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Primary education

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Original poster

Steiner schools

55 replies

blacktaz · 21/01/2021 19:34

Hiya, I'm considering the local Steiner school as an option for my 8 year old daughter. She's ASD and although our local school is lovely she is just so stressed by it with a big class and standard learning styles which don't seem to be suiting her very well.... does anyone have any experience of Steiner who could comment? Are they any good for kids with SEN? Thanks x

OP posts:
FortunesFave · 22/01/2021 05:19

They vary hugely. They get a very bad rap on Mumsnet because some are truly shit...and people are suspicious of their roots.

I can speak honestly because my older child attended one in Australia...but ours was barely a traditional Steiner because it got a lot of government funding...there were only a few of the elements left when we went there.

Things that are suspect
They ban the colour black
They don't teach kids to read until they're 7
Some kids come out of it very badly and have poor general knowledge
There's a lot of hippy-dippy stuff that's not really based in any facts...lots of ceremonies which are a bit mystery shrouded.

Good things
No uniform - I don't believe in them
Lots of outdoor play
Lots of artistic opportunities

But you will need to visit to get feel...and read their OFSTED report.

AaronPurr · 22/01/2021 07:20

If I had my way all Steiner schools would be shut. In my opinion they're failing the children who attend, and often deceive parents about the true nature of Steiner education.

This thread is a few years old now, but highlights many of the issues.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/2284018-Steiner-schools-Autism-and-learning-difficulties

picklemewalnuts · 22/01/2021 07:23

My DC went to one in the nottingham area. The other kids that went seem to be doing ok/very well. That is probably as much to do with the parents as the school- by definition the parents are prepared to pay and to make active choices for their children. My D.C. are doing great, and Steiner was really positive experience for them- but they only went for three or so years. My eldest started at 7 because the state system was failing him. My second tagged along.

There's a lot of work on coordination and practical tasks, outdoor play. They learn to knit and paint and cook before they are taught letters and numbers. By secondary school age, they seem to be on a par with mainstream children.

pickyomix · 22/01/2021 08:45

There are loads of threads on here and other platforms about the dangers and controversies of Steiner and the education, the origins, the crackpot ideas the schools are founded on.
It's a cult. Some schools are better than others and some kids do really well. It often depends how wedded the school are to Steiner theory and practice. It varies wildly.

HighHeelBoots · 22/01/2021 08:51

The ideology underpinning steiner schools is very concerning

Norestformrz · 22/01/2021 10:13

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/steiner-schools-inadequate-requires-improvement-ofsted/

A school must rigorously adhere to the Steiner philosophy in order to call themselves "Steiner". This is monitored by the Steiner Anthroposophical Societies.

steppemum · 22/01/2021 10:20

Just to summarise
The underlying philosophy is racist and anti children with SEN.
Bullying is rife too.

Please read up on them first.

Generally, the further the Steiner school is from their roots, the better they are, which begs the question - why choose a Steiner school?

Is there a Montessori near you? That might be a better option

picklemewalnuts · 22/01/2021 11:13

In my experience there are several reasons Steiner schools fail government inspections, some of them more concerning than others. There was a definite lack of interest in current safeguarding/health and safety procedures. I'd say it was old fashioned- relied on community values to keep children safe. So an expectation that one of the children would tell you if another child was hurt somewhere, for example, rather than an expectation of being able to see the children at all times. Using sharp knives after a warning that sharp knives can hurt, rather than limiting their use.
I would call it naive. Some would call it neglectful. It certainly didn't fulfil any element of gatekeeping, making sure incidents don't happen by engineering them out.

So on that basis alone they'd fail Ofsted.

In our case, we needed a school that didn't follow the national curriculum of the time, because that was harming our D.C. The school we were in were totally failing to manage his SEN, and the Steiner school bought him some valuable time away from targets and tests.

Some children are safer in a Steiner school than a mainstream one.

Norestformrz · 22/01/2021 11:44

"Examples included a failure to check whether staff or host families for boarding pupils were safe to work with children. Staff were also slow to act and notify the local authority when pupils were “clearly at risk of harm”.
“Inspectors also witnessed staff using inappropriate physical interventions with children,” the letter states."

Caramel81 · 22/01/2021 11:51

I went to the Edinburgh one and loved it! I was bullied at the local state school I went to previously but felt accepted at the Steiner school and all the kids just got along regardless of what they looked like or how cool they were etc.
Everyone in my class bar about 3 of the kids have gone on to get degrees, doctorates and impressive jobs. We did do some subjects that weren’t part of the normal curriculum such as gardening, dancing and botany. All of the subjects that other schools study such as maths, English, french, German, music, art, drama, history, geography, PE and science were all studied in depth too though and the fact most people got in to some of the top universities says it all.

parrotonmyshoulder · 22/01/2021 12:05

They are highly, highly unlikely to understand and cater for the needs of a child with ASC. Please listen to advice above.

Caramel81 · 22/01/2021 12:16

I disagree. There were two boys in my class with ASC and they thrived. Maybe I was just lucky with the Steiner school I went to compared to other ones

Same4Walls · 22/01/2021 12:23

@Caramel81

I disagree. There were two boys in my class with ASC and they thrived. Maybe I was just lucky with the Steiner school I went to compared to other ones
I would say your experiences are the exception to the norm.

I used to teach in an area that had a steiner school and I never heard one good word about it from anyone except those who paid a rather extortionate sum to send their children there.

Honestly some of the opinions and comments from professionals I met who'd had personal experience with the school were jaw dropping. The school was anything but inclusive and that sadly doesn't seem to be uncommon for steiner schools.

