Lower School

Lower School

Class I - IV (ages 6 - 10)


          
The aim of the Steiner curriculum in the Lower School is not to fill the children with information but instead to awaken their capacities for imagination, wonder and creativity - before developing the intellectual realm during the final four years in the Upper School .

At the age of 6 pupils enter the Lower School, where they will stay with the same class teacher for eight years. This fosters security and allows the teacher to be a guiding force of stability and continuity in the child's school life. Steiner teachers are dedicated to creating a genuine love of learning within each pupil. They work in partnership with parents to foster the holistic development of the child and consciously cultivate qualities such as trust, compassion and an inner moral sense.



Academic learning is introduced in Class 1, beginning with writing, and then reading, and number work. In the younger classes, all subjects are introduced through artistic mediums, as this engages pupils to greater effect: art, music and drama are part of the daily life of the School. Languages are important in the Steiner Curriculum and pupils are taught French and German from the age of 7.

The Main Lesson is a fundamental feature of Steiner Education. Every morning there is a two-hour long Main Lesson which gives the children time to immerse themselves fully in a subject and to explore it from many angles - intellectual, artistic and practical. It is taught by the class teacher in 3 to 4 week modules, covering literacy, numeracy, history, geography, music and science.



 
Learning in a Steiner school is a non-competitive activity. There are no grades given in the Lower School; the class teacher and specialist subject teachers write a detailed evaluation of each pupil at the end of the year and keep regular records of his/her progress. There is no homework for children in Classes I - IV.




By the conclusion of Class IV, pupils will have gained a full foundation of learning and will be prepared to take on the growing complexities of the Steiner Curriculum as they move up the School, to Middle school .