July 26, 2019

STEINER VS. OFSTED - 

LETTER WRITERS CLASH

An official schools inspection agency in the United Kingdom (UK) — the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) — has found the great majority of inspected Steiner schools in the UK to be doing a poor job. [1] Critics of Steiner schools are now suggesting that these schools probably should be closed. Defenders of Steiner schools argue that, to the contrary, Ofsted should be abolished.

Letters are appearing in UK newspapers and online, taking both sides of the debate. Here are samples.

1.

CHANGE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE !!

An Open Letter to Amanda Spielman (head of Ofsted), and to Steiner Schools Recently Rated ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted

Dear Ms Spielman,

We are writing as educationalists to express our grave concerns about recent Ofsted decisions to grade a number of England’s Steiner schools as “Inadequate”. The high-stakes grading system which you use is not only unfair on those schools; it is in general inconsistent, unreliable, and lacks any sense of objectivity...

First and foremost, there are several Steiner schools where the level of parental satisfaction with their school is measured at approaching an extraordinary 100 per cent, and yet which Ofsted has deemed to be “Inadequate” [2]...

Secondly, can you please tell us how much inspectors knew about the Steiner ethos, and its many differences from mainstream Gradgrind education [3], before they were unleashed on these schools?...

Thirdly, what confidence can anyone have in the reliability of an inspection system whereby a nursery was deemed “Good” on re-inspection three months after a previous “Inadequate” grading, even though nothing had changed? [4]... 

Fourthly, many have commented on how unrealistic it is for a two-day visit, spot-checking just certain classes, to be considered representative of a whole school...

Given the highly problematic nature of the Ofsted grading system and its questionable validity...the whole approach to inspection evaluation and judgement needs root-and-branch transformation...

In our view, as Ofsted seems incapable of significantly changing its regime and approach, the only realistic way to reverse the malaise is to replace Ofsted with a supportive inspectorate that empowers, rather than punishes, bullies and publicly humiliates....

[By Richard House, Richard Brinton, Rowan Williams, and other signatories    https://m.facebook.com/notes/a-path-of-discovery-waldorf-for-everyone/change-before-it-is-too-late-/1353949554761398/    July 13, 2019.] [5]

2.

Steiner Schools must change, if not they will close

Richard Brinton (letters July 17th) calls for Ofsted to be changed or abolished following a very critical inspection of a local Steiner school.

Whilst I certainly do not think Ofsted is above criticism this seems to be a blatant case of shooting the messenger because you don’t like the message.

His response typifies the arrogance of many who promote Steiner education believing it to be beyond judgement according to the standards expected of all schools [6].

Since it is inconceivable to them that the schools are indeed failing it must be the inspection process which is at fault. This despite the fact that the failings found in Steiner schools, which have led to some closing, are so consistent as to suggest a failing in the underlying pedagogy [7]...

[I]t is the Steiner schools themselves which must change and if they will not they must close.

[By Jim Watson    https://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/17794332.letters-steiner-schools-must-change-not-will-close/    July 25, 2019]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] See, e.g., "The Steiner School Crisis".

[2] Of course, whether parents like a school may be a different question from whether the school is actually educating children well.

[3] This is a reference to Thomas Gradgrind, a numbers-crunching, hardhearted school superintendent in Charles Dickens' novel HARD TIMES.

[4] This example does not concern a Steiner school, the writers say.

[5] For previous coverage concerning this letter, see "Harsh Inspections Called Unfair", July 3, 2019.

[6] Labeling opponents "arrogant" is an ad hominem attack that, like all ad hominems, is unhelpful. By contrast, Mr. Watson is correct to say that many Steiner proponents deny the applicability of ordinary standards to Steiner schools. Thus, in the letter from Richard House, et al, we find this: "Steiner schools have a fundamentally different ethos and pedagogy from mainstream schooling, the subtlety and depth of which Ofsted’s managerialist bean-counter approach is distinctly ill-equipped to comprehend, let alone assess in an informed way."

[7] This is the key issue raised by Amanda Spielman: whether there are systemic failings in the Steiner system that may be present, to varying degrees, in all Steiner schools. [See, e.g., "Ofsted May Seek Systemic Steiner Flaws", January 31, 2019.]

— R.R.

July 30, 2019

WORD GETTING OUT 

ABOUT STEINER SCHOOLS 

Waldorf schools in the United Kingdom — they are usually called Steiner schools in the UK — are reeling. Inspectors have found serious problems in many of these schools, and they have concluded that the great majority of inspected Steiner schools in the UK are subpar. These finding have had tangible effects. Two Steiner schools have shut down, and others are now in peril. [1]

The drama has been intense — but it has gone largely unnoticed. News in the UK has been dominated by Brexit, the fall of a prime minister, and the elevation of a new prime minister. Most people have had little attention to spare for the plight of a fringe form of education.

But major media have occasionally put out stories about the Steiner crisis. A case in point: The Daily Mail, a newspaper with an enormous circulation [2], published the following report recently:

More than 75 per cent of 

Steiner schools across the UK 

are failing to provide a decent education, 

Ofsted inspectors announce 

By Eleanor Harding

Three quarters of Steiner schools across England are not providing a decent education, Ofsted [3] announced yesterday.

The watchdog [4] this year launched a crackdown on [Steiner] schools...

[F]ollowing inspections of 26 Steiner schools — 22 private and four state-run [5] — Ofsted found ‘serious issues’ in some.

Although six were rated good [6], 13 were judged as ‘inadequate’ [7] and seven were judged to ‘require improvement’ [8].

In total, 77 per cent of Steiner schools have been judged to be less than good, compared with just 15 per cent of state-funded schools [9].

Amanda Spielman, the chief inspector of schools...highlighted concerns over safeguarding practices [10], provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) [11] and the quality of education [12] and leadership [13].

A third of Steiner schools inspected had ‘ineffective safeguarding’, and the issues were ‘serious’...

Fewer than a third of the inspected [Steiner] schools were judged to have good teaching, learning and assessment [14]....

[7/30/2019    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7274795/More-75-cent-Steiner-schools-UK-failing-provide-decent-education.html    This article originally appeared on July 22, and it was subsequently updated.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[2] The Daily Mail has the second-largest circulation (approximately 1.2 million) of all newspapers in the UK, second only to The Sun.

[3] Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education. Part of the UK government's Office of Education, Ofsted inspects various types of schools in the UK.

[4] I.e., the watchdog agency (Ofsted).

[5] Most Steiner schools in the UK operate outside the state or public school system, but four are "free schools" — what, in the USA, are called charter schools. These schools follow their own curricula, but the state pays the tuition fees for the students.

[6] A school is rated "Good" if it meets Ofsted's standards and has no serious shortcomings. "Good" is the second-highest Ofsted rating (equivalent to a "B"). The highest rating — indicating a school is excellent — is "Outstanding" (equivalent to an "A"). Ofsted has not found any Steiner school to merit the highest rating.

[7] "Inadequate" is a failing grade (equivalent to an "F") — it indicates that a school has serious shortcomings.

[8] "Requires Improvement" is a low passing grade (equivalent to a "D" or "C-") — it indicates that a school is below average.

[9] The wording, here, is imprecise. Technically, the four Steiner free schools are "state-funded schools." The article means to say that only 15 percent of ordinary public schools in the UK have been judged to be less than good, whereas more than three-quarters (77 percent) of inspected Steiner schools have been judged to be less than good.

[10] I.e., measures taken to ensure the safety of the students.

[11] I.e., measures taken to accommodate students who have learning disabilities or other handicaps.

[12] This, surely, is the central criterion. Does a school give its students a good education or not? Inspectors have concluded that most of the inspected Steiner schools do not.

[13] I.e., school management.

[14] "Assessment" refers to efforts made to determine whether students are benefiting from their schooling. Inspectors have found that most inspected Steiner schools have poor teaching; students evidently do not learn as much as they should; and the schools make insufficient efforts to gauge how well teachers and students are doing.

— R.R.

September 11, 2019

TROUBLED STEINER SCHOOL

IN THE U.K. WILL RETRENCH  

Education inspectors for the UK government have found serious deficiencies in a number of Steiner schools. [See "The Steiner School Crisis".] As a result, several of the schools are reeling, and some have closed in whole or in part.

The latest casualty is the secondary-school section of the Steiner Academy Bristol.

The following is from Bristol Live [Bristol, United Kingdom]:

Steiner Academy Bristol's 

secondary school set to close in 2020

Parents have reportedly been told to look for new schools for the next academic school year

By Emma Grimshaw

It's been a turbulent 12 months for Steiner Academy Bristol [1] and now it's likely bosses will soon close classes for pupils aged 11 or older.

Earlier this year, the Fishponds state school [2] was thrown into special measures following a damning Ofsted report [3].

Inspectors said pupils were being put at avoidable risk of harm [4] and school leaders were issued with a "termination warning notice" forcing it to join a multi-academy trust [5] or face being closed down.

Before the school shut for the summer holidays, bosses [6] announced they were teaming up with Avanti Schools Trust [7].

The school currently offers education to children aged between four and 16 but a meeting took place in July where parents were briefed on plans to close classes for pupils aged 11 years plus [8]...

Parents have told Bristol Live they were advised to look for alternative secondary provision [9]....

[9/11/19   https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/steiner-academy-bristol-secondary-closing-3301646   This article originally appeared on September 10.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] Some UK Steiner schools — generally called academies — are "free schools" (what would be called charter schools in the USA). Steiner Academy Bristol is such a school. [See "Inadequate: Bristol, From, &...".]

[2] The Academy is located in the northeast corner of Bristol, in an area called Fishponds. The Academy is a "state school" because, as a free school, it receives government funding. Many other Steiner schools, in the UK and elsewhere, are private schools that rely on their own fundraising efforts.

[3] "Special measures" are emergency procedures meant to improve a failing school. Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education.

[4] As at other Steiner schools, Ofsted inspectors found inadequate provisions for safeguarding the students. News media tended to highlight this issue, but the inspectors generally found other deficiencies at Steiner schools, ranging from poor teaching to poor management.

[5] Multi-academy trusts are educational organizations that operate two or more schools under a single board of directors.

[6] I.e., leaders at the school.

[7] Avanati Schools Trust is a multi-academy trust that, until recently, had exclusively operated Hindu schools in the UK.

[8] The decision to close the secondary-school section of Steiner Academy Bristol apparently originated with Avanati. According to the head teacher at the Academy, "[T]hey thought moving to a primary model was the best way of securing the long-term future of the school...."

[9] I.e., find other schools for their children.

— R.R.