Caramel81 · 22/01/2021 12:48

I must have just been lucky then. I was there for 6 years and don’t remember ever seeing even minor bullying. Everyone got along and it was a very happy atmosphere with great teaching. My friends all speak very fondly of their years there. I don’t dispute others might have had bad experiences at the other Steiner schools though.

pickyomix · 22/01/2021 13:08

@Caramel81

I must have just been lucky then. I was there for 6 years and don’t remember ever seeing even minor bullying. Everyone got along and it was a very happy atmosphere with great teaching. My friends all speak very fondly of their years there. I don’t dispute others might have had bad experiences at the other Steiner schools though.
Do you know much about the history and the ideology behind the Steiner system? No-one is doubting your positive experience but there are huge concerns about Steiner education.
HighHeelBoots · 22/01/2021 13:17

Its a fair few years since I was looking at schools but, if I remember correctly, bullying was not dealt with as it was thought to be punishment for crimes committed in a past life
There are support groups for adults who went to Steiner schools
It makes no difference how many people come on and rave about their positive experience, you can change the ideological underpinnings

picklemewalnuts · 22/01/2021 13:39

The huge factor in your child's experience is which teacher they have. It's the same one from 6-12, then 13 to 16 (ish).

My son's was great, really got him (severely dyslexic, possible ASD). When he was ready for the next stage, the teacher he would have had retired and we moved him elsewhere as it was so important to us that we knew which teacher he'd get.

There were many children in the school with additional needs- adopted children, children with medical needs, really severe challenges. The school coped far better than most.

I think it's a good system for ASC, up to a point. There's a pattern to classroom life which children find comforting, but no school bells- it's quite a calm environment.

There are things that seem a bit weird, but nothing really troublesome in practice.

The Theosophy behind it is definitely dubious, but it's more a philosophy than a religion. Most teachers I met 'nodded' at it rather than being devotees. It doesn't drive classroom teaching. The families tended to be quite sceptical atheists, but with an interest in alternative therapies.

dancingthroughthedark · 22/01/2021 14:04

My son went to our local Steiner from the age of 11. He loved every minute of it took the Steiner School certificate and graduated last summer from a Russell Group Uni. I read all the threads on here then went to look for myself. Sending him was the best decision we ever made, never met a gnome a ban on black or anything else that Mumsnetters talk about either . Maybe we were lucky but I would highly recommend the school my son attended to anyone

Ariela · 22/01/2021 14:11

I think it really depends on the school and their policies. My eldest attended Steiner kindergarten and I was VERY disappointed in the safeguarding (she was tied to a tree by rope round her neck by 3 other boys and could not breathe, supervising adult was not concerned, nor intervened). It was a long long time ago so different people now, but I suggest do your research carefully.

saraclara · 22/01/2021 14:12

My brother was entirely failed by the Steiner system.

It's incredibly controlling. Yet seems to feed the impression that it's anything but.
Art? You're only allowed to paint in one style and in specific colours. For your whole school career. Just put Steiner school art into google images. To be honest, when we visited my brother's school when I was ateenager, the corridors full of that crap really freaked me out.

Reading? Your kid has learned to read for themselves by four or five years old? If they pick up a book at school, their Steiner teacher will remove it from them unless they've lost their baby teeth.

PE - only their specific kind of movement is taught in PE - see Art, above.

My brother left with no qualifications at all, and has never been able to reach his potential. I'm still angry with my parents and the school, years on.

I wouldn't go near it with a bargepole.

steppemum · 22/01/2021 14:49

The school was anything but inclusive and that sadly doesn't seem to be uncommon for steiner schools.

but, if I remember correctly, bullying was not dealt with as it was thought to be punishment for crimes committed in a past life

the philosophy behind it is that SEN and bullying etc are deserved.

I am sorry, but however nice the particular teacher (and i am sure there are good ones, as there are in every system) I could not send my child to a school which has this underlying philosphy.

And I would massively mistrust an adult who 'gave a nod to it' too.

FortunesFave · 22/01/2021 14:52

The painting thing just isn't true. Yes, there's a particular style taught in the early years but by secondary age, that's let go...they learn the same art as any school.

The book removal...never happened to any kid I've known. They were actively encouraged to use the library...

What gets me is that whenever these schools are mentioned on MN, there are always horror stories...but look on the education threads on MN and THOUSANDS of kids are failed in the 'normal' school system every single day.

Yet Steiner schools are treated with mistrust because they're different. There are some bad ones yes...but that's just like your average school isn't it? Three bad and one good in every town.
PE...not true either...the school my DD went to had all the normal sports and they played against other local schools too.

There are however a LOT of very weird versions of the thing out there.

Caramel81 · 22/01/2021 15:39

I did loads of different styles of art when I was there. I was also encouraged to read books and we followed the regular curriculum in English (Shakespeare etc).
I remember doing all the usual stuff in PE such as basketball, rounders, hockey, badminton etc.
I’m not sure I agree with the bullying stuff either as I remember us all having talks about how bullying is wrong and we should never leave people out etc.
I do know about all the Steiner supposed philosophy but none of it was my experience so either my school had moved on from all of that nonsense or I was just lucky.

saraclara · 22/01/2021 15:58

I think some Steiner schools may have moved on. As others have said, they seem to operate independently from each other. But when my brother was at his, what I said was absolutely accurate. In fact the art thing was the only aspect that my parents criticised (as they were arty people themselves). But they brushed off all the other weirdnesses, because they wanted it to work - or at least my mum did.

It was absolutely possible at his, to go through school without taking or working for a single academic qualification. He seemed to be taught only subjects that his teacher was interested in. And as you have the same teacher throughout, that becomes very limiting. And that was his downfall. Hopefully that's not allowed now. This was pre-OFSTED.