–Rudolf Steiner

Our kindergarten

Life in the kindergarten can be compared to living and working in a large family. The Kindergarten morning offers a gentle rhythm of free play as well as more structured activities.

We celebrate traditional festivals and the cycle of the year.

The teacher and her assistants lead by example and provide an environment that respects individual differences.The Kindergarten provides rich opportunities for each child’s personal growth and enjoyment. As young children learn through imitation, the aim of the Kindergarten teacher is to offer a wholesome example for the children to model.

Our 3 to 7 year-olds play freely and imaginatively using toys and resources made of beautiful natural materials. Opportunities for indoor and outdoor creative play are an integral feature of our Kindergarten, nurturing imagination and initiative.



Daily rhythm

The daily and weekly rhythms of the sessions provide stability for the young child. Attention is given to preparing for, and celebrating the various festivals throughout the year. The children’s experience is enriched by activities such as sewing, painting, and modeling. Movement, singing and finger rhymes play a vital role, as do fairy tales and nature stories - providing a calming close to the morning. Domestic day-to-day tasks, such as washing, polishing, wood-work, baking, gardening and preparing the daily snack or table-laying, offer children the experience of engaging in work of real value.

This rhythm fosters a sense of security and confidence which grows as the children revisit the yearly celebrations of seasonal changes and festivals.


The human ability to “imagine” should not be undervalued – it is the source of genius and its roots are to be found in the creative play of early childhood.

– Lynne Oldfield

Our morning

Sessions run Monday - Thursday, 9:00 - 12:45.
The pattern is as follows:

Free play and activities indoors

Monday - painting
Tuesday - handiwork/craft activity
Wednesday - baking
Thursday - drawing

Ring time coming together in a circle to sing seasonal songs, dance and tell finger rhymes

Snack time rice cakes/ porridge / bread and cheese or marmite / apple crumble / corn cakes / apple juice and rosehip tea to drink. All organic and locally sourced where possible.

Outside play feeding the chickens, taking a woodland walk, collecting kindling, building, working on the kindergarten’s vegetable patch, or water and sand play

Story time The teacher tells the children a story, often involving music and song. The same story is told for several days. Once a term, the staff perform a puppet show.

Goodbye song


Play for the little child is not just a pastime. Play is work. Play is the world itself.

–-Francis Edmunds

We offer free places for children from the ages of three to five. We ask each family for a voluntary donation of up to £4 per child per session to cover cost of food, utilities and craft resources.

Involvement of parents and carers

We welcome and encourage your involvement in the kindergarten. Some ways of doing this are through daily interaction and exchange of information with staff, social events and fundraising. We have a parent group that meets regularly and all are welcome. We often invite parents to celebrate festival occasions with us. We occasionally hold an educational event for parents: this includes educational talks and workshops with various professionals from Steiner Early Years, plus doll making and other crafts.

Enrolling

To find out more or to arrange a visit, you can contact Louise Sinclair via the MWC office on 01297 560342 or Sarah Churchill on 01308 897564.

We are registered with the Steiner Fellowship as an Interest Group and are working towards full Steiner Accreditation. Click here to learn more about Steiner Education.

OFSTED reports

Our Kindergarten received satisfactory OFSTED ratings in 2008 and 2011. Click here for details.


You can visit our Flickr account for more images from the Kindy.