The Three Stages of Steiner Education At The School
There are three stages to any Steiner education: kindergarten, lower school and upper school.
There are two Kindergartens at Rudolf Steiner Kings Langley School, both of which are in a separate area from the main school building. This is where children from 3 years of age to 5 years spend their day. Kindergarten is like an extended playgroup. During the day the children play games, do creative activities and go on short walks in the school grounds.
The lower school consists of classes 1 to 8. There is one class per year with roughly 25 students in each class. The years are academically one year behind the average state school, for example children in class six would be in year seven at a state secondary school.
Writing and reading skills are developed during classes 1 and 2. French and German are also introduced at this time through songs and games. Creativity is still being developed in the children at this stage. They start handwork where they learn to knit, perform a play during the course of the year, and work outside in the gardening lesson. Another subject they start is Eurythmy, which is a way of telling stories through body movement.
More solid subjects such as Mathematics, English Literature, History, Geography, Religion and the Sciences are introduced in the middle school from class 3 to 8. During this period no exams on these subjects take place.
The upper school is from class 9 to 13. The Steiner Schools GCSE examinations are started a year later than state schools to give the students in class 9 the opportunity to go on a French or German exchange for a term. This is recommended as it enhances their understanding of the language. Therefore GCSEs are taken in class 11 and A-levels are taken in class 13.
Steiner education is not just about the academic ability of the child but developing their creative skills, too. As the Rudolf Steiner Kings Langley School motto emphasises, “Education for Head, Heart, and Hand”.
Read more about this topic: Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley
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