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!

[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...

[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.

[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]

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

[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

[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.

[Freda676]

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

[neolar]

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

[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

[Freda676]

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

[Freda676]

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

[Freda676]

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

[Freda676]

You have not read the recent report

[Abenethri]

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

[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.