Steiner Academy Frome crazy or creative?!

[TiredMummy3000]

My husband and I are planning to move to Frome this year specifically to enroll our two girls in the Steiner Academy there. My husband went to the Steiner school in Hereford in the first few years of it opening, so we have a good understanding of what Steiner education can entail.

What i'm looking for is some opinion specific to the Frome school. My husband had a positive experience in Hereford, based on the caring and nurturing principles in place there and this what we are seeking. There was very little anthposophy and not too much of what i personally think of as the "crazy stuff". I've read plenty of things on here that make my blood curdle... gnomes, imperfect souls, reincarnation etc. But when i ask my husband about that he has no clue what i'm on about, it played no part in his education at Hereford.

Are there any parents or teachers or otherwise in the Mumsnet community that can give me some idea whereabouts on this scale the Frome Academy sits?

No disrespect intended but please no general Steiner bashing. I'm aware it can be a divisive subject, but i'm looking for comments from those with real life experience of Frome Steiner school - especially from present an previous parents

I’m not a fan of Steiner schools in general, but a friend of mine sends both her kids to the one in Frome, and they love it. She has nothing but praise for it, and her kids (approx 6 and 8 years old) are two of the politest, well behaved children I’ve ever met.

I can't help you with that particular school. What I can say is that none of the normal negativity and crazy stuff you read on here was apparent at the Steiner school my ds attended either. Please go along, have a look at what's on offer and make up your own mind without being swayed by the MN attitude to Steiner education.

Oh that's really great to hear. We did go to an open day and had a bit of a mixed experience. The admissions woman was great, talked about all the ethos that we like. But the one kindegarten teacher that we met was obviously a bit of a purist, she baldly stated that parents who gave there children plastic toys were abusive [majorraisedeyebrows]. I'm hoping she was a one off nut. I love wooden toys and agree with the principles of the idea, but abusive? Too far lady.
I also just cannot picture much bullying going on there, the kids seemed great. But talk of that is rife on MN.

Another warning that people on MN usually have crazy tales to put you off. Mine were very happy at a Steiner school.

zzzzz ?????

Some people think Steiner schools don't cope well with children with SEN. We went because DS1 is very dyslexic. They coped with him, and the two elective mutes, and the child with RAD. Oh, and a child who spent a year in a wheel chair because of hip displacement problems.

Sen - special educational needs. Steiner doesnt tend to handle that well. (Due to issues in their past life - similarly bullying.) Kind of you'll be fine if you fit the mould but might well not be if you dont.

Id be concerned that if a kindergarten teacher (your childs first experience of education) is openly telling you plastic is abusive , what else will she be telling the children? It sounds like youd be expected to live the Steiner philosophy (which you may be fine with!) So on board with tv, reading after losing milk teeth, not using black colouring pens, having to do art exactly as prescribed
All of which may be fine for you if alreadyy pro steiner. Id go back and ask for a look round on a normal day and ask lots of questions of the kindergarten teacher about a typical day etc.

(I still cant get past the creepy dolls perso ally!!

Moving your family so your children can attend a school based on a particular educational ethos when you think that the foundations of that ethos are "crazy stuff" seems an unusual choice to me.

There a lot of schools that offer a caring and nurturing ethos without the many (to my mind) troubling aspects of the Steiner approach.

Moving your family so your children can attend a school based on a particular educational ethos when you think that the foundations of that ethos are "crazy stuff" seems an unusual choice to me.

Agreed, it's a rather bold choice to make. Also your husbands experiences in one Steiner school many years ago, do not mean you have an understanding of what the Steiner education is like.

Anthrosophopy is the religion Steiner developed, but most Steiner schools and teachers are not anthrosopophists.

I've not seen anyone at two Steiner schools act out that kind of thing. Believing in reincarnation and that we are punished or rewarded in this life because of our previous life is not unique to Steiner, and doesn't mean that we should punish afflicted people for supposed past life sins.

picklemebaubles - my dyslexic husband found they were supportive to his needs also.

Like with all schools the level of teaching and understanding progresses and i suspect that some of the rumours around Steiner education hark back to when things were (wrongly) done differently. But hey, wasn't it the state eductaion system busily caning it's children not so long ago (hot potato! ) (no idea how Steiner school handled corperal punishment in the past so no need to look it up to prove me wrong

RCohle and IceRebel you're both absolutely right, it is a bold move to up sticks for the school. It's a big decision and I wonder every day if we're doing the right thing. But on balance I feel there's more "crazy stuff" in mainstream schools than in Steiner. No Gnomes perhaps, but plenty of things to make my blood curdle. I guess that's down to personal preference.

To be honest i'll never be on board with reincarnation, but I'm an atheist so all non scientific talk is going to make me squirm. I'll just consider it a part of their religious education, something that's taugt alongside evolution in all schools. And i'll remember that I have a strong voice in my children's eduction and all topics are open for discussion. What really matters is how the varying beliefs of the teachers affect their actions. If they want to believe in reincarnation that's fine by me, I won't judge them anymore than I would a buddhist or hindu teacher.

