'Steiner' and other 'alternative' forms of education? (esp M/cr)

[Levanna]

Does anyone know where I can go to find out more? Or, if there are any in or around the manchester area?
TIA

Blimey, sounds barking bloody mad!

I'll never forget the horrible woman at the Steiner school I visited who said: 'Mothers with full time jobs probably aren't suited to Steiner schools'. Eh? I said. 'We don't encourage it,' she said in a whisper, as if she were talking about something almost unspeakable. Eejit.

Alot of it is barking- but under the guise of little rosy cheeked kids in stripey cardies playing with natural toys and baking bread- all good- what we fell for when we sent our kids- lurks the anthroposophical core of the whole curriculum really- but they WON'T EVER say this. It's interesting that if you look on the websites for Steiner ed- like the Steiner Waldorf fellowship- the word anthroposophy hardly ever crops up- it's very very secretive. Of course the staff say that they don't actually TEACH anthroposophy to the kids(good thing too 'cos it's virtually impossible to comprehend some of the wilder theories) as if that exonerates the fact it's the basis of the schools ethos and curriculum.

There's an article in last weeks Guardian education section about Steiner schools- wondering why everyone thinks they're strange- it really bugs me when there's yet another article praising the steiner system and never anything about the not so good aspects. Think I'll suggest the Guardian investigates the anthroposophical, re- incarnation occult side of the schools rather than the gardening and knitting aspect.

Oh yes, and the last time they saw a gnome, fairy and angel...

maharishi school, lancashire

Lulumama- I looked at the link- it looks a good place.

maharishi school (in lancashire) is a great school. My two went there, now grown up (I am an ancient Mum!). They were very happy and did extremely well there. Its non-selective but has excellent results, better than most selective. Main thing is its priority is developing the whole person, not just book study.

I wish we'd lived near enough before we plumped for Steiner school because it looks very interesting- I like the feel of their website. Is it exspensive?

Its generally thought of as being affordable/reasonable. Don't know exact fees now. When we sent ours it was less than others in the area.

I teach at the Maharishi school and both my dds go there too.. wouldn't work anywhere else for double the money!!!

Don't send your children to a Steiner school, whether KG or upper grades.

I don't wish to get into a big debate about them, I have been campaigning against them for years.

All I can say is that I know very detailed stuff about Steiner ed. (they are a cult) and I woudln't touch them with a barge pole. The familiies separate themselves not just from mianstream ed. but also from mainstream LIFE. If you are not one of them (i.e. brainwashed or have the potential to be brainwashed) they will instantly reject you. Their leaders (Anthroposophists) operate as a global cult.

If you or your children are of ethnic backgrounds, don't even think about Steiner ed. Their founding father Rudolf Steiner was a racist.

I had a friend who had a child at a Steiner KG. Don't get me started : (

Hi katface...... are you new to mumsnet?
I agree with everything you've written, and have posted alot on this in the past here on mumsnet which became very involvesd and heated. An anthroposophist threatened mumsnet with legal action and the reason I ask if you're new is that we are banned from discussing Steiner here.....
Very interested to here your story tho..

Hi Refugee
I don't have personal experience (although I have started another thread about bad nurseries and childcare just a few days ago) The term CHILDCARE is an oxymoron for some people, believe me.

Like I said before, I wouldn't allow some people/institutions (esp. the Steiner people and the "mainstream" nursery my son went to recently) anywhere near a small RODENT, nevermind a small child...

...and being a Kat Face I know all about rodents

Hi katface- reads this... yes- it is spooky.this was when they banned it but if you search for Steiner alot of the threads will come up, but with race quotes etc deleted...

I'm going to do the cat thing here- contact another member - maybe tommorrow- so if you're interested in talking it'll be easier there....

I was going to say check out Human Scale Education but see it's already been mentioned. I sent my boys to a lovely, small, alternative school (nowhere near Manchester I'm afraid) that was part of this organisation and their ethos was really sound. If you want alternative education that isn't alligned to a particular philosophy like Steiner which may or may not be your bag it's good.

Hi Everyone:
Need opinions on The Steiner school in Kings Langley and Edge Grove School in Aldernham.

The geographical context can be helpful re Steiner. My friend in Prague has Steiner-educated both her girls. Steiner makes sense there because the mainstream system is, in her words: "still the Austro-Hungarian model" - which is what Steiner was reacting against....

sorry, me again:

re "gnomes" having a real-life existence, again, this does not sound spooky to me when I think of my friends in Prague - creatures such as gnomes, fauns and "water-sprites" form a very central part of traditional story telling there.

But I do wonder how well this transplants to the UK.

But isn't "story-telling" different from telling children that they exist in reality? I mean, we have loads of fairy tales about fairies, witches, ogres, etc - but if a school told my child that they were real, and that if they concentrated properly they'd be able to see them, then I would have some concerns. [understatement emoticon needed]

lingle- story telling not belief in...my children were at Steiner for three years....some of the old threads on here are worth trawling too....
Anyway- it is a banned subject on mumsnet... spooky but true...if you want to cat me kodi, I will be able to tell you why I think you should tread carefully...

X post amutiny I now have to STEP AWAY FROM THE THREAD and put down my links..

If you are in the Manchester google the Gorton Project. There was a failing state school in a deprived borough of Manchester which was under special measures. The Montessori Institute got involved and applied their principles to the curriculum and apparantly it is one of the highest performing infant schools in Manchester now despite being in an area of high deprevation. See what you can find out about it, it is an interesting read.