Visits by objective observers can often spell trouble for Waldorf schools. The trouble can be particularly acute when the visitors are official school inspectors.

We have seen reports of such trouble previously, concentrated primarily on problems in American and British Waldorf schools. Now similar reports have been published about Swedish Waldorf schools. Here are machine translations (created by Google Translate) of three overlapping news articles that appeared recently in Swedish news media.

(I have done a little light editing to improve readability in English.)

— R.R.

October 25, 2022

I.

From Hallansposten

October 19, 2022

Many Waldorf schools are lacking in their teaching

A large number of Waldorf schools around the country are lacking in several areas, according to an inspection by the School Inspectorate. The authority views the lack of early support efforts for students as particularly serious.

- This can lead to these students falling behind, says Anna Bergqvist, head of unit for the School Inspectorate.

It is the first time that the School Inspectorate has conducted an overall inspection of the country's Waldorf schools — where 27 of the 35 inspected schools around the country show deficiencies in at least one of the six inspected areas.

Particularly serious is that in 14 out of 35 schools, there is a lack of early support efforts for students, according to Anna Bergqvist, head of unit at the School Inspectorate.

- It is serious when in some cases you do not map [students' progress], assess [educational attainment], or provide support for the youngest students in order to identify early those who have problems with counting, writing, or reading. This can lead to these students falling behind and not catching up. It is therefore important to identify the needs early, so that they can receive support right from the start, she says.

According to the report, [Waldorf] teachers said that their schools are waiting to give support because the students "are not considered mature enough at that age".

"No educational requirement for teachers"

Further deficiencies that are addressed in the School Inspectorate's supervision include deficiencies in the planning and implementation of teaching regarding the work against abusive treatment according to the Education Act.

According to Anna Bergqvist, the fact that the Waldorf schools are also exempt from the requirements for [teaching] credentials and qualifications can have consequences for the students.

- The research shows that when students are taught by trained teachers, they get better teaching and better knowledge to take with them. Waldorf has its own teachers' college, but as the legislation is designed, there are no requirements for any [instructional] training for the teachers at these schools. And what we have seen during lesson observations, and also heard from students, is that in some schools there is a low quality of teaching, she says.

"Eurythmy supplants phys ed"

According to Anna Bergqvist, there are also deficiencies in terms of the students' guaranteed teaching time in 15 of the 35 audited schools.

- This deficiency can also be found in other types of schools, but here it is found in relatively many — and it is serious, as students must be guaranteed a certain amount of instruction. And as far as Waldorf-specific things are concerned, we see at a handful of schools that they let the local eurythmy option compete with teaching in physical education and health, says Anna Bergqvist.

WSF: "Working with continuing education"

In a written response, Maria Norberg, chairman of the board of the Waldorf School Federation (WSF), writes that they take "very seriously the shortcomings shown in the School Inspectorate's report", and are now analyzing the situation.

"During the past year, WSF has worked systematically through continuing education addressing the shortcomings that emerged in the respective school's report; I.T. [information technology] instruction, guaranteed teaching time, and safety and security for the students in the school," she writes.

[Många Waldorfskolor brister i sin undervisning]

II.

From Skolvärden

October 19, 2022

Report: Many Waldorf schools do not teach [adequately]

by Emil Hedman

The School Inspectorate's targeted supervision of Waldorf schools shows shortcomings in several areas.

- The students do not get the education and teaching time to which they are entitled, says Anna Bergqvist, head of unit at the School Inspectorate.

Twenty-nine out of 35 inspected Waldorf primary schools [in Sweden] are deficient in at least one inspected area. The School Inspectorate has reviewed the schools' work in six areas: teaching based on the curriculum, guaranteed teaching time, scientific basis and proven experience, early support measures, as well as safety and [prevention of] abusive treatment.

According to the report, the majority of Waldorf schools fail in the planning and implementation of teaching, and students do not receive the guaranteed amount of teaching time.

- The students do not receive the education and teaching time to which they are entitled. This means that they miss out on knowledge that they should get in their education. It also risks affecting the students' future studies, says Anna Bergqvist, head of unit at the School Inspectorate.

Several [of the inspected] schools have shortcomings in the mapping of students' knowledge development, and support efforts for students with [special] needs are delayed or absent. Security work [i.e., protection of students], efforts against abusive treatment, and following course plans are also pointed out as lacking in several of the schools.

