Waldorf Education
Creativity Collaboration Communication
Waldorf education offers a different school experience when compared to traditional models of education in the UK today. It encompasses its own dynamic, responsive curriculum and holistic approach which increasingly is identified as essential for the development of well-rounded, creative and academic life-long learners, prepared for life in a fast changing world.
Recent reports by the OECD,(link) Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference (link), the Durham Commission on Creativity (the link) and The Times Education Commission (LINK) focus on the need for education to be creative and curriculum to be broader than is currently the norm. They identify that in making the attainment of qualifications the main driver of education, as has been the case in recent years, there has been a gap in what children need to prepare them for a fast changing world. They focus on the importance of supporting young people to acquire "qualities that will last a lifetime (self-esteem, self-determination, wellbeing and skills)" (ref). Developing these qualities in our young people has been the cornerstone of Waldorf education for a 100 years. It threads through the whole school experience: curriculum, relationships, environment and community. By teaching children in the way they learn best at each stage of their development and utilising artisitc and physical actvities throughout the learning process - art, music, craft, games and movement- education is enjoyed.
