I wouldn't be surprised if that played a part. These aren't supposed to be communicated to the children, but it might change the focus of intervention towards activities her help the spirit fully integrate with the body.

Yes I understand that previous safeguarding concerns were also cited.

According to the website the school has now reopened. How could that be allowed? Two 6 year olds go off site and are not missed until the police return them? Why would anyone entrust their child to their care after that.

Wordsandpictures: they have put in an entire ‘acting’ leadership
Team. Things like safeguarding could be rectified very quickly with policy, practice and training, by a principal with the right experience.

Ofsted report has been published.

files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50038861

That report reads rather very ugly. And so sad to think that there are more than 400 children in this school! What are they thinking?

Absolutely shocking.
children with SEN and disabilities ‘mistreated’.
Disengagement with kindergarten children seems deliberate.
Children up to the age of 16 completely underperforming in GCSE, and only limited subjects available.
Unqualified, inexperienced teachers and staff appointed because they knew people, no process, no checks or references.

I actually think the Leadership and Givernors responsible for this should be prosecuted for misuse of public money and robbing children of the education to which they have a right.

Why doesn’t this happen?

Shocking Ofsted report. Appalling safeguarding failures and a complete disregrd for children with SEN. I've always had concerns about Steiner schools given the underlying Anthroposophy theories on race and disability but this is truly disgraceful.

They sound like incompetent amateurs.

Can anyone start what purports to be a Steiner school or does some central Steiner body approve or accredit schools like this? Where are they in all this?

I am so angry that public money has been put into this. The poor children.

However it sounds as if apart from the children with SEN and disabilities, the children are managing with the confidence and backing of mc Steiner parents to struggle through. I.e background had as much to do with success as the school.

I am flummoxed as to why intelligent people fall for this stuff.

I don’t know that’s the case, Beanbag. The poor outcomes and progress measures apply to all groups of pupils across ks2-4.

Only 1 child met the expected standard for reading, writing and maths at the end of ks2 and given the progress score for ks2 to 4 is well below average I doubt it would have translated into average GCSE results for that cohort.

I suspect that genuine Steiner parents aren’t really bothered about qualifications (or lack of them). The issue is probably more those parents choosing Steiner schools for other reasons.

They've received a termination notice so the school will go to a new sponsor. I wonder how much of the Steiner influence will continue:

www.theguardian.com/education/2018/dec/06/inadequate-steiner-school-to-be-taken-over-by-academy-chain

What scares me more is that it's not a one off, it's a pattern. The Steiner Academy in Frome has had an emergency OFSTED and the head has gone off on medical leave; interim head come from elsewhere. The Bristol Steiner Academy has had an emergency OFSTED, but I don't know the upshot yet.

And how many Steiner state schools are there in England. Um, four...