October 4, 2019

FROME STEINER 

STILL FAILING BADLY

The crisis among Waldorf or Steiner schools in the United Kingdom (UK) continues [1]. Inspectors have found many of these schools to be seriously deficient.

The Steiner Academy in the town of Frome has received intensely critical inspection reports in the recent past [2]. And the latest news is not good. The school evidently has not improved much if at all.

From SomersetLive [Somerset, UK]:

'Dysfunctional' Frome school still 

failing to meet Ofsted standards [3] 

a year after failed inspection

Steiner Academy in Frome [4] was given the poor grading last year and is still failing

By Jack Colwill

A Somerset school graded 'inadequate' [5] by Ofsted last year is still unfit for purpose [6], with a monitoring report describing it as "dysfunctional".

The Steiner Academy in Frome was given the 'inadequate' inspection result in November 2018 and placed into special measures [7] to improve performance.

However, a monitoring visit a year on has led Ofsted to say there has been no real improvement in standards and the school remains sub-par.

The academy, which was taken over by the Avanti Schools Trust [8] this year, was told in its initial report that it needed to make improvements in the area[s] of student safety, teaching standards and leadership and management [9].

This new review has concluded that while there have been recent positive changes in approach across these areas and that there has been "significant turbulence" in the school's staffing [10], "the pace of improvement is far too slow"...

The report's conclusions stated that the academy should not be looking to employ inexperienced teachers.

A letter from Jen Southall, Her Majesty's Inspector with Ofsted, to the management of the school said: "Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time, leaders and managers are not taking effective action towards the removal of special measures [11].

"Having considered all the evidence I strongly recommend that the school does not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers [12]...."

[10/4/19    https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/dysfunctional-frome-school-still-failing-3389868    This article originally appeared on October 3.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[2] See "Inadequate" Bristol, Frome, &..."

[3] "Ofsted" is an acronym, standing for the UK government's Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (or, as it is commonly known, the Office for Standards in Education). [See https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.]

[4] Steiner Academy Frome is a Steiner "free school" — comparable to a charter school in the USA. Steiner academies typically follow the Steiner curriculum as much as possible, but they receive funding from the government and thus, in a sense, they are public schools. 

[5] "Inadequate" is the lowest rating issued by Ofsted; it is a failing grade.

[6] I.e., the Academy is unfit to fulfill its function as an educational institution.

[7] "Special measures" are essentially emergency procedures meant to produce rapid improvement. 

"What does it mean to be put into 'special measures'? Once a school has been put into special measures, it is presented with an action plan by the local [education] authority — detailing key areas they need to develop in order to leave the category. The monitoring of the action plan then passes to Her Majesty's Inspectors [HMI] who visit the school typically once a term for one to two days to evaluate progress. Once HMI are satisfied that the action plan has been completed and all points satisfactorily addressed, then they will go back to Ofsted and ask them to schedule another inspection. If Ofsted agree with HMI's judgment, the school is then removed from the special measures category." — CambrigeshireLive.

"When schools are graded inadequate, there are two possible categories they can fall into. Special measures is the worst of the two, the other being ‘serious weaknesses’. [Special measures] means that the school is failing to provide its pupils with an acceptable standard of education, and is not showing the capacity to make the improvements needed. Serious weaknesses schools aren’t currently providing good enough education, but inspectors feel leaders have shown they know what must be done to turn things around." — ChronicleLive.

[8] Avanti is a multi-academy trust: It is an educational trust that runs several schools under a single board of trustees. [See https://avanti.org.uk.] In the past, Avanti specialized in administering Hindu schools in the UK. Several Steiner schools that have received damaging inspection reports are now seeking assistance from Avanti. Whether Steiner and Avanti are a good fit for each other has been doubtful. Steiner Academy Frome has given Avanti its first chance to try to improve a Steiner school. The results so far are less than encouraging.

[9] The school was found to fail in almost every possible way: Students were not kept safe, the teaching was poor, and management was ineffective.

[10] Such "turbulence" can be good if it means incompetent teachers are replaced by better teachers. But turbulence (instability, tumult) can also clearly be bad (producing confusion and strife), and Ofsted indicates that Steiner Academy Frome has tended to hire inexperienced teachers instead of teachers who have proven track records. (Waldorf or Steiner schools have often preferred inexperienced teachers who have received Waldorf/Anthroposophical training, rather than more experienced teachers who are not spiritually devoted to the Waldorf system and/or Anthroposophy.)

[11] I.e., the school has not yet improved sufficiently to warrant the end of the emergency measures imposed on the school.

[12] I.e., the school should not continue hiring teachers who have only recently received their teaching credentials.

— R.R.

October 11, 2019

A WALDORF SCHOOL 

SATISFIES INSPECTORS 

Inspectors from the UK government's Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) have found glaring weaknesses at a number of Steiner schools in England. [1] In some instances, the faulted schools fail to improve following these inspections, and they received additional highly critical reviews from subsequent inspections. [2] But in other cases, concerted efforts by faculty and staff enable a criticized school to improve. Such seems to be the case for a Waldorf-Steiner school in the city of Brighton.

The following is from The Argus [East Sussex, England]:

Brighton Waldorf School improves 

after being found inadequate 

By Laurie Churchman 

A STEINER school criticised for its “uninspiring” teaching and pupils’ “poor behaviour” has now made the improvements inspectors required [3].

In a damning report earlier this year, Ofsted said those in charge of the Brighton Waldorf school [4] had an “overgenerous” view of its quality.

Ofsted identified a list of problems, from bullying, disruptive behaviour in the classroom and disengaged pupils to lessons pitched at the wrong level [5].

But after a recent review, it found the private school...now “meets all of the independent school standards that were checked during this inspection”.

The new report said: “There is still some inconsistency in the quality of teaching. However, school leaders have taken positive steps to make improvements that are welcomed by pupils, staff and trustees.”

The school is still rated inadequate [6]. But headteacher Damian Mooncie said: “The judgement remains in place until the next inspection, but to all intents and purposes Ofsted is recognising that this is not an inadequate school [7]..."

Since the original inspection, Ofsted found more time had been devoted to subject-specific teaching at the school, “to help pupils to catch up in areas where they may not be achieving as well as other pupils nationally"...

Steiner schools like the Brighton Waldorf are controversial.

They are popular among the liberal and bohemian middle classes, and adhere to a curriculum developed by the Austrian occultist Dr Rudolf Steiner [8]...

In 2014 the BBC investigated complaints of bullying being tolerated at Steiner schools [9]...

It reported that in one case, not in Brighton, a parent complained a teacher said they thought bullying was part of how kids “worked out their karma” [10].

[10/11/19    https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/17961304.brighton-waldorf-school-improves-found-inadequate/]   

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[2] See, e.g., "Frome Steiner Still Failing Badly", October 4, 2019.

[3] Waldorf or Steiner schools are not all entirely alike — there can be considerable variation. [See "Non-Waldorf Waldorfs".] While academic standards are often low at Waldorf/Steiner schools [see "Academic Standards at Waldorf"], some of the schools are able to attain better academic results. A major factor is the degree of a school's devotion to Rudolf Steiner's occult (mystical, esoteric) directives. If a Waldorf/Steiner school moves out from Steiner's shadow, it may become more educationally respectable — but at the cost of ceasing to be a genuine Waldorf/Steiner institution intent on following Steiner's guidance.

[4] See https://www.brightonwaldorfschool.org.

[5] The list of faults was virtually all-inclusive, ranging from poor teaching, to questionable management, to rowdy student behavior. The leaders of the school were "overgenerous" in that they saw few if any problems; they thought their school was doing fine.

[6] This is the lowest assessment issued by Ofsted; it is equivalent to a failing grade ("F"). Whether Brighton Waldorf earns a higher assessment (whether it is officially no longer deemed inadequate) will hinge on a future inspection.

[7] The Argus and Mr. Mooncie may be placing an unduly bright interpretation on the results of the latest inspection. This was a brief, partial inspection; it did not check into all the matters covered in a full inspection. [To read the report of the recent, partial inspection — dated September 18, 2019 — see https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50115044. To see the report of the prior, full inspection — dated March 5-7, 2019 — see https://www.brightonwaldorfschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ofsted-Report.pdf.] Nonetheless, the latest inspection found that the school has addressed the specific faults previously found at the school. Thus, the inspectors noted significant improvement.

[8] Waldorf founder Rudolf Steiner is often described as a "philosopher," a "scientist," or an "educational reformer." But, indeed, "occultist" is the true description. Steiner embraced this term, claiming to be a clairvoyant spiritual savant. [See "Occultism".] His followers generally regard him as one of humanity's greatest spiritual masters. [See "Guru".]

[9] Problems with bullying and other forms of abuse in Steiner schools have sometimes been alleged. [See, e.g., "Slaps" and "Extremity".] Ofsted found problems with bullying at the Brighton Waldorf; these problems have evidently been addressed. [For BBC reports from 2012 and 2014, see "BBC & SWSF".]

[10] Belief in karma is deeply woven into the Waldorf belief system, as propounded by Rudolf Steiner. [See "Karma".] This may bear on the issue of bullying if Waldorf teachers think they should allow some students to bully others because this is a fulfillment of karma (some students are fated to be bullies and others are fated to be the victims of bullies).

— R.R.

October 23, 2019

CHANGED STEINER SCHOOLS — 

NO LONGER STEINER AT ALL? 

The crisis among Steiner schools in the United Kingdom (UK) is apparently deepening [1].

Three failing Steiner schools in the UK had turned to the Avanti Schools Trust [2] for rescue. The schools hoped Avanti would allow them to continue operating much as they had before, using a Steiner curriculum and Steiner methods [3].

But now Avanti has revealed that it intends to change these schools to such an extent that they may no longer be genuine Steiner institutions [4].

Here are excerpts from a new report in DevonLive [Devonshire, UK]:

Exeter is losing its only Steiner school

The trust is also changing the names of the schools to remove any reference to Steiner, and is reviewing a previous suggestion that the new names carry the tagline 'inspired by Waldorf principles'

By Anita Merritt

Exeter’s Steiner school [5], which had to be shut down for a week a year ago after serious failings were found by inspectors, will no longer be run with a Steiner ethos.

In June it was announced Avanti Schools Trust (AST) was taking over three state Steiner academies in the south west – Exeter, Bristol and Frome [6] – after all three were placed in special measures [7] by Ofsted [8].

At the time, Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship [9], the umbrella body for Steiner schools, said the schools would remain Steiner under the new trust, and “carry forward our philosophy of Waldorf education, which sits at the heart of our ethos”.

However, with the transfer due to be completed in the coming weeks, Avanti has insisted it never intended to keep the schools Steiner, according to Schools Week [10]...