Waldorf pedagogy supersedes the School Act

The School Inspectorate points out that several of the deficiencies that were discovered are not unique to Waldorf schools; the same deficiencies and problems are found when the authority inspects other types of primary schools.

But in some cases [at Waldorf schools], Waldorf pedagogy is held superior to the School Act and the national curriculum. For example, [this occurs] with regard to the attitude that younger students should not use digital technology, and there are teachers who choose not to implement early support measures because the students are not considered mature [enough] for it, based on their age.

- We see that work with early interventions is lacking. If students' knowledge development is not mapped, there is a risk that students will not receive the support they need. We have actually seen [Waldorf] schools that did not provide such support, even when it was obvious that the students needed it, says Anna Bergqvist.

Questioning the exemption from teaching credentials

The fact that Waldorf school teachers are exempt from the requirement for teaching credentials is also cited as a problem. The School Inspectorate points to the importance of teachers' training and competence, and ends the report with the conclusion "In the opinion of the School Inspectorate, there may be reason to reconsider the exceptions in the legislation that apply to Waldorf schools".

The decision to target [Waldorf schools for] supervision was made in 2021 against the background of SVT's attention-grabbing documentary series "De uvvalda barnen" [The Chosen Children] and the subsequent debate about Waldorf schools in Sweden.  [SVT is the Swedish national television broadaster.] In the documentary, which depicts how the Solvik School in Järna was run during the 1980s and 1990s, former students testify to a lack of teaching, and teachers are accused of both ignoring and participating in serious bullying, [various] violations, and physical violence against their students.

During the period November 2021 to April 2022, the Inspectorate reviewed 35 of the 38 Waldorf primary schools that exist around the country. There, the Inspectorate interviewed teachers, staff in student health, the principals, and students, and observed lessons and breaks.

[https://skolvarlden.se/artiklar/rapport-manga-waldorfskolor-brister-i-undervisningen]

III.

From SVT Nyheter

October 19, 2022

Criticism of the Waldorf School in Lund 

— the students do not use computers

A majority of the country's Waldorf schools show deficiencies in several areas. This is shown by a new inspection by the School Inspectorate. Lund's Waldorf School, with around 200 students, receives criticism for, among other things, preventing students from using and learning about digital technology.

It is the first time that the School Inspectorate has carried out an overall inspection of the country's Waldorf schools. Twenty-seven of the 35 inspected schools show deficiencies in at least one of the six inspected areas.

- The lack of digital technology is a common deficiency in the country's Waldorf schools. There must be digital tools according to the curriculum and according to the course plans in the various subjects, says Anna Bergqvist, head of unit at the School Inspectorate to SVT Nyheter Skåne.

- It is worrying that many of the schools have the same shortcomings. This may mean that the deficiencies may be linked to the Waldorf approach, she says.

"Resistance to computers"

This is how the School Inspectorate writes about the shortcomings at Lund's Waldorf School:

"Students in year three say in interviews that they do not use digital tools in their schoolwork. On the day of the interview, however, the students were required to search for information about birds on the internet. The students tell us that it is the first time they have done it. In an interview with students in year six, it appears that digital tools have been used little in the music courses. If the students need to search the internet, the teacher does it for the students".

In a comment to SVT Nyheter Skåne, the school writes: "The principal has been tasked with increasing the total number of digital units [offered], as well as creating variety among these. Students from year one onwards have access to digital tools used in teaching. The rector is working on developing a plan that refers to initiatives for competence development for the teachers who need it".

The principal also tells the School Inspectorate that there is resistance to digital tools among the students' parents.

Risks sanctions

How is it checked that the school follows [the Inspectorate's] instructions?

- They report in writing how they must live up to the constitution and we also have the opportunity to go out and do a new inspection, says Anna Bergqvist at the School Inspectorate.

By 21 November 2022 at the latest, Lund's Waldorf School must have remedied the deficiencies.

[https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/skane/waldorfskolan-i-lund-brister-i-undervisning-och-stodinsatser]

[R.R.]

For an account of Waldorf education in Norway,

see the final section of "Our Experience", Part 1.

For reports on Steiner schools in Germany,

see "Dispatches from Deutschland".

For reports on Steiner Waldorf schools in the UK,

see "The Steiner School Crisis". 

For an account of Waldorf education in France,

see "He Went to Waldorf".

For accounts from numerous countries, 

including the USA,

see "Cautionary Tales",

"Ex-Teacher 2" and the pages following it,

"Our Experience", "Coming Undone",

"Moms", "Pops",

and "I Went to Waldorf".

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