When first engaging with a Waldorf School, we have to become accustomed to the fact that the management structures which we encounter are not necessarily what we have come to know in other mainstream schools.
Waldorf schools are often referred to in the world as ‘free’ and ‘independent’ schools, due to the nature of the way in which they organise themselves. Waldorf Schools may one day be regarded as one of the most significant initiatives of the twentieth century.
They are dynamic educational impulses, now the fastest growing independent education movement in the world. However most Waldorf schools operate in a flat management structure, where the striving for consensus is at the heart of every engagement that develops the school.
New families are invited to take time to experience the function of this new form, through a continual interest in the school. This ongoing inquiry can be introduced through the class or classes your children are part of, and through the teachers and the parent meetings arranged throughout the year. Other events and even community gatherings can all be opportunities to understand the collaborative environment with which a Waldorf school thrives.
