cambridge steiner school

[woolly76]

Hi all,
I have been looking into the cambridge stiener school, i went to the mother and baby group and found it....well, odd. Quite a serious, nature worshipy, cultish atmosphere, strange monotone singing and general cringy pagan hippy stuff, i was a bit concerned. Any experiences of the steiner school would be really appreciated!

[SuperGranOne]

My son was at two Steiner Schools, and was incredibly happy there. Their pedogogy impressed me (I'm a CAMHS psychologist) and the whole family benefited from the Steiner experience. My son took a double first at Cambridge and is happily doing his PhD, plays two instruments, has a singing diploma, is fluent in three languages and reads three more. He is an independent character and a joy to be with. We credit all this to the Steiner early years programme.

[Abenethri]

That report's from the Steiner School at Kings Langley, Herts, not the Cambridge Steiner School, Freda676?

[Freda676]

You have not read the recent report

[Freda676]

Sorry it is on repeatedly I did not realise the post had worked!

[Freda676]

Read this. reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/117631

[Freda676]

reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/117631

[rosemarie04]

i dont have any children myself at the steiner school but I dont find the report worrying. it makes me curious to find out more about the school. they are basically saying that while children perform below average during the first years they catch up and are above average later on. this just shows that their philosophy of allowing children to play and be creative is an equally succesful approach to learning

[neolar]

Blimey. That's pretty damming. And quite shocking.

[Freda676]

reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/117631

[MarkH1]

I'd agree with Junoper's suggestion to do your own research. Of course you should visit a school and talk to people associated with it. However, I'd suggest that visit would be most useful if you inform yourself about Anthroposophy and the school's ethos beforehand. You'll be better able to see past the school's attractive exterior and get the answers you need to make an informed choice.

[Junoper]

8 posters on this page have actual experience of Cambridge Steiner School. 3 are negative, 4 are positive and 1 is inbetween. The rest of the page is taken up with others (inluding me) piling in to join in a general discussion of Steiner Education. So to those, please be aware that any discussion of Steiner Education on Mumsnet and other sites is inevitably jumped on and dominated by self-styled steiner-waldorf critics (some are here). They?re individuals who spend a great deal of time looking on internet discussion boards for posts about Steiner Education, in order to post negative and off-putting comments. They are individuals, some are calm and clear, others are rabid and manic, some are funny, some bitter, some wistful, some scornful. Some have had negative experiences at Steiner schools and often generalise these experiences to cover ?all? Steiner schools or Steiner education. Some actually have no experience of Steiner schools whatsoever, and really are more critical of anthroposophy than of Waldorf education. Unfortunately it makes it virtually impossible to have any meaningful or genuine discussion here, and for people who are trying to figure out what is right for your child means that Steiner Education can be ruled out based on internet platitudes alone. So if your're looking at a Steiner School, visit, spend time there (as you would at any school, right?), and meet your child?s future teachers. Talk to parents and students. Ask questions about what youv'e read on the interet. Don?t let critics dissuade you, and don?t let Steiner aficiandos convince you. Gather information and make the decision based on your own experience and your own thinking. Good luck :)
ssagarin.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/waldorf-criticsthe-faq-youve-been.html

[Urielemil]

We are indeed going to try the Montessori school in Brighton next term.

[2to3]

Try Montessori instead. Can be a bit snooty in some settings but done properly it's a great philosophy of child development and education. Similar to Steiner on the surface but without the weirdness that lurks beneath

[Urielemil]

Just pulled my 4y/o out of the Cambridge Steiner School after the staff failed to deal with a year long bullying problem in the playground. This year alone more than 3 families pulled their kids out of the Cambridge Steiner School kindergartens (3 out of 35 kids in total - quite a high percentage I would say!).
It seems the staff's lack of dealing with the bullying has to do with their Anthroposophic beliefs i.e. If a child is bullied then it is because of his karma from his previous life... (I kid you not!)
I was utterly shocked when I realised that bullish behaviour is ignorred by the staff while the children are in the playground.
Before putting your child there I would recommend googling the phrases "steiner school" and "bullying" and you'll see that this problem appears quite often in Steiner schools throughout.

