What is wrong with Steiner?

[PosiesOfPoison]

DS is in year5. The secondary he gets into is shit, really shit. At least one third of children with English as a second language with no extra provision/funding and the catchment is rough, about 50% rough. Think Airport security to get into school.
So him going there is a BIG fat no no.

Our options.
Rent in a nice catchment, our house £1200 and to rent £1650 for same or smaller. This would mean siblings get in too, and we wouldn't rent get in and then move back for at least two years.

Send DS1 to Steiner, £5500 per annum.

Home school.

BUT DS2 goes to secondary a year later, by which time I could be working even thinking of training as a Steiner teacher (takes two years).

Do an advanced search on here for loads of stuff on steiner.

oh - that's not fuck off and google it, btw and I hope it doesn't sound like it! I am trying to be helpful, honest. If you read through all the threads then you should have bucket loads of info.

Nowt "wrong" with Steiner education it is just very different from mainstream in philosophy and practice. Depends what you are looking for in a school really and what would suit your child,I suspect if you start steiner education you wouldn't be able to transfer to mainstream later on, at least not without finding it very challenging.
THe "vibe" I have is that arty "hippie" kids will do well and possibly those of a high flighing academic persuasion my not. Having said that I think my eldest would have done well there as she is very self motivated and always has been, Ds not so well as he'd hae chosen to play even more sport than he does now!

Are you the Posie in Bristol? In which case you should be aware that the Bristol Steiner school used to only go up to age 14; they've added a couple of years recently, but I don't think many stay on till 16. Their GCSE options are pretty limited compared to other schools, so you may be stuck trying to find DS a place somewhere for his actual GCSEs anyway, and definitely for the 6th form.

And the Steiner system/philosophy/method/whatever you want to call it is very, um, different from mainstream schools, and AFAIK it is unusual for a child to transfer into the Steiner system for secondary - a lot more transfer out. He might struggle to get on with all the different attitudes and expectations. Plus all the children knowing each other from Steiner junior school, and him being the outsider.

If you are in Bristol, presumably you are looking at the Cathedral (non-catchment) and any of the other ones in the general area? Or at moving?

My Ds started Steiner for secondary,I had read lots about Steiner but decided to go and look for myself and am so glad I did as it wasn't just for lentil weaving,tree hugging veggies as I had been led to believe! The range of subjects on offer is excellent and all the children I have met have been polite and confident and not 'feral' as they are often described on here. Several other children have joined his year group over the last two years (he's nearly 14 now) and as far as I am aware all intend to stay for GCSE .

I find it hard to believe you don't know anything about Steiner if you're considering training as a teacher. Mind you, they often take untrained people so I wouldn't consider lack of training a barrier to entry.
There are lots of websites for ex-Steiner pupils and parents - you might want to look at them as well as doing your research into the philosophy from their point of view.

What is generally considered to be a problem with Steiner is that the education is based on a philosophical system, and those who run the schools are not open and honest with the parents about the philosophy/beliefs and how it affects the way they educate and look after your child.

I'd guess by secondary age, your child will have a clearer idea about that than a 5yo starting there, so the potential for you turning round and being shocked by what he has been taught as fact may be reduced.

But my suggestion would be to look into home education or possibly internet schools if you really find the available state schools unacceptable.

They are hoping to start 14-16 and yes I am in Bristol. DS would need to be musical or mathematical to get into Cathedral, he isn't either!!

He is a definite "explain everything twice" child.

I do know lots about Steiner and just wondered what I didn't know, especially as it gets a lot of vitriol on here!!

The actual schools he would be able to get in without a move are 49, 29 and 34% A-C GCSEs, the better are 72% +.

It's based on a fairly impenetrable religious philosophy, quite heavily. It's also perhaps not a case of what-you-see-is-what-you-get. I like it educationally but would not be able to deal with the religious side of it. If you're quite a "spiritual" person you might get on with it. There have been accusations of bullying and what sounds like emotional abuse, both of pupils and parents.

Oh we're definitely not religious.

When you say you 'know lots' about Steiner, what exactly do you mean? I assume you mean you've read some of the explanatory material.
As LaPrune says, it has a heavy spiritual (northern European Christian) emphasis. Prayer and ritual, and 'reverence' are held in great store, and following the rituals correctly is held in greater store than academic attainment or even what most of us would consider decent standards of behaviour.

Karma, re-incarnation and incarnation are concepts which figure strongly in the philosophy and hence the education (not that these things are taught, necessarily, but they form the backbone of the system).

No one will ever tell a potential parent these things, and you are unlikely to be voluntarily told about them during visits.

Sorry not clear on what you mean about renting in a nice catchment. Does that mean you could get into a decent state school if you move? I'd definitely consider that as an option if I were you.

Yes, both good schools require less than 1:5 km to get in, one is less than 500 m! We live 2.2 km away. We could rent our house for £1200 and would have to pay £1650 for something same size or smaller.

Thanks for the info though!

Posie - you said 'DS would need to be musical or mathematical to get into Cathedral' which is not how it works.

10 per cent of places are set aside for children with 'musical aptitude'. The other 90 per cent are essentially allocated by lottery - well, all applicants sit an entrance test which divides them into five ability bands, and then equal numbers are picked at random from the five ability bands to try to get a 'comprehensive' intake.

Maths ability is not a selection criterion - it's a specialist school for maths, but they don't select on mathematical ability.

If you are seriously considering Steiner, I'd recommend you do an awful lot of reading up on Steiner, anthroposophy etc. I get the impression from what you post on here that you are not much of a one for mumbo-jumbo, and I think you might find some of the basic tenets of the Steiner philosophy rather hard to stomach.

Also, looking at the website of the Bristol school, it looks like they offer a very, very limited selection of 6-8 GCSEs plus lots of craft activities. IMO that would seriously restrict your DS's options for A-levels and any further education.

Also, doing the maths - wouldn't the higher rent for a couple of years to get into (I presume) Cotham or Redland Green be much the same as a couple of years of Steiner tuition? But then the other DCs would benefit from the sibling rule, whereas if you go the Steiner route, you'd just face the same problem with the next one.

i really like the idea of steiner schools and would send my child there like a shot

Posies,

I've been home educating my 12-year-old daughter since Year 6 and it's been an enriching and rewarding time for us both. If you're interested in becoming a teacher, HE could be a formative experience for you. Try posting in the Home Education forum.

EXex. Yep you're right!! Mathematically it makes much more sense to move!!