From Class 1 upwards, different subject lessons are introduced. This includes lessons In Farming, Building, Gardening, as well as Woodwork, Handwork, Painting, Eurythmy and Religion. These are sometimes taught by the class teacher and sometimes by specialist teachers and are introduced at an appropriate age to meet the developmental needs of the growing child.
Music and Drama also play an important role in the life of our school and classes regular perform plays in the school’s 450-seated theatre.
EURYTHMY
The word Eurythmy comes from the Greek, “beautiful movement.” This special subject was given a place of great importance by Rudolf Steiner when it was introduced to the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany. Steiner said that this “renewal of dance” would act like levan in the bread – helping to lift and balance all the other subjects.
Essentially Eurythmy is a dance-like art-form, exploring the expression of music and sound, including speech to movement, corresponding specific movements to particular notes and sounds. It enhances co-ordination and balance and reinforces social connections as well as strengthening the ability to listen.
Today Eurythmy is a core subject taught from Kindergarten to Class 12 in most Waldorf schools throughout the world. Eurythmy is also practiced therapeutically and as a performing art.
Religion is a core subject of the Waldorf curriculum and is taught once a week from classes 1 to 12. The Religion lesson strives to strengthen feelings of wonder and devotion and to awaken a longing for what is beautiful and true.
This is done through a study of creation stories, the study of ancient cultures, biographies and conversation as each class finds security and meaning in the journey towards becoming truly human.
Whilst the Religion curriculum as given by Steiner is based on Christianity in general it is open to all respect and all world religions and faiths. What is more important in the Religion lessons is that children can see their own thoughts and feelings reflected in the common human experience.
In addition to the weekly Religion lessons, our school also offers a Sunday Children’s Service which is conducted by the Religion teachers/Service holders.
Woodwork is an important part of the curriculum at the RSSKL and the children learn how to use tools like chisels, rasp, saw, axes and sandpaper in a safe way.
Woodwork first starts at the beginning of Class 5, where pupils first go outside to find sticks and branches to whittle a windchime and little animals. This activates fantasy, skill and attention and the children work with great enthusiasm.
Further projects include a spoon, wooden bowls, boxes and stools in classes 6, 7 and 8. As the projects continue to get more challenging, the children have to hold their attention in order to go through a long working process; instead of an instant reward, some projects can take up almost a whole year. But then imagine holding your own hand-carved bowl in your hands – what could be more rewarding than that?
It is an holistic approach to developing practical skills and for pupils to gain flexibility in mind, body and spirit.
HANDWORK
During the Handwork lesson, pupils are taken on a wonderful journey of discovery. Using a variety of natural fibres and textures, with beautiful colours to stimulate their senses, they learn many new skills. The children make a pair of wooden knitting needles and learn to knit with them; they learn how to crochet with beautiful coloured cotton yarns, to sew embroidery stitches and cross-stitch with their own unique designs and felt with lovely soft sheep fleece.
Later on, after class four, they learn how to knit socks working in the round on five needles. They then learn a variety of tie-dyeing techniques and the craft of Batik. The fabric is then made into useful artefacts on a hand and electric sewing machine. Leatherwork then involves the students with a new medium and unfamiliar tools demanding greater dexterity and strength in the hands.
Handwork engages the whole child, their thinking, feeling and willing. Whilst they immerse themselves in these activities, spatial awareness and hand-eye co-ordination are developed and their dexterity and ability to concentrate and work with accurate measurement increases. The children thus gain in ability and confidence in many transferable life-skills which not only educate the hand and will, but also develop the thinking capacity of the growing child. Thus Handwork significantly contributes to a broader educational experience.
In gardening, pupils are welcomed to the largest classroom, the outdoor classroom!
Already in Kindergarten children dig for potatoes and plant seeds as they watch them grow. In Class 3 they study Farming as part of their main lesson. It is at this age that children have their own little vegetable or flower where they make their own connection to the Earth, the plants and all the animals who live around them. Gardening brings a deeper awareness of the seasons of the year and the elements of Nature in a real and very practical context. Gardening is a lifetime experience which is thoroughly beneficial for their well-being and development.
The ceramics course in Class 9 aims to develop a self-motivated pupil with an increasing ability to observe, understand and apply knowledge to the making of artefacts with a practical use. The pupils gain a fuller understanding of the savouring of raw materials to the completion and firing of work, through experiencing the main making processes and glazing techniques; thus allowing the pupils a concrete vehicle to express their feelings and relationship to the world.
In Classes 10 & 11 an understanding of the visual world is developed through extending the pupils’ skills, experience and imagination during project work in 4 different areas of art. Pupils are encouraged to investigate through direct observation and researching the work of other artists, as well as using their own imagination. Through experimenting with different media and taking risks, they learn how to select and control a wide range of materials, whilst learning to demonstrate visually the thought process from a starting point to their final art work for GCSE.
The A level course provides an opportunity to work in a way that is both broader and deeper than anything approached at GCSE.
In Class 12 (AS level), personal expression is encouraged and developed in individual projects; these draw on an investigative, experimental, and analytical approach.
This is further developed in Class 13 (A2) where the pupils are encouraged to develop visual meaning through an expressive response to a personal context or social issue.
In Class 8, by looking at still life through light and shade, texture, form and space, the students become aware of the multitude of possible ways of representing reality. In Class 9, the drama of light and darkness provides the basis for artistic experience and a vehicle for expressing our feelings in relation to the environment. An introduction to printing techniques relates well to the harsh realities of our impact on it, whilst self-portrait work focusing on tone reminds us of both our humanity and vulnerability.
In Class 10 and 11, we deepen our understanding of the visual world by developing our technical skills. Students are encouraged to work from direct observation and imagination, to take risks and explore a wide variety of media, in preparation for their final pieces for GCSE.
In Class 12, the Art and Design course (AS level) offers opportunities for personal expression through the development of individual projects, drawing on investigative, analytical and experimental approaches. This is further developed in Class 13 (A2), where students are encouraged to create visual meaning through an expressive response to a personal context or social issues.
In class 10 and 11, students learn to master the basic skills of photography. They learn to understand an SLR camera, develop films, print and do experiments in the darkroom. Pupils†are encouraged to research and analyse the work of other photographers.
They†emulate their images, paying attention to composition, light, texture and mood, whilst developing their own ideas to produce final pieces for GCSEs.
In class 12 (AS), students have the opportunity to improve technical skills and to express their thoughts and feelings through the development of a personal project. More depth in their investigations and experiments,†are required to produce a coursework portfolio.
In class 13 (A2), this†is developed even further with more experiments, digital imaging and refined printing skills. By this stage, students will,†hopefully, have developed†a greater†sensitivity to the world around them, not only looking but seeing more intensely, inspiring them to create a body of work expressing a response to a personal idea, or social issue, with a visual meaning.
The aim of foreign language teaching in Steiner Waldorf schools is to encourage a positive attitude towards people of other cultures and languages. Learning a foreign language offers the children other perspectives on their own language, culture, attitudes and mentality, thus helping them see the world in a more differentiated way.
In our school, the children learn both French and German from Class 1 onwards. During the first 3 years the children are immersed in the spoken language, as the lessons are conducted almost entirely in the foreign language. In Class 4, reading and writing are introduced and during the Middle school years, language leaning gradually becomes more conscious and analytical.
In the Upper school, pupils take their GCSE’s and have the opportunity to continue with A-level studies in both French and German.