Avanti is running a curriculum review to determine what influence, if any, the Waldorf principles [will continue to have at these schools]...

The trust is also changing the names of the schools to remove any reference to Steiner...

Exeter's 442-pupil Steiner school was shut down for more than a week following a visit from inspectors in October 2018 who discovered a catalogue of failings at the school including leadership being 'dysfunctional at every level' [11]...

[The school's] Ofsted inspection last October highlighted serious inadequacies in leadership, quality of teaching and safeguarding [12]...

A spokesperson for Avanti told Schools Week: “We have made it clear from the beginning, they will first and foremost be Avanti schools. This is not Avanti joining the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, this is Steiner schools joining Avanti.”

Avanti is also facing complaints from parents and pupils about plans to change the age range of two of the schools from all-through [13] next year.

More than 100 parents and pupils held a protest outside Department for Education offices in Bristol yesterday over proposals to make Steiner Academy Bristol a primary school and Steiner Academy Frome a 3 to 13 middle school [14]. Both currently teach pupils up to age 16.

The [Avanti] spokesperson said Avanti was having to make the change due to concerns about low pupil numbers, a lack of need for places [15] and concerns the [previous] entry model was not “financially sustainable”.

Avanti also said an agreement that exempts all key stage 1 pupils [16] from testing at Steiner schools [17] will no longer be in place once they join the trust....

[10/23/2019     https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/exeter-losing-only-steiner-school-3457456]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[2] Avanti is a multi-academy trust, an educational organization that runs multiple schools under a single board of trustees. [See https://avanti.org.uk.] Until now, Avanti has exclusively run Hindu schools in the UK.

[3] For background, see "The Waldorf Curriculum" and "Methods".

[4] If Avanti changes the schools so completely that they are no longer real Steiner schools, then the three schools would have to be added to the list of Steiner/Waldorf failures — Steiner or Waldorf schools that were unable to fulfill their original vision. [For other instances, see "Failure".]

[5] This is Steiner Academy Exeter. [See https://steineracademyexeter.org.uk.] The academy is a Steiner "free school" — comparable to a Waldorf charter school in the USA.

Exeter is a city in the county of Devonshire (also called Devon), in southwestern England.

[6] See "Inadequate: Bristol, Frome, &..."

[7] "Special measures" are emergency procedures implemented with the goal of quickly improving a subpar school.

[8] See https://www.steinerwaldorf.org.

[9] Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education. [See https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.] The inspectors who found problems in the three Steiner schools work for Ofsted.

[10] See "Saving Themselves by Losing Themselves?", October 22, 2019.

[11] See, e.g., "Devastating Inspection Report on U.K. Steiner Academy - Part 2", November 18, 2018.

[12] "Safeguarding," in the context of school operations, consists of provisions to ensure the safety of students. Ofsted has faulted several Steiner schools for inadequate safeguarding. [See, again, "The Steiner School Crisis".]

[13] I.e., a school offering classes for students of all age levels prior to college. In the USA, these are often called K-12 schools (schools spanning kindergarten through 12th grade).

[14] I.e., the Steiner Academies in Bristol and Frome would both be partially shut down. Steiner Academy Bristol would shut down its classes above the primary level, and Steiner Academy Frome would shut down its classes above the middle-school level.

[15] I.e., Steiner Academy Exeter currently offers classes at levels for which there is little if any demand.

[16] In the UK, these are generally students in the 1st and 2nd grades — kids between the ages of 5 and 7.

[17] For esoteric reasons, Steiner schools generally postpone instruction in reading, writing, and basic math until children are about seven years old. [See "Most Significant". The schools are waiting for the kids' "etheric bodies" to incarnate. See "Incarnation".] For this reason, Steiner schools seek exemption from requirements to test students on these subjects until after stage 1.

This issue bears on the general question of academic standards at Steiner or Waldorf schools. Historically, these standards have been low. [See "Academic Standards at Waldorf".]

— R.R.

November 4, 2019

FAILED STEINER SCHOOL 

LIKELY TO FAIL AGAIN - II

News accounts indicate that the school intended to replace Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley (RSSKL) may not open soon, if at all. RSSKL closed after receiving several highly critical inspection reports from British education officials [1]. Leaders of the school have attempted to create a "new" school that would fill the void left by RSSKL.

The new school, which is still in the planning stage, has been named Langley Hill Independent School. But now the preparations being made for Langley Hill have received two harsh inspection reports [2]. Langley Hill cannot open until it satisfies the inspectors.

The Hemel Gazette — a newspaper in Herfortshire, England — has industriously followed the developments at RSSKL and Langley Hill. Recently, we considered excepts from a brief update published in the Gazette [3]. Here are excerpts from a further, longer article in the same newspaper:

Why has the new Steiner school 

in Kings Langley failed another Ofsted [4]?

By Ben Raza

A new school in Hertfordshire has failed its second Ofsted before it has even opened its doors — and it is not clear when it will be able to start teaching students ... [I]t is unable to open without receiving the green light from a pre-registration Ofsted inspection.

The school is the successor to Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley, which was based on the same site, employed many of the same staff, and closed 17 months ago following multiple failed Ofsted inspections.

The new school has now failed inspectors in both May and September [5]...

One major issue in May was "a complete lack of coherence in leaders’ planning about how they were preparing the site to open." The new report says that many of these weaknesses have since been addressed...

Plans for teaching personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, and e-safety [6]...are described as being improved...but are still "poorly planned".

There are "genuine improvements" in curriculum planning — but "there remain too many weaknesses".

The behaviour policy [7] has been improved, but training has not been organised.

And some areas of the inspection which the school previously passed have now been failed [8]...

Is Langley Hill a completely new school?

...It is on the same site, follows a very similar curriculum, and the report states that "many" of the new school's teachers will be former employees of RSSKL as well as around half of all staff [9].

The report [says] "There are not sufficient plans about how leaders will ensure that teaching and the quality of education are better than that provided in the school that was previously on the school site..."

Although RSSKL is no longer a school, it continues as a legal organisation — and is landlord to the new school...

The lease agreement between RSSKL and the new school allows people from RSSKL, or anyone commissioned by them, to gain access to the site [10]...

Avanti Foundation Ltd [11] has...long been seen as the main force driving the opening of the new school.

However the Ofsted report states this is a "service-level agreement", which either the school or Avanti could terminate in April [12]...

Ofsted remain unconvinced about some long-term issues...

The report states: "Leaders do not provide convincing evidence that they have taken enough consideration of the precise and extensive failings of the school that was previously on the school site...

"Entrenched failings of the previous school have not been sufficiently considered... [13]"

Bosses [14] had been hoping to open the school after the half-term holidays, which would have meant from Monday (November 4). Now no new date has been suggested [15]....

[11/4/19    https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/education/why-has-the-new-steiner-school-in-kings-langley-failed-another-ofsted-1-9128552    This article originally appeared on November 1.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes:

[1] See  "RSSKL".

[2] See "Langley Hill".

[3] See "Failed Steiner School Likely to Fail Again?", November 2, 2019.

[4] I.e., an Ofsted inspection.

Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education. The inspectors who have found so many problems at RSSKL and Langley Hill are Ofsted officials.

[5] For coverage of the inspection in May, see "Steiner School Inspections — Win Some, Lose Some (Cont.)", July 1, 2019.

[6] "E-safety," in this context, is protecting students from harm related to electronic devices and services, such as social networks on the Internet.

[7] I.e., the policy for dealing with student behavior and misbehavior.

[8] These include concerns about the safety of the school's physical plant, and renewing needed certifications.

[9] The concern here is that the "new" school would actually just be the old school under a different name. Given that the old school failed so many inspections in so many ways, the new school might be expected to embody the same faults and shortcomings.

[10] The implication is that RSSKL could control the new school. It would own the new school's buildings and grounds, and its representatives could be present throughout the school at any time they wished.

[11] Avanti is an educational organization that assumed a degree of control over the school, with the aim of improving it.

[12] If officials at Langley Hill terminated the agreement, the school would once again be guided almost exclusively from within (by teachers and staff who, in many cases, were holdovers from RSSKL). The implication is that Langley Hill could then become a virtually unfettered Steiner school, as RSSKL had been before Ofsted began finding so many failings in it.

[13] Again, the implication is that Langely Hill would effectively be RSSKL in everything but name, embodying the same faults as before.

[14] I.e., the school's leaders.

[15] I.e., the opening of Langley Hill has been put off indefinitely.

— R.R.

January 27, 2020

STEINER SCHOOL CRISIS: 

AN EFFORT TO REASSURE 

In an ongoing drama that may have grave implications for the Waldorf school movement worldwide, Steiner schools in the United Kingdom (UK) have been taking a beating. A dire atmosphere has been churned up as government inspectors unearthed severe and evidently systemic failings in many of these schools. Some UK Steiner schools have closed or are trembling on the brink; others are struggling to make changes that may appease the inspectors; and some have grasped a dubious lifeline thrown to them by an organization that specializes in running Hindu schools. [1]

The Avanti Schools Trust [2], which operates seven "Hindu faith" schools in the UK, has taken charge of Steiner schools in Bristol, Exeter, and Frome [3]. Faculty and trustees at these schools evidently hoped Avanti would shield the schools while enabling them to continue operating more or less as they had done previously: as committed Steiner schools. But Avanti evidently has other plans. The price exacted by Avanti may mean changing these schools beyond recognition. In brief: The "saved" Steiner schools may become something quite different from genuine, Anthroposophy-based Steiner institutions [4].

An article today at DevonLive [Devonshire, UK] reports on the situation at the "saved" Steiner school in Exeter. Here are excerpts:

Former Steiner school reassures parents 

after pupil losses following takeover 

By Anita Merritt

Reassurances have been given to parents whose children remain at Exeter’s former Steiner School after an unknown number of children have moved to other schools following its takeover.

Last June it was announced the school, which was rated ‘inadequate’ [5] in October 2018 after serious failings were highlighted, was being taken over by Avanti Schools Trust (AST) and it would no longer be run with a Steiner ethos [6].

Avanti is running a curriculum review to determine what influence, if any, the Waldorf principles which underpin Steiner education will have. It is due to be completed in March.

In the meantime, an unconfirmed number of pupils and staff have left the school, prompting its new acting principal Jason Wood to write to concerned parents [7]...

In the letter he said: "Uncertainty can create a range of negative emotions and thoughts and anxieties can be transmitted collectively. Thank you to the parents who have contacted me to express their concern...

"We too are concerned that some of our community of parents and students has left, but we respect their decisions and wish them all the best...

