STEINER schools are based on the philosophy of Rudolph Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, social reformer and architect who founded his first school in Germany in 1919.
There are now nearly 900 around the world, some publicly funded, but the 33 in the UK are independent.
Most do not have head teachers but a "college" of staff, without normal hierarchy.
The schools give priority to educating the "whole child", with a strong emphasis on creativity. The academic, artistic and social aspects, or "head, heart and hands", are seen as complementary, with pupils working at practical activities such as gardening alongside classroom lessons.
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