Will FES use only the Steiner Curriculum?
Our curriculum arises out of Steiner’s picture of child development. About a thousand schools work successfully with this model throughout the world. However, FES is unique as:
- Our curriculum will be looked at afresh and designed for pupils growing up in the 21st century
- We will consider any effective and innovative approach to teaching and learning if it fits with the school’s vision and when it’s in harmony with our view of child development
We will be flexible and open to using aspects from other educational philosophies as well as from mainstream. We will give children a quality education that will nurture them to grow into well-balanced, free-thinking individuals.
Most subjects that appear in the National Curriculum are also part of the Steiner Curriculum. The key question is at what age is a given subject or educational approach appropriate? The Steiner Curriculum encompasses physical, emotional, intellectual and moral development in a holistic way using head, heart and hands. Each subject is brought to the children at an age when it is beneficial to their overall development and when they are able to relate to it fully.
What will the ethos of the school be like?
We will strive for an ethos of mutual respect and interest between pupils, pupils and staff and among colleagues. As a teaching and learning community we will work towards sustainability and a view of our planet as one living whole. We will learn from each other, share our strengths and appreciate each other’s insights.
Will your staff be Steiner or Mainstream trained?
Ideally, both. The quality of teaching staff is the most important resource in a school and our first priority is to employ effective, innovative, inspired and inspiring teachers.
Our teachers will continually engage in diverse and challenging personal and professional development. This will enable them to be fresh and motivated in their teaching and in their human relationships. We want teachers to meet the needs and interests of children in a creative way.
Will FES adhere to any religion or philosophy?
We live in a multicultural, multi-belief society so we will promote an attitude of mutual respect. From an early age we will cultivate a sense of wonder for nature that encompasses the possibility of the spiritual as well as physical aspects of life. Spiritual in this context does not mean religious but simply being open to life as a multi-dimensional reality. It is not the school’s role to educate to any one particular religion – that is something that belongs to the freedom of the parents.
Our teaching methods will respect people of all beliefs whether religious, agnostic or atheist.
Will R.E. be taught at FES?
Our experience tells us that a respect for nature and the rhythm of the seasons is of benefit to all children. Many seasonal festivals will be celebrated whether they arise out of religious, pagan or other traditions. We will teach an uncompromising veneration for life and a deep respect for human dignity.
In the Lower School, children will be immersed in the rich tradition of myths and legends at appropriate ages to gain an understanding of the many cultures and religions of the world.
In the Upper School – when the children’s sense of judgement has emerged – comparative religion will be taught alongside agnosticism. Pupils will be encouraged and given the tools to develop their own philosophy of life.
At what age will the children be introduced to ICT?
At FES learning and teaching lives in the relationship between the adults and children. We feel human contact is the most effective dynamic to learning. Substantial research is revealing the disadvantages to children’s cognitive development and social skills in being introduced too soon to screens. We would like to develop children’s imaginations and consolidate more basic skills in all subjects as a priority for children of primary school age.
However, computers are an important aspect of modern life and we will introduce them purposefully into the curriculum at the end of primary years/beginning of middle school.
I understand that reading and writing are taught later than in the National Curriculum. What are the benefits of this approach?
When a child enters the school system it is assumed that he/she will be able to sit still, pay attention, manipulate a pencil and control the eye movements which are necessary for reading. Many children do acquire these skills without difficulty; others take longer and enter school at a definite disadvantage in terms of their physical and neurological development.
Writing is a motor task which involves complex co-ordination between the hand and eyes with the support of the postural system. It is active. Reading is primarily an oculo-motor skill, a smaller movement and a more passive action. As young children naturally learn through movement writing is taught first. Attention and concentration develop with maturity. Motor skills are a measure of this maturity and will be prioritised in the Kindergarten years.
In common with many education systems internationally, we introduce writing and reading at about the age of 6. At this age the children are physically ready and have built up a rich foundation of oracy and pre-writing skills.
My child has learned to read and write already. Won’t she be bored having to do it all again?
The richly imaginative way in which the letters, sounds and numbers are introduced will certainly not leave them feeling bored. They will take joy in re-discovering this topic with an added dimension. Young children love to hear things they already know, and when they do, they experience a rush of confidence.
What is the attitude to Science teaching?