"I hope the [curriculum review] process inspires you and all our parents, staff and students that we can create together, a unique and rich curriculum [8]....”

ATS [sic: AST] has taken over three state Steiner academies in the south west – Exeter, Bristol and Frome – after all three were placed in special measures by Ofsted [9].

The trust said it would change the names of the schools to remove any reference to Steiner, and is reviewing a previous suggestion that the new names carry the tagline 'inspired by Waldorf principles'. This will be decided after the curriculum review is complete...

The former Steiner school [in Exeter] was shut down for more than a week following a visit from inspectors in October 2018 who discovered a catalogue of failings at the school including leadership being 'dysfunctional at every level', kindergarten pupils being physically restrained by teachers, and a lack of support for vulnerable children.

Its Ofsted inspection highlighted serious inadequacies in leadership, quality of teaching and safeguarding. The school was found to be 'inadequate' in every area inspected [10].

Other concerns raised by the watchdog included teachers being subjected to regular physical assaults by pupils, the needs of children with special educational needs not being met and a lack of evidence that safeguarding checks have been made when employing new members of staff....

[1/27/2020    https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/former-steiner-school-reassures-parents-3776370]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[2] Avanti's website is https://avanti.org.uk.

[3] See "Inadequate: Bristol, Frome, and..."

[4] See "Avanti and Steiner — How Far Will They Go?", October 24, 2019 — scroll down to this article.

[5] "Inadequate" is the lowest grade assigned by official UK education inspectors — it is a failing grade.

[6] At least some Steiner representatives seem to have been surprised by Avanti's averred intention to change the Steiner schools significantly. [See "Changed Steiner Schools — No Longer Steiner at All?", October 23, 2019.]

[7] The number of departures is not stated, but it has evidently been large enough to trigger widespread concern.

[8] Full-bore Steiner schools generally adhere closely to the standard Steiner/Waldorf curriculum. [See "The Waldorf Curriculum".] If the "saved" Steiner school In Exeter winds up with a significantly changed curriculum, it may no longer be a genuine Steiner school.

[9] Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education. The inspectors who have found fault with many Steiner schools are Ofsted officials. "Special measures" are emergency steps instituted with the goal of making rapid improvements at failing schools.

[10] The school was thus found to be failing in virtually every way a school could possibly fail: The school's management ("leadership") was inadequate, the teaching was inadequate, and the protection of students ("safeguarding") was inadequate.

— R.R.

January 28, 2020

ONGOING STEINER CRISIS: 

"DAMNED" SCHOOL CLOSES

Proponents of Waldorf education frequently claim that their movement is flourishing; they say it is spreading rapidly [1]. There is some truth in this proud assertion — some. But the claim overlooks a countervailing reality. The Waldorf track record includes a long litany of schools that have crashed to earth [2].

The toll of Waldorf failures in particularly marked, just now, in the United Kingdom (UK), where devastating inspection reports have knocked the props out from under several Waldorf schools — or Steiner schools, as they are usually called across the pond [3].

Here are excerpts from a report appearing today in a British newspaper, telling of a Steiner school that has closed, at least temporarily. Whether the school will be able to reopen someday, in some form, is currently unclear [4].

From The Stroud News and Journal [Glouchestershire, England]:

[Photo by Paul Nicholls.]

Wynstones School closes 

following damning Ofsted report

WYNSTONES School has closed following a damning Ofsted report.

By Leigh Boobyer

The Steiner Waldorf school, which is located in Whaddon, on the outskirts of Gloucester...has been closed weeks after education watchdog Ofsted [5] found it had 'serious and widespread failures'.

Wynstones Steiner School, an independent boarding school in Whaddon, was rated 'inadequate' [6] by Ofsted in November after inspectors reported 'significant safeguarding concerns' [7].

Ofsted’s website says the school has been closed, and a spokesman for the Trustees said 'robust action' will be taken to tackle the issues with an aim to 'enable the school to re-open safely.'

'SERIOUS AND WIDESPREAD FAILURES'

An Ofsted report published in November found that untrained staff 'had restrained children on two occasions', after the school assured Ofsted that no restraints had occurred...

The report, which followed an inspection on November 27 to 29, said: "The safeguarding culture in the school is weak. Leaders, managers, staff and trustees do not protect children from harm. Statutory safeguarding guidance is not fully understood or followed.

"Leaders and managers have failed to ensure effective management of safeguarding matters.

"The arrangements to deal with welfare concerns are too fragmented. Too much work is undertaken in isolation and it is not coordinated effectively..."

At the November inspection...Ofsted said the boarding school’s strengths were providing children with 'good quality accommodation' [8], children said that it was a good school [9], and leaders and managers have a 'good understanding about private fostering arrangements' [10]...

Wynstones Steiner School teaches a range of mixed-gendered students from three to 19 years old.

[1/28/2020    https://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/18191961.wynstones-school-closed-following-damning-ofsted-report/]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] E.g., "Waldorf is among the fastest growing educational movements in the world." — The Association of Waldorf Schools in North America [https://www.waldorfeducation.org/waldorf-careers]. Waldorf websites often repeat this claim. Indeed, they are often state the claim more categorically, as in this case: "Waldorf Education is the fastest growing independent educational movement in the world." — Marin Waldorf School [http://www.marinwaldorf.org/new-page-64]. Usually, however, the claim is made without the provision of evidence to support it .

[2] See, e.g., "Failure".

[3] Various designations are applied to schools that operate on the basis of Rudolf Steiner's educational doctrines: Waldorf schools, Steiner schools, Steiner-Waldorf schools, and so on. In general, the designation applied to a particular school is less telling than the degree of the faculty's devotion to Steiner and his preachments.

For coverage of the emergency confronting Steiner schools in the UK these days, see "Steiner School Crisis".

[4] The ardent Steiner followers who typically run Steiner/Waldorf schools are unlikely to accept the closure of any of their institutions; they will almost always strive to continue promoting their spiritual-cultural crusade. So, for instance, leaders of Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley — which was closed months ago — have worked ceaselessly to reverse their school's demise. [See "RSSKL".]

[5] Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education. The inspectors who have found so many faults in UK Steiner schools are, for the most part, Ofsted representatives.

[6] This is the lowest evaluation made by Ofsted — it indicates a school is failing as an educational institution.

[7] "Safeguarding" means protecting students from harm. Several UK Steiner schools have been faulted for poor safeguarding, and this issue has usually been stressed in press reports. However, the schools have also been faulted for significant problems in other areas, such as quality of teaching. [See, e.g., yesterday's report: "Steiner School Crisis: An Effort to Reassure", January 27, 2020.] Indeed, the news article in today's Stroud News and Journal suggests that the problems at Wynstones may extend beyond safeguarding: It refers to "widespread failures."

[8] As a boarding school, Wynstones must provide acceptable living arrangements for the boarding students.

[9] What the kids mean is unspecified. Children may enjoy a school even if (or perhaps in part because) it has low academic standards. Waldorf schools often place little academic pressure on students. [See "Academic Standards at Waldorf".] 

[10] A boarding school may serve, in effect, as a foster parent, filling in for a student's biological parents.

Such an arrangement may be particularly congenial for a school that seeks to fulfill Rudolf Steiner's stated intention that Waldorf teachers should replace parents as the most important adults in children's lives. [See, e.g., "A New Blog Opens Eyes", January 24, 2020.]

— R.R.

February 13, 2020 

APOLOGIES AND PROMISES; 

STUDENT SAFETY WAS SECONDARY 

The Steiner school crisis shows few signs of abating. Several UK Steiner schools, coming under intense critical scrutiny, have shut down or retrenched [1].

On January 28 of this year, The Stroud News and Journal (Gloucestershire, England) published a report on the closure of a Steiner boarding school, the Wynstones School [2]. The British Broadcasting Corporation — the BBC — carried a similar report [3].

Now Gloucerstershire Live has published a follow-up article. Here are excerpts:

Kindergarten children were 

'at significant risk of harm' 

at 'toxic' Wynstones Steiner School 

By Leigh Boobyer

A Steiner school which closed last month left children 'at risk of serious harm' and the school's principal described its culture as 'toxic', Ofsted inspectors found [4].

Wynstones Steiner School, an independent boarding school in Whaddon, closed in January [5]...

In a damning report published today, Ofsted said leaders did not address or challenge staff behaviour 'that is unacceptable and places pupils at significant risk'.

Children in kindergarten aged between three and four years old were also 'at risk of significant harm' as child protection issues were not dealt with 'in line with statutory safeguarding requirements [6].'

According to the report, child protection records are 'not kept effectively' and leaders are 'unable to explain the actions they have taken or describe the outcomes'...

A representative of the school's Trustees has apologised for its failures and is 'addressing the shortcomings' [7]...

Wynstones School was visited by Ofsted on January 21, 2020, and closed down one week later.

In the Ofsted report, inspectors found concerns about bullying and safeguarding [8].

They said: "There are behaviour and anti-bullying policies published on the school’s website.

"However, these policies do not promote good behaviour or prevent bullying among pupils. There is little evidence to suggest that staff follow, implement or understand these policies well enough... [9]"

The report also said: "The principal summed up inspectors’ description of the school’s culture as 'toxic'.

"Relationships between staff and parents and carers have led to a situation where children’s safety is secondary to vested interests.

"The staff body is divided and those who want to change are intimidated by other staff and a body of parents who want to retain control over the school [10]"

It continued: "There is no impartial oversight from trustees. They are all directly connected to the school, staff or parents [11].

"There is no one who can consider complaints or allegations against staff with any objectivity as they are all — in the word of school leaders — 'contaminated'... [12]"

A school spokesman said: "The Trustees of Wynstones School accept and apologise for the failures highlighted in Ofsted’s report dated 21 January 2020. We are addressing these shortcomings already and robust action is underway to tackle these issues swiftly... [13]"

Executive director of Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship [14] Fran Russell said: “We support the plans for change at Wynstones School, which are in-line with the comprehensive action plan of further improvement and modernisation we are promoting across all Steiner schools in the UK.... [15]"

[2/13/2020    https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/kindergarten-children-were-at-significant-3841034    This article originally appeared on February 12.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis". 

The UK is the United Kingdom.

[2] See "Ongoing Steiner Crisis: 'Damned' School Closes", January 28, 2020 — scroll down.

[3] See "Steiner Crisis Makes the Beeb", January 29, 2020.

[4] Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education. One of its primary functions is to inspect various UK educational institutions attended by children.

Note that the news article is unclear whether the principal called the school's culture toxic, or whether this characterization came from Ofsted. One sentence in the article says "the school's principal described its culture as 'toxic'", but another sentence says "The principal summed up inspectors’ description of the school’s culture as 'toxic'." (A third interpretation is that the principal called Ofsted's characterization toxic — he may have deplored, and disagreed with, what Ofsted said.)