It's great that a child in the Steiner school will learn how to bake and weave etc. but all of it is really not worth it if he'll get bullied or be allowed to become a bully himself.

[Nickdunc]

Hi,
I fell on this thread by accident, but thought it might be helpful to offer some experience of the Cambridge Steiner School that we gained over a number of years.

i) It provided an education that was very supportive and rich for the children.
ii) It is well grounded and inductive - so learning how to do things and to interact socially rather than cramming knowledge at an early age are fostered.
iii) I can understand that the style may not be to everyone's tastes, however the underlying methodology is not vacuous. I'd say it is probably old school central European/Scandanavian for want of a better description.
iv) There was a mixed group of parents from all walks of life while we were there, with quite a high proportion of university people, which I suppose goes with the town, but should be indicative that it is not attended by uncritical parents rather than lunatic 'tree-huggers' as you might be forgiven for thinking, from reading some of the posts.
v) It certainly didn't feel like a cult; cohesive certainly and at times a bit claustrophobic, but a lot of small organisations are like that - there are pro's and cons.
vi) On the Nazi issue, I'd only observe that my kids are half Jewish and a number of other kids and teachers were Jewish, and it simply was a non issue. There is a thriving Steiner school group in Israel (one of which we attended), which is not known for its tolerance of that sort of thing...
vii) Both of the kids seem to be getting well above average grades so I don't think they have suffered academically.

I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and our two seem well balanced and integrated into the mainstream education system and developing into free thinking adults. I can't help feeling that although they like to mock it a little, there is a fondness too, they are older now and they see the world differently. My impression is that they have a grounding that is standing them in good stead as they go through their teens.
So, while there is no doubt, as for some of the other contributors, it simply is not what they are looking for, there are some things that may be worth checking out first hand that are distinct and have value in this type of education, and some diversity is surely worth cultivating.

p.s. Knowing how to bake is a distinct advantage...

[BurntWaldorfsalad]

Not all Steiner schools are the same. Some are very fundamental, radical, fascist and downright dangerous institutions. Others are very genuinely nurturing and and offer a very well balanced and academically competent curriculum.

[FGM]

I had a lodger who was training to be a Steiner "teacher".

Her training involved playing with soil and doing things like painting the colour red. For a whole day.
Me: "how was training today?"
Lodger: "we explored red"
Me: "OK... how?"
Lodger: "well we painted a piece of paper red and then thought about how we felt" etc etc

While I appreciate that colours can influence mood I don't need a spoilt, daft girl to show me that!!!

Oh she was also of the view that I had willed my own mother to die and that it was OK because she was probably reincarnated in India. Words cannot describe the insult of her mentality. And I can only hope that the rest of the "teachers" don't subscribe to this rubbish.

My only other experience of Steiner school is of a friend's mother who had been sent from her rich family on the proviso that she had no need of a real education and that she'd marry a rich man anyway. Her words not mine.

[Maria33]

PS Two years with 2 kids; one in school for 2 years, one in kindy for 2 years.

[Maria33]

2 years experience at the Cambridge school and the kindergarten. It was ok for a year, disastrous for the second. If I could turn the clock back I would have gone straight to the primary school (state) they re now in. Kids feel the same.
Anthroposphy is bizarre and does penetrate every aspect of the curriculum (it just takes a while to see that). No black crayons in kindergarten, no corners on paper, no pictures on clothes, no children wearing black, no printed word, nothing that is not made of natural metal, wool, cotton, wood, wax or silk, preference of pentatonic harmonies, swirly paintings, an aversion to lines in general. These are rules with anthroposophic reasoning; children are not fully incarnated till they're 7, or until their teeth start falling out. (yup that's the sign of a fully incarnated child lol ) Special needs are caused by past life issues blah blah blah. Ask about these things specifically at the school if you don't believe me. Steiner education is bonkers and often chaotically run. Stay away if al this sound like nonsense. If you can buy into this, it's definitely the place for you. :)

[MarkH1]

Coming back to this a little late, with little new to add but I think it's also important to note that SIS inspectors are accompanied by a lay inspector who will be a Steiner trained teacher or with similar links to the Steiner movement. Their role is to comment on the schools adherence to the Steiner ethos and management arrangements. It's worth asking, as a prospective parent, why inspection of Steiner schools need these unusual arrangements.

