My first encounter with Steiner education was some years ago. 

And, as is the norm, it took the form of muddling them up with Montessori schools. 

However, last week, Newsnight ran a report on the 30 or so private Steiner schools that showed how different they are from anything else. 

The schools are known for being playful and hippyish. 

Why are Steiner schools so controversial?

Published 4 August 2014

BY Chris Cook / BBC Newsnight policy editor

But we revealed the contents of two memos from the Department for Education (DfE) on complaints about bullying in the private Steiner schools - also known as Waldorf schools or Steiner Waldorf schools - and concerns about racism. 

The Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, external (SWSF), the umbrella body for Steiner schools, responded by saying "Our schools do not tolerate racism" and "bullying is not tolerated by our schools and all our schools have strong anti-bullying policies". 

Some people also tweeted me to praise their Steiner education. 

As our report made clear, the issues are not ubiquitous in Steiner schools. None of the reports concerns any of the three, open state Steiner schools. 

But Steiner schools could be susceptible to these problems.

That is because of the particular views of Rudolf Steiner, the intellectual father of Steiner schools. 

The Austrian-born occultist, who died in 1925, left a vast body of work covering everything from biodynamic farming to alternative medicine.

It is known, collectively, as "anthroposophy".

The SWSF's guidelines from 2011 said that schools using the Steiner name were obliged to prove "an anthroposophical impulse lies at the heart of planning for the school". 

Since 2013, this has been made vaguer: they now need a commitment to "the fundamental principles of Waldorf education".

Those ideas are based in a belief in reincarnation.

Pupils may not have been sold this creed, but Steiner was very strict that teachers were not supposed to pass them on to children - just to act on them.

READ MORE: https://www.bbc.com/news/education-28646118?ysclid=mvp144x7rh895725621

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WHY BRING THESE SCHOOLS AND STYLE OF TEACHINGS TO THE FORE? THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT COMES FROM CHARLIE HEBDO [TOON ABOVE AND ARTICLE BELOW 23/10/2026]...

https://charliehebdo.fr/2026/10/religions/derives-sectaires/enquete-derives-sectaires-une-ecole-steiner-integre-le-reseau-des-lycees-francais-a-letranger-avec-la-benediction-de-letat/

On September 1st, the Rudolf Steiner School in Geneva, Switzerland, quietly joined the prestigious network of French schools abroad, following official accreditation from French diplomatic and academic authorities — a first. Yet, the school is part of a network that is closely monitored by the French Ministry of the Interior due to concerns regarding cult-like tendencies.

They are all smiles, and for good reason. At a reception in Lausanne on September 18th, the principals of ten Swiss schools that prepare students for the French *Baccalauréat* received a coveted prize from Marion Paradas, the French Ambassador to Switzerland: a partnership with the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE)—the body under the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs that oversees the prestigious network of French schools worldwide. Among the day’s recipients was a member of the leadership team from the Rudolf Steiner School in Geneva.

On its website, the institution — founded in 1980 — promotes a pedagogical approach that “develops a comprehensive and specific method, based on the belief that every child is unique,” ​​with the goal of “fostering the intellectual, artistic, social, and manual faculties inherent to each individual.” And as if that were not enough, the Steiner School in Geneva — which claims...: [WHAT FOLLOWS IS GUS's SOURCE....]

The school year concluded with some wonderful news: all 17 students from the 13th grade who sat for the *baccalauréat* in 2026 passed their exams.

Among them, 7 earned the distinction "Assez bien" (Good), 6 earned "Bien" (Very Good), and 2 earned "Très bien" (Excellent).

The Steiner School of Geneva has thus achieved a 100% success rate in the *baccalauréat* for the sixth consecutive year.

This consistent performance reflects an educational approach that is attentive to the development of each individual student, respecting their personal pace and unique journey. It is the result of long-term support, driven by the dedication of the teaching staff and the entire school community.

We are delighted to have accompanied this latest graduating class, and we wish them a wonderful, enriching, and exciting path forward as they embark on their future endeavors.

Congratulations to everyone!

https://ersge.ch/en/baccalaureat-2026/

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THERE ARE MANY "EXCLUSIVE SCHOOLS" IN SWITZERLAND WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO FASHION THE NEXT CROP OF LEADERS IN THE WORLD FROM THE PURSE OF RICH PEOPLE FOR RICH PEOPLE, SUCH AS DIPLOMATS, CEOs AND ENTREPRENEURS... THEY FORM TIGHT-KNIT NETWORKS OF MANAGERS, CONTROLLERS ET AL...

NOTHING NEFARIOUS HERE.... MEANWHILE REINCARNATION ISN'T A STEINER EXCLUSIVE: MOST [ALL] RELIGIONS BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION. THE STEINER SCHOOL SYSTEM CLAIMS TO BE NON RELIGIOUS NONETHELESS... BUT THE FRENCH EDUCATION AUTHORITIES KEEP A KEEN EYE ON THIS....

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