[5] The school's official name is Wynstones School, but the institution is also referred to simply as Wynstones or, descriptively, as Wynstones Steiner School. [See http://www.wynstones.com.]

[6] For schools, "safeguarding" means ensuring the well-being of students. Failure to adequately safeguard children has been a finding in inspections of several UK Steiner schools. [See, e.g., "Inadequate: Bristol, From, and..."] 

However, many of the inspections have also identified other, wide-ranging problems at Steiner schools, including poor teaching and ineffective management. So, for instance, a news report about the inspection of a Steiner school in Exeter included this:

"[The] Ofsted inspection highlighted serious inadequacies in leadership, quality of teaching and safeguarding. The school was found to be 'inadequate' in every area inspected." — "Former Steiner school reassures parents after pupil losses following takeover", Devon Live, January 27, 2020. ("Inadequate" is the  lowest evaluation made by Ofsted — it is a failing grade.)

The problems at Wynstones seem to extend far beyond the question of safeguarding. The present report in Gloucerstershire Live refers to inadequate oversight by the board of trustees, divisions among the faculty, "vested interests," intimidation, internal power struggles, and an ineffective process for dealing with alleged staff misconduct.

[7] Significantly, the representative essentially concedes that the school and board have real problems: He apologizes for failures and refers to shortcomings.

[8] Bullying may be seen as part of the school's safeguarding problem, or it might be considered an additional problem afflicting the school.

[9] Allegedly, bullying has long been a problem at Steiner or Waldorf schools. Critics say that the Anthroposophical belief in karma leads Steiner faculty of overlook bullying, considering it to be an enactment of karma. [See "Karma". Also see, e.g., "Slaps" and "Complaints".]

[10] I.e., no one is thinking primarily of the children's welfare. Instead, groups with various "vested interests" contend with one another for control of the school. The school, then, seems dysfunctional: There are internal divisions and power struggles in which the more powerful group "intimidates" the less powerful. (This appears to be another form of bullying found at the school.)

Critics contend that Steiner or Waldorf schools are often riven by group rivalries (conflicts between factions or cliques). [See, e.g., "Complaints 2" and "Complaints 3".]

[11] I.e., the board of trustees cannot do its job properly, because none of its members is impartial.

[12] I.e., allegations of misconduct by staff members are not properly handled. (No one can objectively decide if misconduct has occurred, which implies that no misconduct is properly corrected.)

[13] Efforts are afoot to reopen Wynstones. Whether these efforts will succeed remains to be seen. 

Believing that they are engaged in a mission of cosmic importance, Rudolf Steiner's followers are extremely loath to accept failure in any of their enterprises. [See, e.g., the discussion of this matter in "'Saved' Steiner School May Not Grow After All", January 31, 2020.]

[14] This is the umbrella organization for Steiner or Waldorf schools in the UK. [See https://www.steinerwaldorf.org.]

[15] Important admissions seem implicit in this statement: Steiner schools need to improve and modernize. Whether improvement or modernization is possible, however, seems doubtful as long as the schools remain wedded to Rudolf Steiner's retrograde teachings. [See, e.g., "Non-Waldorf Waldorfs: Looking for a Good One". Steiner and his followers have generally abhorred the modern world, finding greater virtue and wisdom in ancient cultures. See, e.g., "The Ancients".]

— R.R.

February 14, 2020 

TOXIC TIMES: 

BBC TAKES NOTE 

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has put out a new report on the dire situation inspectors found at a Steiner school in Gloucestershire, England. Because of the BBC's reach and prestige, the collapse of that school may produce national or even international repercussions [1]. As we have been noting here for some time, a series of devastating inspection reports has plunged UK Steiner schools into a crisis that may threaten the future of the worldwide Steiner/Waldorf education movement [2].

Here are excerpts from the BBC report, along with some explicatory footnotes:

Wynstones Steiner school 

in Gloucester had 'toxic' culture 

A Steiner school had a "toxic" culture [3] with children at risk of serious harm, a report has said.

Inspectors [4] visited Wynstones School in Gloucester last month and found "serious and widespread failures", causing it to be shut on 28 January [5].

An Ofsted report has now outlined the findings of the inspectors, who said the 212-pupil school was inadequate [6]...

Ofsted said leaders at the school did not address or challenge staff behaviour which was "unacceptable and places pupils at significant risk" [7].

The education watchdog [8] said a group of "resistant" teachers blocked any attempts to change the school [9]...

Inspectors also found parents felt intimidated raising bullying problems [10], resulting in children leaving the school.

"The staff body is divided and those who want to change are intimidated by other staff and a body of parents who want to retain control over the school," the report said [11]...

A trustee spokesman said: "Our steps towards change will enable the school to reopen safely and include staff training on teaching, safeguarding and first aid [12]"...

They said they were also recruiting a new head teacher, two new senior leaders and a special needs co-ordinator [13]...

Previously Wynstone Ltd also ran a boarding school at the same site but this closed in November [14].

[2/13/2020    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-51480050     This article originally appeared on February 13.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] For a previous BBC report on this school, see https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-51279950.

[2] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[3] Inspectors allegedly found a "toxic" tenor within the school: tense and damaging attitudes and behavior. A report in Gloucestereshire Live included this: "The [school's] principal summed up inspectors’ description of the school’s culture as ‘toxic’." [See "Apologies and Promises: Student Safety Was Secondary", February 12, 2020 — scroll down.]

[4] The inspectors were representatives of the UK government's Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).

[5] See "Ongoing Steiner Crisis: 'Damned' School Closes", January 28, 2020.

[6] "Inadequate" is the lowest evaluation made by Ofsted — it is a failing grade.

[7] As at various other Steiner or Waldorf schools, inspectors found students were not adequately protected from harm (that is, Wynstones did not adequately "safeguard" the children in its care). A previous Ofsted inspection report about Wynstones included the following:

"Inspectors say [Wynstone's] pupils are at risk because managers are not carrying out the necessary safeguarding checks and training to ensure all staff, volunteers and trustees are suitable to work with children." [See "Inspections: Win Some, Lose Some", May 11, 2019.]

Safeguarding in undoubtedly an extremely important matter. But inspectors have also found numerous other failings at UK Steiner schools. [See, e.g., "Inadequate: Bristol, From, and..."] The current BBC report proceeds to allude to some of these failings as detected at Wynstones.

[8] I.e., Ofsted.

[9] Rudolf Steiner said Waldorf teachers should be true-believing, deeply devoted Anthroposophists — that is, they should be devout adherents of the faith he himself devised. [See "Here's the Answer". Also see "Anthroposophy" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.] Such adherents, working as teachers in Steiner/Waldorf schools, often strongly oppose any measures that might deflect the schools from Steiner's esoteric vision. [Concerning Steiner/Waldorf teachers' allegiance to that vision, see, e.g., "Serving the Gods".]

[10] I.e., they felt they could not raise such concerns and/or they felt browbeaten when they did raise these concerns. 

Allegedly, bullying has long been a problem at Steiner or Waldorf schools. Critics say Anthroposophical belief in karma leads Steiner faculty of overlook bullying, attributing it to karma. [See "Karma". Also see, e.g., "Slaps" and "Complaints".] 

Bullying may be considered a part of the issue of safeguarding, or it might be considered a separate, additional fault found at Wynstones.

[11] A significant problem at the school, apparently, consists of struggles between various factions contending over control of the school. This evidently has resulted in harassment or bullying between members of the factions (one group, open to changes at the school, has been "intimidated" by a group that wants to preserve the status quo). 

The strife between factions is presumably largely responsible for the "toxic culture" at the school. In addition, this strife has evidently contributed to poor safeguarding practices at the school. The BBC report includes this: 

"Relationships between staff and parents and carers have led to a situation where children's safety is secondary to vested interests."

[12] The school has been closed, but efforts are being made to reopen it.

Note that the trustee's statement implies the existence of other problems that need to be addressed at the school: Teaching needs to be improved, evidently, as does the staff's first aid training.

[13] Inspections at some other Steiner schools have found insufficient provision for students with special needs. [See, e.g., "Word Getting Out About Steiner School", July 30, 2019.]. Apparently a similar issue has arisen at Wynstones, since a "special needs coordinator" is now being sought.

[14] Reports in other media have indicated that Wynstones remained a boarding school until the entire institution was shut down in January, 2020.

— R.R.

March 10, 2020

SMALL STEINER SCHOOL 

PULLS BACK FROM BRINK 

Steiner or Waldorf schools in the United Kingdom (UK) have been under enormous pressure lately. Inspectors have found severe deficiencies at several of these schools. Some of the schools have closed, while others have either challenged the inspectors' findings or striven — with various degrees of good will — to implement changes that might satisfy the inspectors. [1]

Most media coverage has focused on relatively large Steiner/Waldorf schools. [2] But yesterday a report appeared focusing on a small Steiner school in the city of Lancaster.

From Lancaster Live:

Lancaster school avoids closure 

after making dramatic turnaround 

Lancaster Steiner School was threatened with closure but 

has since hired new staff to make changes ordered by Ofsted [3]

By Rachel Howarth

Lancaster Steiner School 

(Image: Google Maps)

A Lancaster school, which was threatened with closure last year due to ‘serious regulatory failings’, has made marked improvements after hiring several new staff.

Lancaster Steiner School...received a letter from the Department for Education in October last year following an Ofsted inspection in November 2018.

Inspectors found that the school...was not meeting independent standards [4] checked during the visit.

Some of the concerns raised included that the school’s safeguarding policy was ‘not compliant’ with government requirements [5].

Parents of the 30 full-time and nine part-time students were notified about the failings...

In the October 2019 letter, the DfE [6] said that an action plan must be drawn up and implemented by January at the latest or the school could be ‘removed from the register of Independent Schools’ or be placed under operating restrictions [7].

Following another Ofsted visit in July, the school promptly hired a new headteacher (educational coordinator), two new teachers and four new trustees who have made vast improvements [8].

A progress visit made last month showed that the school was now meeting all of the independent school standards....

[3/10/2020   https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/lancaster-independent-school-avoids-closure-17892175    This article originally appeared on March 9.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes 

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[2] See "Inadequate: Bristol, Frome, &..."

[3] Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education.

[4] In the UK, independent schools (which finance themselves) are not held to the same standards as state schools (which are financed by the government). For a summary of UK independent school standards, see http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/3283/schedule/made. 

