Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Steiner School Kings Langley is a Steiner School located in Kings Langley
, Hertfordshire
, England
, formed in 1949.
The school caters for pupils aged 3 to 19 years old, and has a capacity of 440 pupils.
The School is set on 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of grounds, on the site of Kings Langley Palace
, a 13th century Plantagenet royal palace.
, lower school and upper school.
There are two Kindergartens at Rudolf Steiner Kings Langley School, both of which are in a separate area from the main school building. This is where children from 3 years of age to 5 years spend their day. Kindergarten is like an extended playgroup. During the day the children play games, do creative activities and go on short walks in the school grounds.
The lower school consists of classes 1 to 8. There is one class per year with roughly 25 students in each class. The years are academically one year behind the average state school, for example children in class six would be in year seven at a state secondary school.
Writing and reading skills are developed during classes 1 and 2. French
and German
are also introduced at this time through songs and games. Creativity is still being developed in the children at this stage. They start handwork were they learn to knit
, perform a play during the course of the year, and work outside in the gardening lesson. Another subject they start is Eurythmy
, which is a way of telling stories through body movement.
More solid subjects such as Mathematics
, English Literature
, History
, Geography
, Religion
and the Science
s are introduced in the middle school from class 3 to 8. During this period no exams on these subjects take place.
The upper school is from class 9 to 13. The Steiner Schools GCSES examinations are started a year later than state schools to give the students in class 9 the opportunity to go on a French or German exchange for a term. This is recommended as it enhances their understanding of the language. Therefore GCSES are taken in class 11 and A-levels are taken in class 13.
Steiner education is not just about the academic ability of the child but developing their creative skills, too. As the Rudolf Steiner Kings Langley School motto emphasises, “Education for Head, Heart, and Hand”.
Kings Langley
Kings Langley is a historic English village and civil parish northwest of central London on the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills and now part of the London commuter belt. The major western portion lies in the borough of Dacorum and the east is in the Three Rivers district, both in the county of...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, formed in 1949.
The school caters for pupils aged 3 to 19 years old, and has a capacity of 440 pupils.
The School is set on 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of grounds, on the site of Kings Langley Palace
Kings Langley Palace
Kings Langley Palace was a 13th century Royal Palace located at Kings Langley in Hertfordshire.-History:In 1299 King Edward I summoned the Bishop of Norwich to Kings Langley Palace so providing the first evidence of its existence. Edward of Carnarvon, later Edward II, when Prince of Wales, spent...
, a 13th century Plantagenet royal palace.
Four stages of Steiner education
There are three stages to Steiner education: kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, lower school and upper school.
There are two Kindergartens at Rudolf Steiner Kings Langley School, both of which are in a separate area from the main school building. This is where children from 3 years of age to 5 years spend their day. Kindergarten is like an extended playgroup. During the day the children play games, do creative activities and go on short walks in the school grounds.
The lower school consists of classes 1 to 8. There is one class per year with roughly 25 students in each class. The years are academically one year behind the average state school, for example children in class six would be in year seven at a state secondary school.
Writing and reading skills are developed during classes 1 and 2. French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
are also introduced at this time through songs and games. Creativity is still being developed in the children at this stage. They start handwork were they learn to knit
Knitting
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
, perform a play during the course of the year, and work outside in the gardening lesson. Another subject they start is Eurythmy
Eurythmy
Eurythmy is an expressive movement art originated by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with Marie von Sivers in the early 20th century. Primarily a performance art, it is also used in education — especially in Waldorf schools - and as a movement therapy....
, which is a way of telling stories through body movement.
More solid subjects such as Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
, History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, Religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and the Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
s are introduced in the middle school from class 3 to 8. During this period no exams on these subjects take place.
The upper school is from class 9 to 13. The Steiner Schools GCSES examinations are started a year later than state schools to give the students in class 9 the opportunity to go on a French or German exchange for a term. This is recommended as it enhances their understanding of the language. Therefore GCSES are taken in class 11 and A-levels are taken in class 13.
Steiner education is not just about the academic ability of the child but developing their creative skills, too. As the Rudolf Steiner Kings Langley School motto emphasises, “Education for Head, Heart, and Hand”.