waldorf steiner

[heninthemidden]

hi,

anyone had good experience of waldorf steiner education system?

THAT is where it gets rather complicated...

Or criminally negligent?

That is a matter for the social workers who are NOW looking into it.

Have Ofsted been informed?

No. The chair to the trustees has replied within my time-scale. That does not mean they wont be informed though, depends on how seriously the trustees take it.

For your three negatives I would like to add

ditto
ditto
ditto

I won't go into detail about the first, suffice to say that a situation last year made it apparent that there were no child protection procedures in place and that none of the staff had received adequate training in this field.

The thing that's totally freaky about these threads is that you think that these things are a one off event in a particular school but then it turns out that exactly the same problems are happening in sws's all over the country. That's when the evil-anthroposophical-world-domination (by quavery singing and carded wool ) starts feeling more credible.

I don't actually think there's a conspiracy theory. I just think that SWS's are a shining example of why private schools need to be properly regulated, ofsteded and held as accountable as state schools.

I think the common problems in these schools all go to show that running a school well is extremely complex requiring a huge number of interlinked systems, evaluation, monitoring and expertise.

I have left Steiner Waldorf education with a much deeper appreciation of the extraordinary daily achievements of state education in this country and I feel hugely greatful to have access to such well run and caring schools for my children.

Maria - I absolutely agree, well said. I'm also grateful, especially to my dcs primary school. I trust the teachers there, which I can say with relief after my, well, astonishment at the incompetence and alarming, unaccountable behaviour of the last Steiner class teacher we had to deal with.

She was unusually bad, granted and our dc's first class teacher, at another Steiner school, was likable, approachable and competent. There are good teachers in every school who succeed in spite of peculiar 'pedagogy'. Even so, I'm certain that anthroposophy can't but disable rational thought and your point about a possible notice over the door was a brilliant stroke! We play with these things at risk of our dc's futures and there are worse risks, outlined in this thread, which we can't ignore.

Also: in a Steiner school your child is stuck with their class teacher for 7 years! Sounds like an interesting idea unless you feel, as several children I know do, that the teacher dislikes you for some unknown, unfathomable reason and that nothing you do is good enough.

It would be a shame though to inhibit diversity in education. Plenty of people are unhappy with their dcs schools, with reason and not all children suit large community colleges. There's room for improvement! But you're right, we must apply the same care to these alternatives as we would to any regular school. We certainly shouldn't be hood-winked into a failure to do so by trusting in vaguely understood concepts like 'spiritual' or 'natural'.

Wilder. I do agree with this which is why I would fully support state Steiner schools. This would inevitably lead to greater transparency and sharing (both ways) of the good stuff.

There were lots of great people and great moments during dd's Steiner time. She was suited to that system and also had a good teacher. But it was the kind of 'above the law because we can see a greater 'truth' (stifles yawn)' attitude that made everything go a bit bonkers.

Why 'Steiner' then?

To support Steiner schools is to support anthroposophy. A crucial mistake. Chuck out that random out-dated turkey of a theosophist. Why would we need him? Human-scale education, small schools, democratic schooling... there are such exciting possibilities!

I could never support state funded woo. There's enough of it already. Sorry to argue with you Loved your label above that door...

I do know that there are some people on here who really disagree with state funding for sws's but in our school it was the real nutcases who were anti-state funding cos they knew that their brand of intolerance and spiritual meglomania would never be allowed to carry on in a properly regulated school.

At least state funding would bring in some accountability and support good Steiner teachers who are often caught in impossible situations. Imagine if some of your stories had happened to kids in a spanky new state funded steiner school? What would the media interest be like then?

Maria, OMG another one with the same negative experiences, that really is scary because these are being covered up.

I still debate in my head my position regarding state funded. I think I am more for not supporting state funding, and would rather just have better regulations.

I have just dropped dd off at the party of a friend from Steiner. I took ages deciding what to wear in case any of the parents involved were there. They were not, but I wanted to make sure I was wearing something that said 'don't f*ck with me'!!!

Maybe you're right Wilder. I certainly would never go into another SWS (state funded or not) cos of anthroposophy but I do think that if alternative schools set up and run, they need to be accountable and properly (and sensitively) inspected by people who understand the pitfalls of difficulties particular to small alternative schools.

MANATEE, lots of black polyester should do the trick

Maria - what is it about your school that you valued and think deserved state funding? If we take it as read that you've removed the nutcases and meglomaniacs?

Myself I believe you have to lose that baby with the bathwater: remove anthroposophy from the pedagogy (odd word) and you have... a school of an entirely different kind. What that could be is the really interesting question. Anyway it's great to see a debate

Manatee - lipstick would have done it. A mum once asked me at the S school gate: 'Are we allowed to wear make-up?'

Sorry Maria! All that pontificating and I missed your last comment.

Do you know anything about democratic education? Subject for another thread I'm sure.

Hi Wilderduck, yes lots of lippy should do it
If we take anthroposophy out of the equation, there would be nothing left. Steiner schools are the educational extension of anthroposophy.

I am very cross that public money is being used to pay for a school that is based on the psychic powers of an austrian hornswogglingnootflonker.

I use to think that if they renamed their schools 'anthroposophy schools' that would be enough, but it doesn't even come close.

Barking - some say he was a Hungarian hornswogglingnootflonker

Is flonking noots ok if you're not into swoggling horns?

only from behind on a full moon.

On a slightly more serious note, I think it would be a mistake to think you could have a state run Steiner school. However some of the teaching methods could be separated from the anthroposophy beliefs that underpin them in the Steiner environment.

Tattifer But Steiner schools are actively campaigning for public money via Academy funding ie centrally funded, this status has already been granted to the school in Herefordshire (against much local opposition)

So is that school state run? In that case we should ask ourselves what we're endorsing.

Indeed Wilderduck.

Hereford School isn't actually built yet though, or has that now started???

Oh I wore lipstick...my darkest shade, and black...short skirt and fascist style shirt...

Some of the parents were funny with me, the school administrator was there (which is funny cos the chair told me she was taken to hospital yesterday so he could not speak to her about my complaint!?). They had obviously just had an open day or something, she was saying how everyone left with an application pack...and how it was a great social event with everyone felting!!!
At that I had to go into the garden in part anger, part giggling, more peope duped by the power of wet felting!!!

Also I heard parents talk about how the school needs to get better known to get more parents... sigh It is not that people don't know it exists, but the Steiner folk just cannot get their heads around the fact that some people choose state education!!!

Curiously Academy status was set up to support failing schools, historically in urban areas though the brief is now wider. You can see Steiner schools slipping in under that criteria...
They also tend to focus on one particular area, like sport or the arts.
I can only guess which area of specialization Steiner schools pick. Answers on a postcard please.