So if your only choice was a strict Anglican school or Rudolph Steiner...

[MythicalChicken]

... which would you choose?

Unfortunately we find ourselves in this ridiculous situation. On the one hand we are atheists so the Anglican school goes against our beliefs. On the other hand we are worried that the Steiner school will not be academic enough.

I need to know what my fellow MN'ers would do. It's for our DS who is just about to go into secondary. Thanks.

Run fast from the Steiner, OP. Very, very fast.

"Personally I'd choose the Steiner school, but if you're after a traditional, structured 'academic' environment .."

AKA a school where kids learn enough stuff to give them proper choices.......

OK, so scared off by the gnomes, I called the Anglican School...

I had a long conversation with the bursar and she was absolutely lovely! She said the school is very traditional but encourage children to be themselves and that they like characters and children who are a bit eccentric. On the religious aspect, she said: "we take all religions, we don't care what you bring to the table, as long as you bring a little bit of tolerance with it."

I am going to see the school, but from our conversation I feel very positive.

Thanks for all your help.

This is good news...

I have many Steiner stories to tell, but the most shocking in NZ where Maori students were always placed surrounded by white students to hope the 'whiteness' would rub off on them. The Maori parents confronted the teachers who were unapologetic and stuck by the philosophy.

Also in Sydney, talking about people of my ag (mid 40s) has to go back to do IB because the secondary education could not gain them university entrance.

I know two parents who used Steiner (Germany), their kids seem happy enough and one is mixed race so I think the racist element (dark bad/light good) doesn't apply to that particular school.
The artistic/Montessori style/poetic/musical/dance elements I think work with some kids, doesn't have to be arty-farty...in secondary it can go the other way with teaching styles (too much teaching to test/textbook page such and such when not being observed or an over-reliance on technology) but I still believe at heart in a broad balanced curriculum with variety of teaching methods.
My teen would also need pushing more or would spend the whole time pursuing art projects and drama.
It is also important to find out whether end qualifications are equivalent to/accepted by the state, access to higher ed etc (don't know where you are OP but that would be my biggest concern).
My teen is atheist, does ethics, knows when she can be opinionated (in debates not just when she wants to be a gobshite).
I would in your shoes have attended both open days and based my decision on that. Religious schools in the UK do very well...abroad it's harder to say as depends on the school system.

Some people close to me had a similar choice a few years ago, picked the Steiner school and very much regretted it.
They pulled their kids out and sent them to other schools but they were years behind academically. They are a sporty family and found the Steiner school a poor fit for this. One DC had developed mental health issues. I am not saying that the school caused these, but it did not turn out to be the supportive, nurturing and creative environment that my friends had thought they were choosing.
It would help to know whereabouts you are. Many Anglican schools I know in the UK are only slightly religious but in other parts of the world an Anglican school might be more dogmatic in terms of religious instruction and much stricter in terms of discipline than would be allowed here.

I would also say that Anglicanism, even strict Anglicanism, is quite a middle of the road variant within Christianity. It does, though, depend a little on what the 'strictness' entails.

Strict traditional Anglicanism would actually fit someone non-religious rather well, as although it does have prayers and rituals, it does not tend to go in for showy displays of personal faith and in many cases treats actual belief as a private matter. It also takes quite an academic, critical view of the Bible, encouraging e.g. historical perspectives, for example seeing the creation story as a creation myth of that particular culture at that time, with symbolic meaning, rather than being literally true. (I say this as the atheist child of extremely involved Anglican parents).

The one that might fit rather less well is highly evangelical Anglicanism, which is a variant within the variant, if that makes sense. They are more likely to hold fundamentalist beliefs, including the literal truth of the Bible, and they are more likely to want members to make declarations of personal faith and to 'convert' those who are not Christians.

The Anglican. No contest.

Steiner has way too much dodgy weird shit around it. Most Anglican/RC schools have a broad intake including same faith, other faith or none - go see it if it worries you.

Do thoroughly research Steiner.

Anglicanism as practised in the UK or US I'd generally be OK with (never did me any harm!), but if it was a country or area where the Anglican tradition was more focused on "be saved or burn in hell", wishing death on homosexuals, and avoiding non-believers in case they tempted you, then I might be forced to reluctantly consider Steiner and hope they were a school that ignored the anthrosophy and just focused on being benign hippies.

Ex-pupil of mine went to a Steiner school. She was isolated from her class because she was "different" and did not respond to their teaching methods.

Turns out she is dyslexic. A move to a normal school (bog standard comp) and a diagnosis and she did spectacularly well - she is now at University studying Languages.

Their ethos is incompatible with pupils with additional needs - even if it wasn't also really, really weird.

If you're moving to Switzerland you should check out the nearest Steiner / Waldorf school carefully. It may be nothing at all like the description here. You might even like it. Complete bollocks to say everyone who's been to one had MH issues.

And yes, anthroposophy is massive bollocks however you choose to spell it. So is all organised religion imo.

I'm glad the Anglican school sounds sensible, OP!

Clearly we all have different experiences of Steiner and Anglicanism. In some parts of the world Anglicanism can be very homophobic. In my area, the six form colleges are very keen on students from Steiner, even if the formal qualifications aren't in place, because the students can be very self motivated and creative thinkers.

My children have been to state schools, a Steiner school, and a small evangelical independent school, so I've tried out a fair range between them. What matters is the fit for your child.

I'm appalled by my experience of Steiner, and if that school is ran by what's called a College of Teachers (not a Headteacher with authority to sack a bad teacher) you'll be in the hands of a maffia that closes ranks when a member of staff is questioned. I don't want to get into detail but I'd go as far as I can from a private Steiner. And I believe that anglican schools may not be as bad as catholic ones - I went for a while to a catholic one, and my mother's attitude - that sounds a bit like yours - shielded me from most of the nonsense. It's tough, it seems that we need to relocate for our children, I wish there was more funding - and development - into state schools.

and just to add, about the lack of provision for children with any learning disadvantage, I've seen that one child in the group of my own wasn't observed enough by the teacher to find out (that child is being taken out of school), but neither a child that comes with knowledge (through no fault of our own, our child started in a state school and we were put off by the pressure of SATs for 7 year olds) is also rejected as "annoying" and not allowed to participate until the motivation diminishes and becomes "average". I've seen many examples in which the teacher doesn't do what they say about guiding each child according to their own abilities - the teacher in charge of my child struggles with her own abilities for maths. And the key thing of a long term bond with the same group of children is authencity, and I've found that the teacher thinks she can pretend and the children won't get her - which is undermining them in a big way - and parents.

Look very carefully into Steiner and technology as well. Stuff like televisions, computers, anything with a screen.......

Steiner believed that the devil who he called Ahriman spoke to you through technology.

Fwiw my local Steiner school place restrictions on electronic media usage. And require new families to the school to have an appointment with the anthroposophical doctor connected with the school.

Our anthroposophical doctor was wonderful. She was a GP, too. She had great holistic advice about children's health.

I'm a mainstream kind of person, open minded but perfectly happy using medicine, watching TV etc. Steiner can be whacky, some Steiner parents are whacky. Some Steiner teachers are whacky. You don't have to be whacky to get a great education out of it, though. It includes practical activity, loads of outdoor play, creative, imaginative play, a kind of dance/activity/exercise class which helps children with coordination cross lateral reflexes.

As an educational system it doesn't have to be whacky and has a lot to offer. Especially to the parent who doesn't want to sit their three year old at a table and teach them synthetic phonics.