Steiner evil´s?

[deirin]

Hi!

We are intending to send a boy during a term to UK. One of the places we consider is a R. Steiner school, but it looks a controversial method.
Any help?

Thanks in advance.

What about Steiner appeals to you? Which Steiner school is it?

OP
Make an effort and just look up the old threads

It's very much a controversial educational system, which is linked to a belief system which most people consider to be unusual, to put it mildly. Some parents have been very, very unhappy with their experience in the schools, but find it difficult to reply to threads on MN about it as the whole debate has become very heated on several occasions and they have been banned from the topic.

I'd suggest you look through previous threads, and search the internet widely, to get a view of just how controversial the whole subject is. It is certainly not a manistream school, and if this boy is only going to be here for a term, I would think he'd be better in a more mainstream environment.

Thanks a lot!
I´ll look for the trheads. But I heve read this afternoon two very different views on the question, the Ms Schreiber (Guardian report), and the quackometer blog.
Maybe some of you, as parents, have any idea of a good school for normal-absolutly-average people (not religious, not antireligios, not weird, not anti-weird...etc) in the UK....?

If you are looking into a steiner school, I would have thought you would be doing alot of research!

I was Steiner educated. In some ways it was fabulous - art, music - but unfortunately in most ways it totally let me down.

I did make some great friends there who I am still in contact with now.

You probably need to start a new thread with the relevant info in the title - are you looking for a day school or boarding? what area of the country? what age of child? do you want single sex or mixed? There will be people on here who can help, I'm sure, but the title on this thread won't attract the people you need.

A good school in the UK?...

If you have serious question about a specific Steiner school, ask it.

...in the mumsnet local forums.

Thanks, aMumofscot, and all of you.
You are right, the country is so wide.
We are intending to send there a 15 years old, mixed, non especially religious, family boarding...
We would like edinburgh area, but are open (now -aftersteiner- are looking around north england)
But I have to say that your educational system is so gov-controlled that is easy to find pros and contras of almost any school in UK, and its really wonderful.
So, maybe my request of general information is related to a certain level of parent-leaving a child alone in other country-anxiety.
But I like mumsnet.

I think at age 15, and for just one term, a Steiner school might be a bit too much of a change for him. Also, at 15, he could be involved in the research/discussion and part of the decision, himself.

Sure, completely agree.
But if a 52 old parents have a lot of trouble taking a (probably) not so difficult decision, think about him, 15.
However, we share our troubles at home, if appropiate...

It's up there with Scientology if you ask me. Very odd.

You'd be best with something like "Scotland/N England Boarding School" in the title, then you're likely to get knowledgable people in!

OP You dont say why your doing this; to learn English, to experience a new cuture, family comittments? Am assuming you're looking for boarding is it full boarding your looking for? My DS boards if you or a significant other are not able to bring him home at the weekends then in my very extensive experience you need to find a full boarding or majority full boarding only school defintely not a predominately flexi boarding day school with a handful of full boarders and these are few and far between anywhere not just in the areas you mentioned. There are other questions you need to ask; town or country mixed or single sex any must haves; golf course equestrian facilities stunning music dept etc.
You coud look at Gordonstoun nr Inverness not as weird as Steiner but slightly less mainstream lots of international children and due to its location lots of full boarders even staying in over 1/2 term. I don't think in think it provides the greatest education in terms of exam results etc and we"ve heard the pastoral care long term is not much to write home about although I believe it has a new head so things may change but for one term I would think your DS would probably enjoy it. Oh and unless you currently live in Alaska go in a summer term!!
With regard to Steiner I do know a little about it. Like everything else it rises and falls on its implementation if and it's a big if you can ignore a lot of the crap around it e.g the wierd medical stuff the education itself might work for some but it is a process starting in kindergarten and originally ending at 18/19 I believe. I think to just do one term a child would not benefit in any way and would in fact be completely bemused by the whole thing.

One term anywhere would be very odd and almost completely worthless. I would at least go for mainstream and not Steiner.

I'd like to send my kids to a stirner school, where they would learn to be brutal and uncompromising individualists
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Stirner#section_2

It is not that uncommon for foreign children to do one term in a UK boarding school particularly a prep school although at senior level it's often part of an exchange. Luckily for the OP many boarding schools are struggling to fill their vacancies so may be amenable to the idea although she may find it harder if it's yr 11 she looking for because of GCSEs etc. I happen to know that some of the children at Gordonstoun do have the opportunity to go to another round square (?) school in other countries and vice versa and this is one of the reasons I suggested it. Also at my DS's school I understand two boys came from abroad for half a term and at my husbands old school a boy came for a term I know because he wrote an interesting article in the magazine about it so perhaps not as uncommon as people think.

exotic My husband (German) did a term in America (not a boarding school, placed with a host family with a son the same age) at the age of 14, and a summer holiday (6 weeks) in Southend at age 16, also staying with a host family - the entire point in both cases was the English immersion and loads of "able" secondary school children from European countries do this. If the OP's son wants specifically to improve his English and is motivated to do so, and the parents are arranging it themselves I imagine a term of "English immersion" in a reputable, boarding school with good pastoral care and not too exam focussed would be very worth while.

review all references.
and thanks all of them...

Placing a child in a mainstream UK school for one term at age 15 wouldn't be easy. What benefit is there for your son? At that age, UK pupils are preparing for exams, so there will be a lot of revision/testing etc that will be of no relevance to a short term student.

I can see it could be worthwhile but I think that you need to contact the schools and see which are used to that sort of thing and would treat it a bit like an exchange. I would avoid Steiner.

Well, I think that the benefits come from The sharing of time into a different culture and language. I know that its not probably de best age, but before is too soon, and after its not possible for us, as the grades obtained during last two years before university marks the level of your aspirations, here in Spain.

When I was at school a girl came from France for a term to improve her english and be exposed to a new culture. It worked very well actually as the school were well used to having pupils from abroad and she spoke good english. However, she was a bit younger than your DS (13 I believe) so maybe coped with the academic workload better as at that age you're not aiming for exams. I expect what would happen with your DS is that he would go into year 10 where there is a slightly less exam geared curriculum. Incidentally the school I was that is in the north, so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Bootham School in York might be worth looking at? Fantastic city to live in for a while and good school with solid values.

but I admit to being biased