[5] One of the chief deficiencies found at various Steiner schools has been failure to adequately protect the students from harm — failure to "safeguard" the children. However, numerous other deficiencies have also been found at the schools, including ineffective management and poor teaching. [See, e.g., "The Steiner Crisis - Continued".]

[6] This is the UK government's Department for Education.

[7] I.e., the school would either be ordered to close or it would be placed under tight controls.

[8] Local news media often thump for local residents and institutions. Lancaster Live editorializes here, calling the improvements "vast." In fact, the primary changes seem to be the hiring of additional staff, some fine-tuning of the curriculum, and efforts by the school to make sure staff members understand the independent school standards.

The article concludes with this: 

"[Ofsted inspectors found that] Trustees, leaders and staff are committed to ensuring that the independent school standards are met ... Trustees and leaders talk with confidence and knowledge about the independent school standards. They know what is needed for the school to consistently meet the standards." — Lancaster Live

In effect, the inspectors have praised the school's professed good intentions. Whether the school will consistently meet the standards in future remains to be seen. Apparently staff previously lacked knowledge of the standards, a situation that is arguably typical of Steiner schools, which have goals and methods quite different from those found at other types of schools. [See, e.g., "Spiritual Agenda".] Significantly, the Waldorf/Steiner approach is not primarily focused on providing what is normally meant by a good education. [See "Academic Standards at Waldorf".]

— R.R.

March 29, 2020

STEINER SCHOOL CRISIS — 

PARENT GROUP FIGHTS BACK 

The coronavirus pandemic understandably dominates the news these days, but we should not lose sight of other stories that bear on Waldorf education.

Steiner/Waldorf schools in the United Kingdom have been in crisis during recent months. Inspectors have identified serious deficiencies at many of these schools. As a result, some of the schools have shut down, while others teeter on the brink of closure. [See "The Steiner School Crisis".]

One of the schools that have been shuttered is the Wynstones School, a Steiner boarding school in Glouchestershire. Now a parents group is fighting back, directing their fire at Ofsted — the UK government's Office for Standards in Education. The inspectors who criticized the school are Ofsted officials.

The following is from The Stroud News and Journal [Glouchestershire, UL]:

Parents plan legal challenge against Ofsted 

after closure of Wynstones 

Families of pupils at Wynstones School are planning to launch a legal challenge 

against Ofsted following its damning report about the school. Photo: Tatia Nichols

PARENTS of children at a ‘failing’ Steiner school are fighting back against Ofsted.

Families of pupils at Wynstones School, which closed down at the start of the year after the education watchdog found “serious and widespread failures” are planning to launch a legal challenge against Ofsted following its damning report.

The school in Whaddon near Gloucester closed in January after Ofsted found “significant safeguarding concerns”, with inspectors describing the school’s safeguarding culture as “weak”.

But now the Wynstones Parent Initiative, a group of over 50 parents, is aiming to bring a judicial review against Ofsted’s judgement...

Parent spokesman Arthur Edwards said: “We are pursuing a judicial review to highlight the fact that while Oftsed has great power to judge and regulate others, it is arguably itself above the law.

“We believe that Ofsted has been operating in a high-handed manner without regard for real educational principles, and without taking consideration of parents’ educational rights...

“The effect on Wynstones’ children and families has been devastating and completely unwarranted.

“Ofsted has not followed normal procedures in this case, but has arguably pursued a bullying agenda that has the effect of intimidating schools and depriving parents of an education of their choice...."

[3/29/2020    https://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/18335637.parents-plan-legal-challenge-ofsted-closure-wynstones/    This article originally appeared on March 26.]

Here are excerpts from an article in the same newspaper published at the time of Wynstones' closure:

WYNSTONES School has closed following a damning Ofsted report...

Ofsted found [the school] had 'serious and widespread failures'.

Wynstones Steiner School, an independent boarding school in Whaddon, was rated 'inadequate' [an overall failing grade] by Ofsted in November after inspectors reported 'significant safeguarding concerns' [i.e., the school failed to protect its students adequately].

Ofsted’s website says the school has been closed...

An Ofsted report published in November found that untrained staff 'had restrained children on two occasions', after the school assured Ofsted that no restraints had occurred...

The report, which followed an inspection on November 27 to 29, said: "The safeguarding culture in the school is weak. Leaders, managers, staff and trustees do not protect children from harm. Statutory safeguarding guidance is not fully understood or followed.

"Leaders and managers have failed to ensure effective management of safeguarding matters...."

[1/28/2019    https://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/18191961.wynstones-school-closed-following-damning-ofsted-report/]

While safeguarding has been a crucial issue at several of the Steiner schools criticized by Ofsted, other failings have also been found at several of these schools, ranging from poor teaching to dysfucntional management. So, for instance, a news account said this about a Steiner school in Exeter:

"[I]nspectors...discovered a catalogue of failings at the school including leadership being 'dysfunctional at every level', kindergarten pupils being physically restrained by teachers, and a lack of support for vulnerable children.

"[The] Ofsted inspection highlighted serious inadequacies in leadership, quality of teaching and safeguarding. The school was found to be 'inadequate' in every area inspected...." [See "Steiner School Crisis: An Effort to Reassure", January 27, 2020.]

Ofsted determined that Wynstones School failed in all of these ways, not only in safeguarding. After a less stringent inspection service rated the school "good" during a previous evaluation, Ofsted — applying tighter standards —  judged Wynstones to be "inadequate" at every level:

[Ofsted]

Proponents of Steiner/Waldorf education are often enchanted with the more appealing aspects of the Steiner ethos. Proponents with overt ties of the Anthroposophical movement are especially fervent, defending the schools roundly. Such supporters work hard to keep Steiner/Waldorf schools open, or — when the schools go down, for whatever reason — to reopen them. In this case, the tactic being employed is evidently an attempt to shift focus from the schools themselves to the education officials who have found fault with the schools. 

— R.R.

May 6, 2020

HOW TO EDUCATE KIDS 

FROM THIS POINT ON 

Schools in many places are closed now, due to the coronavirus pandemic. While struggling to help their children continue their educations at home, parents are thinking through their possible options for the future. Here are excerpts from one rumination on these themes, an article that includes multiple references to Waldorf education.

From iNews [United Kingdom]:

'It squeezed all the creativity out of her': 

the parents reconsidering formal education 

during school closures 

By Sophie Morris

The night before visiting a primary school for my nearly four-year-old daughter, I have a nightmare. I am trapped inside the school I went to myself ... I didn’t like being told what to do and think all day ... We were taught to pass exams. Excessive testing is criticised as one of the major ills of contemporary schooling ... [Downplaying the resulting pressure in contemporary schools,] the Department for Education says the children won’t notice they are being tested “in most cases”.

Fran Russell, the new chief executive of the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, tells me that children know when they are being tested. Steiner schools focus on unhurried, creative learning. [1] It is perhaps the best known of the UK’s “alternative” education landscape, which includes Montessori and a number of small, independent schools, as well as homeschooling. [2] A common factor among these approaches is a rejection of the hierarchical, adult-led approach of mainstream education and its focus on assessment and achievement. [3] These schools represent a tiny proportion of our education provision – there are 26 Steiner schools in the UK, most small – but the view that excessive homework and testing has made the school system an unwelcome environment for any child who doesn’t conform, and led to increased levels of anxiety and depression, is far from niche.

[One alternative to conventional schooling is homeschooling.] When I was a teenager, homeschooling was something I’d heard of only in the context of odd extremist groups. I was surprised to learn that you can keep your child at home in the UK without informing the authorities of your plans. The BBC reports an increase of 40 per cent between 2015 and 2018 ... Anecdotally, parents report that removing the stress of a physical school can help pupils learn...

[Steiner Waldorf schools offer another alternative.] In a more affluent nearby town is another fledgling alternative school, the New School, Canterbury. It was anointed with independent school status in September 2019, the same day Steiner education, the model it follows, celebrated its centenary. [4] “It is almost like mainstream education sees children as empty vessels to fill up with knowledge and facts, and Steiner nurtures what is in the child,” explains headteacher Beth Cuenco when I ask her what Steiner’s really all about. [5] “We teach self confidence, flexibility, empathy, compassion and self-confidence..." [6]

I am enthused by this approach, as well as the focus on the environment, which she points out is amplified not by scare stories but by learning to revere nature [7]...

[But] there is trouble in paradise. The New School grew out of the closure of a Steiner school, which Beth attended herself. [8] The Steiner Waldorf mission has been mired in controversy and school closures in recent years. [9] Fran Russell was appointed Steiner CEO last summer to sort out the mess, following the closure in 2018 of a private Steiner school, and three Steiner free schools in 2019 [10], which were condemned by Ofsted and passed over to another academy trust. [11] One state-funded Steiner school, in Hereford, remains. There were allegations of bullying, racism and inadequate provision for special education needs children [in Steiner Waldorf schools]. These were dangerous places to leave your children, and the problems were covered up. “The schools were run by people who were not properly trained,” says Russell. “There was a lack of understanding about safeguarding, and the particular risks of Steiner schools, which are often started by parents. [12]”

...Steiner advocates insist it is Rudolf Steiner’s forward-thinking pedagogy, not his skewed spirituality, which guides their teaching. [13] “The most important thing we have to offer mainstream education is to show you can teach children to read and write from the age of six and they will go on to do well [14],” says Russell. “But in order to show that, we have got to sort out some of our own issues, and there’s great enthusiasm for doing that now [15]”...

On balance, I think the time spent outside of school is as important as the timetabled day, and I am keen for my daughter to go to a school she can walk to. If I suspect that school is squeezing the innate curiosity out of her, I will be ready to step in. I may have found my own education creatively suffocating, but it at least inspired me to learn. I return to studying, and teaching, again and again [16]....

[5/6/2020    https://inews.co.uk/news/education/school-closures-coronavirus-lockdown-parents-reconsider-education-2546961    This article originally appeared on April 23.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] See "Play — Isn't Slow Learning Best?"

[2] Waldorf schools are often compared to Montessori schools, although the differences these types of schools — principally reflecting the mystical basis of Waldorf schooling — are fundamental. [See, e.g., "Ex-Teacher 5".]

[3] Waldorf schools do generally reject standardized testing as much as possible. On the other hand, they are often accused of being both hierarchical and authoritarian. [See, e.g., "Anthroposophy Now: Review and Overview", May 1, 2020.]

[4] See, e.g., "Here and There: Celebrations", September 27, 2019. The first Waldorf School, personally overseen by Rudolf Steiner, opened in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1919. [See "Waldorf School, the First" and "Waldorf Schools" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE).]

[5] Waldorf schools generally have different goals than conveying knowledge to children. [See "Waldorf education: goals" in the BWSE.] As a result, Waldorf schools have long had a reputation for low academic standards. [See "Academic Standards at Waldorf".]