There are plenty of good sentiments in the video anna links to, most of which you'll get in the promotional material for any school. However, it's worth finding out what Steiner schools mean by such words as 'holistic' and 'natural child development'. It may not be what you think. The allusion to the 'spiritual' in the video is a reference to Anthroposophy, of course.

[anna21]

www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0MDSYxFpqxs%26feature%3Dshare&h=oAQEjeAObAQEP8z3vnFKrn47bp5mQHPQ19t2Y6fdNjfzgmg

[Aans]

A note about school inspections:
SIS was approved by the Secretary of State in 2006 and is staffed by a
Co-ordinating Inspector, approved by the DCSF and a team of inspectors most of whom are ex HMIs (Her Majesty's Inspectors) and all of whom are approved for their operations in SIS by DCSF. Ofsted, the Government's official
inspection body, monitors a certain proportion of the SIS inspections every
year to ensure that they are carried out with sufficient rigour and
according to Ofsted's laid-down parameters of inspection and reporting.
More info here: www.schoolinspectionservice.co.uk/

[MarkH1]

Thanks Aans. I said that all Steiner schools are inspected by SIS, which I admit is not 100% accurate. Early years childcare provision in a Steiner setting, such as Buttercups at Cambridge will be inspected by Ofsted, as is the state funded Hereford Steiner Academy. The rest are covered by SIS. I think Buttercups is from age 2 whereas the main kindergarten at Cambridge is from age 3? That isn't clear from their web site, although the homepage does have links to both reports. The SIS report covers the main kindergarten up through the rest of the school. Anyhow...

Wikipedia, sadly, isn't a particularly balanced source of information. The 'talk' and 'history' pages on wikipedia entries relating to all things Steiner reveal the lengths that Steiner enthusiasts will go to ensure these articles paint a good picture. I don't know of a good history of Anthroposophy that is not also polemical in tone. Although clearly critical, Staudenmaier is certainly thorough and scholarly.

"...I think that the real issue is whether Steiner's theories on education translate in a good method for today's children" - Agreed. Unfortunately, objective, independent evidence for this is hard to come by. I've heard it said of Steiner kindergartens that "it's a bit weird, but the kids love it!". Read up on Anthroposophy and you'd be surprised how much of this weirdness suddenly makes sense.

[Aans]

Hi there - certainly Ofsted inspected the Buttercup Kindergarten this school year. The report is available at
www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CARE/EY404691
and it makes important reading for all interested parents.
As for Steiner being a racist or even a Nazi - I'm not sure where this comes from. Please read the Wikipedia entry (again not the Bible, but more balanced views then some): 'Right wing groups had been rapidly gaining strength in Germany. In 1919, the political theorist of the National Socialist movement in Germany, Dietrich Eckart, attacked Steiner and suggested that he was a Jew.[29] In 1921, Adolf Hitler attacked Steiner in an article in the right-wing Völkischer Beobachter newspaper that included accusations that Steiner was a tool of the Jews,[30] and other nationalist extremists in Germany called up a "war against Steiner". In 1922 a lecture in Munich was disrupted when stink bombs were let off and the lights switched out.[31][32] Unable to guarantee his safety, Steiner's agents cancelled a next lecture tour.[22]:193[33] The 1923 Beer Hall Putsch in Munich led Steiner to give up his residence in Berlin, saying that if those responsible for the attempted coup [Hitler and others] came to power in Germany, it would no longer be possible for him to enter the country;[34] he also warned against the disastrous effects it would have for Central Europe if the National Socialists came to power'.
Anyway I think that the real issue is whether Steiner's theories on education translate in a good method for today's children - a method that certainly includes tolerance and respect for each other. Similarly I find the Montessori method fantastic - and am not bothered by the fact that Maria Montessori herself was a fervent Catholic!