Ethos and Values of the Steiner Academy Hereford

The school draws its inspiration from the insights of Rudolf Steiner, particularly with reference to his view of child development. The spirit of our ethos may therefore may be summed up in the words of Steiner himself:

Receive the child with reverence,

Educate with love,

Relinquish in freedom.

Reverence embraces the spiritual nature of the child’s being and a sense of responsibility towards the emerging individuality. This involves being both protective of that individuality and displaying a loving enthusiasm to help it develop and unfold as part of the social organism of the class and school community.

Our ethos also embraces the three-fold qualities of goodness, beauty and truth: being life-affirming, providing an environment which is beautiful and teaching that celebrates beauty and beautiful work and that is always working towards clarity and the honouring of truth, from both moral and intellectual points of view.

Our ethos understands the human being to be grounded not only in human culture but also in the natural world and that it is part of a child’s birthright for this connection with the earth and nature to be fostered while at school.

Finally, our ethos understands that the qualities here referred to can only flourish within a framework of clearly agreed rules and boundaries which are respected, supported and upheld by teachers, children and parents alike.

David Donaldson
Governor and former Class Teacher at the Steiner Academy Hereford