[6] Critics contend that Waldorf schools shelter and pamper students by immersing them in a multihued mystical worldview. [See, e.g., "Mistreating Kids Lovingly".]

[7] The Waldorf view of nature is actually more complicated than this. [See "Neutered Nature".]

[8] See, e.g., "Canbterbury Steiner School in Chartham will be auctioned off in October", October 10, 2017. Also see "Coronavirus Kent: Steiner School founder Ulrike Brockman dies from Covid-19 at Faversham Cottage Hospital", April 17, 2020.

[9] The very survival of Steiner Waldorf education in the UK may be at stake. [See "The Steiner School Crisis".]

[10] In general, Waldorf schools have traditionally been private institutions that funded themselves. But some Waldorf charter schools — called "free schools" in the UK — have opened in recent years. Such schools receive funding from the government.

[11] Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education. Inspectors from Ofsted have found severe deficiencies in various UK Steiner schools, a number of which have now closed or been taken over by a new educational trust (an umbrella organization) seeking to implement changes. [See, e.g., "Inadequate" Bristol, Frome, and..."]

[12] Inspectors found many faults at the schools, ranging from poor teaching to dysfunctional management. Failure of adequately protect students — poor "safeguarding" — was especially criticized in several instances. [See, e.g., "Steiner Academy Exeter".]

[13] This is the central issue concerning Waldorf schools. Do these schools attempt to lure students into an occult religion, "Steiner's skewed spirituality", Anthroposophy? [See, e.g., "Here's the Answer".]

[14] For esoteric spiritual reasons, Waldorf education postpones instruction in reading and writing until first grade. Defending such practices is a major preoccupation for defenders of Waldorf education. [See, e.g., "reading" in the BWSE.]

[15] I.e., proponents of Waldorf education are working hard to salvage as much as they can from the wreckage of Steiner Waldorf schools that have been closed or placed under threat of closure in the UK.

[16] Having reviewed alternatives to conventional education, the author concludes that her old school — which, in many ways, she disliked — had at least one important virtue: "it at least inspired me to learn."

— R.R.

May 19, 2020

HITTING BACK AT THE INSPECTORS — 

PARENTS' GROUP FIGHTS FOR WYNSTONES 

Several Steiner or Waldorf schools in the United Kingdom have closed, or are on the verge of closing, after receiving severely critical inspection reports from UK education officials. [1] These closures should not be confused with temporary shutdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Inspectors found deep and widespread failings at the schools, faults ranging from bad teaching to poor safeguarding of students. Efforts are afoot to repair and reopen most of the affected schools, but the survival of the schools remains in doubt.

One of the Steiner schools that closed following harsh inspection reports is the venerable Wynstones School, a Steiner boarding school that was established in 1937. Inspectors gave Wynstones a failing grade ("inadequate") in early 2019. [2] Subsequently, the school's trustees announced the closing of the school with a promise to reopen after implementing robust corrective actions. [3]

In the meantime, a group of parents has begun a legal action contesting the closure of Wynstones. The group has hired a prominent barrister to spearhead their effort. The following is from The Stroud News and Journal [Gloucestershire, England]:

Wynstones closure - Michael Mansfield QC 

represents parents in Ofsted challenge

By Matty Airey

ONE of Britain’s leading defence lawyers is representing a group of parents who are fighting back against a damning Ofsted report. [4]

With Michael Mansfield QC at the helm [5], families of pupils at Wynstones Steiner school in Whaddon, have launched a legal challenge against Ofsted.

The Steiner Waldorf school...closed in January after the education watchdog found it had ‘serious and widespread failures’.

Human rights barrister Michael Mansfield, who has worked on a number of high profile cases...has taken the case on...

A spokesman for the Wynstones Parent Initiative, a group of over 50 parents [6], said..."It is contended that the January 2020 Ofsted Report on Wynstones school cannot stand because its blanket condemnatory conclusions, particularly in relation to safeguarding, are irrational and unlawful on several grounds.

"The legal team is also arguing that Ofsted has not followed its own procedures..."

A spokesman for Ofsted said..."Ofsted did not close the school and has no power to do so. The trustees of the school closed it."

In response, the parents' group said the trustees 'had no choice', having been told by the Department of Education [7] that if they did not close Wynstones, the school would be de-registered [8] and “trustees who operate a school which is not registered are liable to unlimited fines and imprisonment".

[5/19/2020    https://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/18454573.wynstones-closure---michael-mansfield-qc-backs-parents-ofsted-challenge/    This article originally appeared on May 16.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[2] See, e.g., "Another 'Damning' Inspection of Another Steiner School", February 28, 2019.

[3] For a BBC report, see "Steiner Crisis Makes the Beeb", January 29, 2020.

[4] Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education.

[5] See the website for Mansfield's practice: http://www.nexuschambers.com. (QC stands for "Queen's Counsel" — the designation for a senior barrister, a lawyer who is entitled to serve as an advocate, including in higher courts. Retaining such a lawyer is usually quite expensive.)

[6] The Initiative has a Facebook page where financial support is solicited. As of yesterday, the Initiative says it has raised £20,000. [See https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=114127803559871&story_fbid=123679015938083.]

[7] The Department for Education is a division of the UK government; it has responsibility for child education and protection. The Department for Education is the "parent department" for Ofsted.

[8] To operate legally, an independent school in England must register with the Department for Education. If a school is "de-registered" (removed from the register), it has lost the right to operate.

— R.R.

July 12, 2020

THE  CRISIS  CONTINUES

AS LAWSUIT COLLAPSES

Steiner education (otherwise known as Waldorf education) is now slightly more than a century old. Steiner/Waldorf schools around the world have been celebrating their movement's centenary [1], marking the decades since the first Waldorf school — overseen by Rudolf Steiner himself — opened in Germany in 1919 [2].

Today several clouds are marring the Steiner/Waldorf sky, however. Perhaps the largest and most ominous cloud consists of damning reports about Steiner schools in the United Kingdom. The reports have been issued by the UK government's Office for Standards in Education, otherwise known as Ofsted [3]. Inspectors from Ofsted have found glaring weaknesses at several UK Steiner schools, some of which have subsequently been shuttered or restructured [4]. The future of Steiner education in the UK — and perhaps beyond — seems very much up in the air.

Teachers and parents at some of the most affected Steiner schools have fought back using a variety of means, including lawsuits aimed at Ofsted [5]. So far, however, their efforts appear to have been futile. The latest instance has arisen this week, as a group advocating for a closed Steiner school in Glouchestershire has withdrawn its legal challenge. Here are excerpts from a BBC news report on the matter:

Wynstones Steiner School 

legal row dropped by parents

Parents of pupils at a Steiner school [6] have dropped a legal challenge against Ofsted after a damning report led to its closure.

Wynstones School, near Gloucester [7], shut in January after inspectors said pupils were "at risk of serious harm" [8].

In a Facebook post, the parents said their legal team had advised them their case would "be very hard to fight" [9].

Ofsted said it co-operated in every way with the court but added its evidence was "overwhelming".

An Ofsted spokesman said it had provided all the relevant documents in the case.

He added: "This is the second occasion on which those asserting that Ofsted is targeting the Steiner system have chosen to withdraw from legal action in the face of the evidence of poor practice [10]..."

The Facebook post stated that parents believed the Ofsted report was "highly contestable" and that the legal team felt "we may well have grounds to challenge Ofsted's judgements around safeguarding".

However, parents said that because of time constraints and being unable to access restricted documents [11], it was "logistically impossible" to continue...

The private school taught about 200 pupils aged between three and 19, charging up to £10,000 a year....

[7/12/2020    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-53347924     This news report originally appeared on July 9.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] See, e.g., "One Century Down, Another Starting", September 17, 2019.

[2] See "Waldorf School, the first" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE).

[3] See https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

[4] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[5] See, e.g., "Hitting Back at Inspectors — Parents Fight for Wynstones", May 19, 2020.

[6] The group calls itself the Wynstones Parent Initiative. [See https://www.facebook.com/114127803559871/posts/the-wynstones-parent-initiative-is-a-group-of-over-50-parents-who-feel-harmed-by/123679015938083/.]

[7] Until its recent closure, Wynstones was a K-12 Steiner-Waldorf school in the Cotswold Hills. It was founded in 1937.

[8] Trustees and faculty leaders have indicated they aim to reopen the school if possible.

Inspectors found serious problems with the school's "safeguarding" practices (measures taken to ensure student safety). Most press reports have stressed the issue of safeguarding. However, inspectors also found problems in all other areas of school operations at Wynstones. [See, e.g., "Another 'Damning' Inspection of Another Steiner School", https://sites.google.com/site/waldorfwatchannex/february-2019.] Indeed, Wynstones was adjudged "inadequate" (the lowest possible grade) in leadership and management, quality of teaching, personal development, outcomes for pupils, early years provision, and sixth form provision.

[9] The parents had secured representation by Michael Mansfield QC, a leading UK defense lawyer. The advice to drop the suit presumably came from him.

[10] Steiner proponents have attempted to use the courts to defend Steiner/Waldorf schools in Bristol, Kings Langley, and perhaps elsewhere. [See, e.g., "Steiner Academy Bristol Girds for a Fight", February 16, 2019, and "Troubles at Kings Langley — Worse Than Thought?", April 28, 2018.]

[11] The parents evidently contend they were denied access to some necessary documents, whereas Ofsted claims it provided "all the relevant documents." The parents' attorney apparently will not contest Ofsted's claim.

— R.R.

`

August 1, 2020

FAILING WYNSTONES 

WON'T REOPEN NOW

Steiner schools in the United Kingdom currently face what is almost certainly the gravest challenge in their history [1]. Inspectors from the UK government have found severe failings at several of the schools. Enrollments have dropped and support for the schools generally has evidently diminished. Some of the most severely criticized schools have closed, and restructuring efforts have been instituted in various UK Steiner schools [2].

One of the shuttered Steiner schools is Wynstones, a Steiner boarding school in Gloucestershire. Recently, a pro-Wynstones parents group withdrew its lawsuit against the inspectorate that had given the school the lowest possible evaluation [3]. Now proponents of the school, who had hoped to reopen the institution this autumn, have announced that the reopening will be delayed. The overhanging question is whether Wynstones will ever open its doors again, as a Steiner school or in any other guise. Spokespeople for the school have evidently offered no clear reason for postponing their plans to reopen, which seems ominous. The date for a possible reopening seems to be, at best, up in the air.

