"Education
is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire"
W.B. Yeats
 |
|
|
We
tune into the children's life stages, and help unfold every
child into an independent adult.
We teach
the subjects one would expect to find in other schools, the
main difference being the age at which children receive instruction
in a particular topic and the way in which it is brought. In
fact the curriculum is carefully structured to respond to the
three different stages of developmental need that Rudolf Steiner
saw children experiencing - making the passage into adulthood
so much easier. |
The first stage
of life lasts until the first permanent teeth appear - this
is a period in which the WILL is the overriding trait. While
feeling and thinking are present, they are dominated by the
will, and children at this age learn best through imitation
and doing.
The second stage. Next
comes the period of childhood proper, in which FEELING is the
child's main mode of interacting with the world. During this
stage, both the will and the child's thinking ability are overshadowed
by feelings. At this age children learn through connecting with
and relating to the
subject matter and the teacher.
The third stage. With
the onset of puberty the third period of development emerges
and extends to the age of young adulthood. This is the reign
of the THINKING, which at last begins to govern the child's
will and feelings with reason and logic. Now the child learns
through the development of concept, reasoning and ideas.
"The new generation should
not just be made to be what present society wants it to become."
Rudolf Steiner |
|
| Some
key differences between the Steiner approach, and other
schools: 
From age 7, the main lesson of the day
runs uninterrupted for
about two hours, giving the children time to
engage more deeply with the
topic in hand.
A single theme is
studied for around 4 weeks in a row, weaving
in all aspects of social and academic life - a study of
Egypt might
connect language, art, history, geography, culture, mathematics,
sciences, movement, dance and song. Children reach far
greater depths of understanding when they can study like
this.
There is no 'streaming'
within classes, and the equality extends further: all
pupils study all subjects, so girls do metalwork, just
as boys do movement classes and knitting.
From age 7 until age 14, children have
the same class teacher, which gives a real
sense of security to the pupils. From age 15 onwards,
students are supported by the pastoral care a personal
tutor. Such long-term pupil-teacher-parent relationships
provide the stability and continuity that are fundamental
to a successful growing and learning
environment.
Pupils receive continuous formative
assessment to check their growth in human,
social and academic spheres. This leaves school-life free
to be an enjoyable time for learning with enthusiasm and
growing self-confidence.
Pupils generally sit GCSEs at
age 17 - instead of age 16 in conventional
schools - then sit AS and some A levels just one year
later, so many leave the school at the same age as their
peers. The pass rate at GCSE and A levels is generally
well above the national average.
Our pupils are positively welcomed
by Universities, colleges and in the work place.
We have no 'head' or principal
of the school - instead the teachers as a group of colleagues
perform this function, working within a non-hierarchical
structure.
|
For a MAP
or to discover how to contact, please Click
here
For Tuition Fees information, please
Click
here |
