canterbury steiner school?

[anangel]

Hi there,

anyone know anything about the canterbury steiner school? I'm getting mixed reviews.

We've been for interview as well as attending the playgroup regularly.

I'm now interested to hear what local parents have to say about the school itself - rather than the merits of steiner per se - positive and negative experiences of the kindergarden in particular.

My approach is very alternative - in particular delaying formal learning til age 6 - and we will likely end up home/unschooling later on.

A part time group setting will be useful at the moment and steiner seems the best option in Kent, though perhaps there are some alternatives in the area i dont know about.

thanks!

alice

[Tootshki]

Have you seen the new Steiner School in Kent? www.newschoolcanterbury.co.uk

[anthonysharpe]

If CSS do apply for Free School Status, I will object and will highlight all the distorted "facts" that the school will put on their application form.

How do I know that the school will attempt to distort the facts? Ask anyone who has had any contact with CSS and most will say "that is the way CSS operates."
Obviously, current staff members will say otherwise because their jobs are on the line and current school parents will also say otherwise because they are indoctrinated to have little to do with non CSS families, to witch-hunt people who have taken their children out of CSS (for very valid reasons), spread untruths about the same ex-CSS parents etc.

I urge all parents who are at CSS or who are considering going to CSS to rely on hard facts and not the distorted line put out by CSS. Then, if you still want to go/remain at CSS then great, you and CSS are a match made in heaven and I wish you happiness together.

[anthonysharpe]

Hi May Day, one such school is called Lenerjo, www.kenthomeeducationsupport.co.uk/

Set up by an long standing and respected former teacher at Canterbury Steiner School along with others including Canterbury Steiner's former Maths, Science and IT teacher.

Your other option is to give them a Steiner Education (I assume you know what this entails) either at home or at an alternative Steiner School.

Canterbury Steiner School is drawing its last breath, and there are many, many people who know some of the goings on at CSS who will have a look on their face to say "I told you so."

I just read on KentOnline that CSS may apply for Free School Status!!! For years the line was a very firm "WE DON'T WANT FREE SCHOOL STATUS BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE COMPLETELY FREE FROM GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION." In other words, we don't want the government poking around in our business.

Now, school in deep crisis, no effective leadership for a few years, best teachers have left, LOTS of dissatisfied parents/pupils, most of the school buildings on the verge of collapse, no reserve funds, no upper school, classes merged, poor GCSE results (2016 and before), 3 most senior staff members retired (jumped ship) at the same time a few years ago......... And guess what? CSS wants to apply for Free School Status!!!

In the application for Free School Status, CSS needs to demonstrate that there is a demand for the school and shortage of places at other local schools - this cannot be demonstrated.

CSS must also demonstrate that there is support for the school LOCALLY. Most CSS families do not live in the local area.

There are lots of other criteria that CSS must meet and I cannot see CSS meeting most of the quite specific criteria.

I don't think they will even apply for Free School Status as the school knows it will not pass most of the tests.

[Hakluyt]

See this barge pole?.....

[MayDay80]

Hi
We are very interested in a Steiner education for our children, however reading and hearing various things about the Canterbury Steiner is rather worrying.
The schools started by ex-Steiner teachers? Would you mind posting the names of these please?
Thanks v much

[anthonysharpe]

Canterbury Steiner School has had 3 different leaders or Heads in three years. The discussion regarding Heads in a Steiner school is for another time.

Pupil numbers are at an all time low, 53 when I last checked.
Classes have merged. Class 1 and 2 are now one class and so on.
The upper school is shut so no GCSEs. The official line is the "upper school is in hibernation" !!!!!

Almost all of the good teachers have left.

There are staff members currently at the school who actively trawl web sites like mumsnet in an effort to promote the school. Their posts often contain untruths and serve to distort and prolong the thread.

If you want to send your children there then ask yourself (and the school) the following questions

1. Why 3 heads in 3 years?
   
2. Why is the upper school closed?
   
3. What happened to the new school at the top of the hill that was PROMISED to current and future parents/pupils?
   
4. What is the current number of pupils?
   
5. Why have a large proportion of people left over recent years?
   
6. Why do staff regularly post on review sites and not disclose their interest, leading to misinformation.
   
7. Teenage female pupils refused to be taught Eurythmy by the trained Eurythmy teacher some years ago. Ask Why? and what action was taken against the teacher?
   
8. Why have classes of different ages merged when a core principle of the school is age appropriate learning. How can you teach to children of mixed ages in one classroom ( e.g. 8, 9 and 10 years old) and maintain age appropriate education?
   

If you care where your children are going then you should, as a minimum, ask the above. We were at the school before we asked even some of the above. BIG MISTAKE. ASK BEFORE YOU SEND YOUR CHILDREN THERE.

At the very least, why use your children as an experiment to check if the school is good or not? There are other schools nearby, some even formed by decent ex-Canterbury Steiner teachers - search and you will find. Other schools do not attract the negative comments that Canterbury Steiner School does.

There are reasons why LARGE numbers have left the school over the recent 4 years, these people are not stupid.

Do not pay any attention to posts that have a whiff of propaganda put out by current staff members of the school.

DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND ASK QUESTIONS.

The school is in crisis.

[CookieMonstersCousin]

good god, I just realised the date on this posting!!!



what an eejit!!

[CookieMonstersCousin]

Hi Anangel,

I'm going to follow your thread- my DD has just turned 3 and I've been thinking of sending her there too eventually. We live in Chartham so we're in walking distance at the moment. DD attends a montessori nursery in faversham because of my work and I'm loath to put her into the steiner school just yet, especially as it would mean introducing a childminder for the rest of my working day. I don't think she's ready for that.

I suppose from what i've heard about the school (which isn't too much tbh) is that if you embrace the teaching methods then it works for you, if a parent is viewing it as an 'cheaper' alternative to other fee-paying schools (for status or to escape the state system) then they're more likely to be disappointed.

My biggest concern is whether they adhere to their teaching methods to the detriment of the children's devlopmental needs. While I beleive in delayed learning a la Scandinavia etc, I know my DD is already 'ready' to learn to read beacuse of her interest in reading.

Do you still go to the playgroup? I was thinking of joining the group on my day off but thought DD was too old already.

[anangel]

... I forgot to say, my son will be 3 and 8 months if he starts in september.

ta!