Sooo, that brings me back round to Frome Steiner School in particular. How much of the teaching is along the reincarnation/Gnome line and how much is based on kindness, a simpler life, child focus etc

Have away ...

It is not creative. It may look creative because it is looks different to the output of other schools but it is very regimented.

Birdsfoottrefoil can I ask what your experience is?

Art techniques are taught in a very structured way, but the children have every opportunity to be creative. Lots of imaginative play with basic natural materials, craft, knitting, cooking etc.
Some odd looking Steiner practices are intentional exercises, not intended as creativity.

www.quackometer.net/blog/2016/11/ten-things-you-should-know-about-waldorfsteiner-schools.html

Specifically point 4 here, before you move I'd want a detailed account of which elements of the original curriculum have been abandoned and what new things they have brought in. Or whether it is strictly Steiner anthroposcopy.
From this other report, I wouldn't be too optimistic
www.quackometer.net/blog/2016/05/frome-steiner-free-school-in-financial-trouble.html

I've NC because clearly this is very outing.

The Frome Steiner school has recently (I believe it was this month) been subject to an emergency OFSTED as a result raised by parents, their legal representatives and others.

Emergency OFSTED inspections are rare.

From what I can tell these parents - who have a large body of evidence - have concerns about the school's SEN policy, the fact that frequent bullying of students by other students is going unchallenged, safeguarding and general concerns that the children aren't safe.

I have friends with DCs there and some who have pulled their children out, I don't doubt these claims or their severity. I know that the school (and I'm specifically writing about the Frome school) can provide an excellent education for children with some SEN but it has to be the right SEN IYSWIM? It seems to me that they don't deal well with challenging behaviour.

I would say this to any parent looking at schools go with your gut feeling and your gut feeling has doubts. Frome has other excellent primary schools, go and look at Trinity, Vallis and St Johns there are other good ones, if you want a freer education for your DCs you will find that probably because of the general ethos of Frome residents most primary schools here have a more liberal approach than their counterparts in other places.

This is the sister school of the Frome one, it happened this year and makes frightening reading for any prospective parents Steiner Exeter

Plenty of parents are evangelical about Steiner schools and I do understand that but try not to be swayed by it. Every school is different, Steiner or not.

I'm glad someone has specific knowledge of Frome for the OP.

I had some issues with Steiner, but not the ones usually raised on MN. Mine were just old fashioned health and safety issues.

I'm sure that Frome has a financial notice to improve, which is issued when there are concerns about financial controls and viability.

Masterstef thanks for those links. Very interesting reading and lots for me to bring up with admissions sec when I meet them in the next few weeks. I have to say though that Quackometer is clearly not impartial, as it's name might suggest it's deliberately out to "reveal" quacks and so will obviously highlight the worst side of the schools. Their so called facts do seem laughably unreliable... definitely a style of "journalism" based on sensationalism rather than hard truth. But some good points to look into further nonetheless, so thank you

Dryborough thanks for taking the time to let me know your experience. It's interesting to hear that your friends have had mixed experiences.

It's worth clarifying for the sake of any other interested parties that the recent Ofsted inspection was carried out at every Steiner school in the country at the request of the Education secretary. This was in response to safeguarding issues identified at certain undisclosed schools, likely to be Exeter which as another poster highlighted was shut down last year. I've not found anything specific in the press, but the Steiner grapevine suggests a number of young children were found by police having left the school without anyone being aware! Eek, quite worrying!

There are other concerns with the Non Academy Steiner Schools (the privately run ones) as they are monitored by a body separate to Ofsted and the gvmt has doubts about their ability to assess performance. Hence a full inspection of all the schools (90% of which are private) by Ofsted urgently. None of this directly stems from Frome school which was rated good at the last Ofsted inspection and fingers crossed will get the same again this time!

With regards to the financial notice, this was lifted in 2017.

See I do know my stuff!

The fact that the government considers it necessary to inspect every Steiner school in the country because of safeguarding concerns would utterly horrify me to be honest.

So two Steiner schools (Exeter and Kings Langley) have closed in 2018 alone because of safeguarding issues? www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2018/10/20/ministers-urged-order-fresh-inspections-steiner-schools-amid/amp/

Personally my first priority is that my kids are safe at school. Creativity would be a long way down the list.

Yes it is a skeptic website which is why I specified that specific point as you're presumably aware of the other POV! :) Must say I've not read/bothered too much about Steiner schools in my general following of skeptic websites until safeguarding concerns started to surface/ govt intervention. Good luck op.

I have never read an Ofsted report as bad as the one for Exeter Steiner. It goes a lot deeper than children being able to get off site.

I’d be very much put off any related/ federated school, however loose the ties.

Sorry a bit OT but what’s wrong with gnomes? My kids go to a Steiner inspired school and we luffs them