Science is a living subject and many scientific theories change over the years. Our approach is therefore to guide children as much as possible to make their own observations and to be open to how science develops over the ages. In addition the biographies and views of scientists will be studied and we will encourage children to explore for themselves, within the confines of the GCSE and A-level curriculum.
Science teaching begins informally in the Kindergarten with experiencing the outdoors, bread-making, baking, cooking, nature walks etc as core activities in the curriculum which relate to daily living and playing. In Classes 1 and 2 these activities continue in part, but the emphasis shifts to a more conscious awareness of nature and its processes. Additional Science is integrated into the Literacy curriculum with stories which have connections with the animal and plant world. Detailed, subtle observation of the world around us is practised and cultivated in children. The priority is to always relate Science back to the human being and to everyday living.
In Classes 4 & 5 main lessons such as Man and Animal, and Botany give children the opportunity to explore these subjects fully. In Class 3 the Building main lesson looks at the evolution of human structures and shelters incorporating physics and chemistry as children replicate their own examples. Also in Class 3, the Farming and Agriculture block explores how human beings came to understand certain laws of nature and develop technologies to sustain themselves. Through regular gardening children nurture a relationship to the earth and to substance as an outcome of life processes (e.g timber and compost).
Classes 6-8 children study in detail topics such as Geology, Nutrition and aspects of human Anatomy and Physiology. Yet the emphasis is not to reduce man to merely a group of cells, a glorified animal or a machine, but to always keep sight of a bigger and broader picture of all the dimensions which make up a human being. A balanced approach which considers ‘the whole’ is always preferred above reductionism as a philosophy. Physics and Chemistry continues to look at important phenomena in life.
By the end of the Upper School, students will have covered everything they need to sit GCSEs and A Levels with the additional studies in Botany, Zoology and Ecology.
Why does the same teacher stay with a class for several years?
Young children need stability and security. They need to trust and form a relationship with those who teach and care for them – only then are they able to fully give themselves to the learning process. Changing teacher every year interrupts that process. In the course of a longer-term relationship a bond can grow between teacher and pupil so that the teacher soon comes to know a child’s strengths and weaknesses and be able to give the right support and stimulus, as and when it is needed.
A second advantage of having the same class teacher for such an important period in a child’s life, is that much of what is taught draws on knowledge and skills they have developed in previous years. Having the same teacher means that themes can be followed, drawn out and cross-referred so that a holistic view of the world is given. Socially, a long- term working partnership also develops with the parents and carers.
What happens if a child does not get on with the class teacher?
This is a question many parents ask, and yet it is something which very rarely happens. If a teacher knows that a child is only going to be under his or her care for a year, there is a temptation to let a problem go unresolved. In our system that doesn’t work. Problems have to be faced and progressed by the school and the family.
Teachers are constantly encouraged to look at themselves and to develop as human beings. Conflict can be positive if it highlights the need for change in either party. In the unlikely event that the situation can really not be resolved, a transfer to another class could be considered.
What about discipline?
In order for children to learn well, classes and individuals need to be warmly, but firmly managed. Our approach to discipline will be in accordance with the child’s developmental stage. In a ‘whole’ child approach we take into account the individuality of the child and how best to encourage and elicit the most positive behaviour from him or her. At FES we will look to nurture a self discipline that comes from within the child. We will do this by creative and diverse means.
Engaging teaching which differentiates in content, delivery and also in dialogue with each child, will ensure fewer behaviour issues. The key to good school discipline is engagement in work. Children love to learn! That is, as long as they feel that they are achieving and not failing, as long as there is encouragement and not coercion, as long as it stimulates their imagination and does not tire them with dry repetition. Learning should be fun.
Good discipline is maintained when each child has the deep conviction that he is special because of his unique contribution to the school community and to the world.
What are the long term aims for the child?
The stresses which face young people leaving school seem to be increasing. One of these is a lack of belief that they will find a secure and useful place in society. There are four qualities which we see as essential; strength, happiness, creativity and intelligence – these are four of the most important aspirations for children’s education alongside many others.
FES will provide a seamless transition for pupils from 3 through to 18 where possible. Children stay in the kindergarten until they are 6, after which they enter Class 1, the first year of the Lower School. The Upper School comprises Class 9 to Class 12.