Here are excerpts from a new report from GloucestershireLive [Gloucester, England]:

Gloucester school won't reopen 

until September 2021 'unless 

earlier point becomes possible'

Wynstones School 'A Steiner Waldorf School', in Whaddon [4], 

has said that it is aiming to open next year —  

this comes after a damning Ofsted [5] report in January closed the school 

By Zasha Whiteway-Wilkinson

A Gloucester school has announced that its plans to reopen this coming September have been delayed and that it is now likely to open next year instead.

Wynstones School in Whaddon, Gloucester said in a statement on its website that the "planned reopening for September 2020 is now delayed"...

This comes months after education watchdog Ofsted found the boarding school had 'serious and widespread failures' [6].

The independent boarding school was rated 'inadequate' [7] in January 2019 after inspectors reported 'significant safeguarding concerns' [8].

A further inspection held in January 2020, found a failure in safeguarding ... After which, a source said that parents were emailed and told the school was closed with immediate effect.

Ofsted's website says the school has been closed, and a spokesman for the [school's] Trustees said 'robust action' will be taken to tackle the issues with an aim to 'enable the school to re-open safely'...

In relation to the Oftsed reports, in a statement shared by the school on March 17, 2020 [the Trustees] said that they were "entirely committed to the complete renewal of their structures, systems and culture" [9].

They said: "The staff and trustees of Wynstones School are currently working on and entirely committed to the complete renewal of our structures, systems and culture in order to address all underlying issues highlighted in the January 2020 Ofsted inspection"...

At the time new headteacher Paul Hougham said: "I am pleased to have joined Wynstones School as Principal, albeit in these sober and testing times. I am aware of the concern and distress many parents carry at this time and I trust we can meet soon to address questions and concerns, and work together towards the sole task to reopen the school [11]...

"It is important to note that the school strongly disagrees with any reactive critique of Ofsted and the DfE [10] in general, and the specifics of the January 2020 inspection and closure [12]. This would not be in alignment with the school's journey towards renewal, an honest self-reflection of its failings, and a robust and credible action plan to reopen...."

[8/1/2020   https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/gloucester-school-wont-reopen-until-4373679   This article originally appeared on July 29.]

Waldorf Watch Footnotes

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[2] See, e.g., "Inadequate: Bristol, Frome, &...".

[3] See "The Crisis Continues as Lawsuit Collapses", July 12, 2020 — scroll down.

[4] Whaddon is a suburb of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Wynstones School is located off the Stroud Road, A4173.

[5] Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education.

[6] See "Steiner Crisis Makes the Beeb", January 29, 2020.

[7] This is the lowest rating given by Ofsted; it is a failing grade.

[8] Ofsted found that Wynstones failed to adequately safeguard its students (it failed to protect them adequately). News coverage has tended to emphasize safeguarding failures at Steiner schools. But inspections at various Steiner schools uncovered faults in several other areas of school life, including teaching and leadership.

[9] While proponents of Steiner/Waldorf schools often deny that there is anything wrong with these institutions, the Wynstones trustees at least implicitly accept the accuracy of Ofsted's findings. How extensive the "complete renewal" of the school will be remains unclear. Changing the school's "culture" could require Wynstones to break away from Steiner pedagogy, but there seems to be no indication that the trustees intend to go that far. This may make the reformation of the school extremely difficult, if — as critics have argued — the problems at Steiner/Waldorf schools are systemic. [See, e.g., "Ofsted May Seek Systemic Steiner Flaws", January, 2019.]

[10] DfE is the UK government's Department for Education. Ofsted is part of the DfE.

[11] Proponents of Waldorf/Steiner schools — who often include devout Anthroposophists — generally fight hard on behalf of these schools, and they may see reopening a criticized Waldorf/Steiner school as their "sole" or overriding task. Anthroposophists consider Waldorf/Steiner schools to be crucial extensions of the Anthroposophical movement overall. [For background, see "Anthroposophy" and "Waldorf schools" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Enyclopedia.] Religious fervor often suffuses Anthroposophical and Waldorf circles. [See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?"]

[12] Although Principal Hougham evidently rejected "any reactive critique of Ofsted and the DfE," a strong effort was made to challenge Ofsted in court. The new delay in plans to reopen Wynstones comes after that effort collapsed.

— R.R.

October 10, 2020

FAILED STEINER SCHOOL 

MAY REOPEN NEXT FALL

Steiner or Waldorf schools in the UK have been under enormous pressure in recent months. Inspectors have found serious faults at a number of these schools [1]. As a result, some of the schools have closed, while others have attempted to mend their ways by, at least partially, cutting their ties to the Steiner/Waldorf movement [2].

Wynstones Steiner School, in Glouchester, England, closed early this year after receiving devastating critiques from official education inspectors. The school had been judged "good" in the past [3], but under a more stringent inspection regime Wynstones was downgraded to "inadequate" — the lowest possible assessment, equivalent to a grade of "F".

Summary of inspection conducted in 2019

[Ofsted]

Inspectors judged Wynstones to be failing in all its essential functions, including management, teaching, and safeguarding.

Now Wynstones has announced plans to reopen in the autumn of 2021. Evidently the school will continue to base its approach on the preachments of Rudolf Steiner [4], but sweeping changes are being implemented. Virtually everyone who was involved in running the school previously — including almost all of the teachers — will be replaced. The school's future course may depend on whether the new hires advocate the Steiner ethos and methodology [5].

Here are excerpts from a recent BBC news report:

Wynstones Steiner School 

to reopen in September 2021

The school closed in January due to a damning Ofsted report

[Google]

A Steiner school which shut in January after Ofsted [6] found "fundamental failings" had put children "at risk of harm" is to reopen next year.

Wynstones School, near Gloucester, has appointed a new management team and board of trustees, and will replace all but two of its 64 staff.

Its new principal said it would reopen in September 2021...

Paul Hougham, who was appointed as the new principal in March, said reopening was a "big challenge" but also a "big opportunity"...

[He added] "The Ofsted report...is very sobering and serious reading. It is informing how we are resetting the school's culture."

The report, published in February, said school leaders did not address or challenge staff behaviour which was "unacceptable and places pupils at significant risk".

Ofsted said a group of "resistant" teachers had blocked any attempts to change the school.

Inspectors also found parents felt intimidated raising bullying problems, resulting in children leaving the school...

[The school] teaches the principles of Rudolph Steiner [sic]....

[10/10/2020   https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-54477594   The BBC released this article on October 9.]

Here are excerpts from previous news accounts detailing Wynstones' travails.

From The Stroud News and Journal [Glouchestershire], January 28, 2020:

Wynstones School closes 

following damning Ofsted report

WYNSTONES School has closed following a damning Ofsted report.

The Steiner Waldorf school...has been closed weeks after education watchdog Ofsted found it had 'serious and widespread failures'...

Ofsted’s website says the school has been closed, and a spokesman for the Trustees said 'robust action' will be taken to tackle the issues with an aim to 'enable the school to re-open safely'...

An Ofsted report published in November found that untrained staff 'had restrained children on two occasions', after the school assured Ofsted that no restraints had occurred...

The report...said "The safeguarding culture in the school is weak. Leaders, managers, staff and trustees do not protect children from harm. Statutory safeguarding guidance is not fully understood or followed...."

[https://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/18191961.wynstones-school-closed-following-damning-ofsted-report/]

From Gloucerstershire Live, February 12, 2020:

Kindergarten children were 

'at significant risk of harm' 

at 'toxic' Wynstones Steiner School 

A Steiner school which closed last month left children 'at risk of serious harm'...

In a damning report published today, Ofsted said leaders did not address or challenge staff behaviour 'that is unacceptable and places pupils at significant risk'.

Children in kindergarten aged between three and four years old were also 'at risk of significant harm' as child protection issues were not dealt with 'in line with statutory safeguarding requirements.'

According to the report, child protection records are 'not kept effectively' and leaders are 'unable to explain the actions they have taken or describe the outcomes'...

[Inspectors] said: "There are behaviour and anti-bullying policies published on the school’s website.

"However, these policies do not promote good behaviour or prevent bullying among pupils. There is little evidence to suggest that staff follow, implement or understand these policies well enough..."

The report also said: "The principal summed up inspectors’ description of the school’s culture as 'toxic'.

"Relationships between staff and parents and carers have led to a situation where children’s safety is secondary to vested interests.

"The staff body is divided and those who want to change are intimidated by other staff and a body of parents who want to retain control over the school...."

[https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/kindergarten-children-were-at-significant-3841034]

Press coverage of the problems at UK Steiner schools has tended to focus on the issue of child safety. This is wholly understandable. But we should remember that inspectors often found problems in other areas of school responsibility, including management and teaching. Note that in the Ofsted summary reproduced above Wynstones School was found to have inadequate "leadership and management" and inadequate "quality of teaching." Overall, inspectors concluded that the school failed in virtually every way a school could possibly fail.

Waldorf Watch Footnotes 

[1] See "Steiner School Crisis".

[2] Some Steiner academies, for instance, have joined the Avanti Schools Trust, a multi-academy trust that, until recently, exclusively operated Hindu schools in the UK. Avanti has indicated that it may implement basic changes at the Steiner academies, perhaps eliminating or at least limiting the influence of Steiner pedagogy.

[3] The highest evaluation made by official school inspectors in the UK is "outstanding," meaning that a school is excellent. "Good" is the second evaluation, meaning that a school is okay but should be improved. The third evaluation, "requires improvement," means that a school is sub-par and must be made better. The lowest evaluation, "inadequate," means that a school has severe flaws — it must either be significantly improved or it should be shut down.

[4] See "Steiner, Rudolf" in The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia (BWSE) — scroll down the page to this entry.

[5] See "Waldorf schools: core principles", "Waldorf schools: goals", and "Waldorf schools, Steiner schools" in the BWSE.

[6] Ofsted is the UK government's Office for Standards in Education.

— R.R.

At this point, I suspended my efforts to keep abreast of, and cover, worldwide news about Waldorf schools. My hand was forced by several factors having nothing to do with Waldorf (such as — amazing as this may sound — a tornado that ripped through my wife's hometown and birthplace, leaving us with much recovery work to do). Perhaps I will be able to restart the Waldorf Watch News at some point in the future. But in the meantime I urge you to follow Waldorf-related news in whatever ways are available to you, such as by making frequent Internet searches, focusing on reliable news media. 

(And, if you are younger than I am — I'm writing this at age 77 — perhaps you might consider taking up the Waldorf-centric tasks that I am now on the verge of laying down permanently. Whether or not I am able to do any further work in this area, it is time for a new generation to take over. I imagine you've heard more than enough from me.)

 — Roger Rawlings

[R.R.]