Busting myths and misconceptions about what a Steiner School education REALLY looks like.
We stepped foot onto the grounds of Aurora Southern Highlands Steiner School on Kirkham Road in Bowral on a warm, sunny day in the Highlands not quite sure what to expect.
We followed the sounds of kids squealing and laughing, wandering up the pathway towards a play area where there was a whole lot of action happening. The monkey bars were super-popular, a fun water fight was happening (and was the main source of the giggling and squealing), students were climbing up the rockery and building mini dams and waterfalls with what they could find in the garden, and a beautiful big dog sat quietly on a cushion surveying the activity through half-opened sleepy eyes – it all looked like so much fun!
The Steiner education philosophy has always been a little misunderstood, so we had a chat to Principal Melissa Savill about why that happens and set the record straight.
We took a seat in the sunshine with Melissa to chat about the history of the school, their plans for an exciting year ahead, and those common misconceptions some people have about a Steiner education. Oh, and we’re pleased to report the water fight continued the whoooole time we chatted. The perfect way to burn off energy on a warm day!
So let’s start by getting an understanding of the history of Aurora Steiner School Bowral. Many locals don’t know that Aurora Steiner School on Kirkham Street only started 8 years ago, after the original Steiner School in the same location closed down a few years before that.
“When the school originally closed, they had a ceremonial event to mark the occasion,” says Melissa.
“One of the mums attending had just had a baby and was chatting with another woman who had just found out she was pregnant. They talked about what the education options would be for their babies in five years, a seed was planted and a whole lot of work over the next few years went into successfully registering the school, and the Aurora Steiner School opened in 2013.”
“It was an amazing effort from a small group of people – all volunteers – to get the school up and running. Such an amazing pioneering spirit that has become the foundation of what we do today.”
The school started with just 8 students and is now flourishing with 135 students enrolled for 2021.
“Our students from pre-kindergarten to Year 9 (we started offering high school in 2020) will be supported by 47 teachers and staff in 2021,” says Melissa.
“We now have enough students to offer single stream classes, rather than composite classes and have expanded our grounds and how many buildings we’re using at the Kirkham Road site. It’s a very exciting time!”
MYTH #1 The students do what they like when they like
That’s a big yeah nah from Melissa!
“Some people think the school day is only a few hours and the kids go out and play when they’ve had enough of learning but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Melissa says.
“We teach to the NSW curriculum, but the big difference is how we bring the curriculum to life.”
“We do that through storytelling and making the learning relatable to the student. For example, when we introduce multiplication in Year 1, we’ll tell the story of a collector who likes to collect groups of things. Or if we’re teaching subtraction, we’ll tell the story of the man who had holes in his pockets and kept losing his money. This gives the students something to relate to rather than numbers on a board.”
We also love the concept of a developmentally focused way of learning.
“Education and information is delivered when the child is ready to receive it. Now that doesn’t mean they do nothing until that point. We work with each student to develop their will and ability to learn, by making the learning relatable, interesting and fun,” Melissa says.
MYTH #2 Academic elements aren’t important
“What we do really well here at Aurora Steiner School is balance the academic requirements with the wellbeing elements,” Melissa explains.
“We focus on the whole child – emotional intelligence, respect, inclusivity, reverence, social aspects – it’s about the whole human being, and the academic side of things is an important part of that, but it’s not the ONLY part.”
“The key is preparing the student for learning, so it doesn’t become burdensome or a chore for them, piquing their curiosity at just the right moment so they’re ready to receive and are excited about it.”
“We can shift and meet the needs of our students really well. We’re not here to train them to get the highest ATAR, we’re here to prepare them for an unknown future – who knows what our world will look like in ten or twenty years? We certainly don’t! So we want to develop human beings with real life skills who are curious, imaginative and resilient to help them cope with the future. A strong, academic foundation is important but other things are important too. We balance it all out.”
MYTH #3 It’s only a primary school
This was what we were super surprised about! Aurora Steiner School offers a pre-kindergarten program, vacation care, after school care, and as we mentioned before are now teaching high school students up to Year 9, with plans in place to build right to Year 12 over the next three years. Oh, and they’ve also got a playgroup you can join if you have younger kiddo’s.
MYTH #4 They mainly cater for special needs children or kids who ‘don’t fit in’
“We’re a school for all children,” says Melissa.
“Often children with diverse learning styles do really well here because of our individualised approach to learning. And we’re well trained and highly attuned on providing a strong learning environment for children on the spectrum, but some ASD students do find some of our social and group activities challenging – it really comes down to how the ASD presents for them.”
Students are encouraged to mix outside of their years and genders, which seems to have made a big impact, according to Phoebe who is heading into Year 5 this year.
“I have lots of friends in different years, and they’re not all girls,” Phoebe says.
Melissa also makes the point that children who have been rule-followers or what people would class as ‘a good student’ in other schools have thrived on arrival at the Aurora Steiner School.
“One of our Year 6 students made a speech last year talking about how he’d bloomed since he had come to Aurora, and now learning had become fun for him. He said it in such a matter-of-fact way, it was so great!” Melissa smiles.
Phoebe agrees.
“We have a lot of freedom, but the teachers are strict when they need to be and fun at the right time. It makes it fun to learn.”
MYTH #5 Teachers don’t have to be qualified or experienced
It’s clear from the way Melissa’s face lights up when you mention the staff at Aurora Steiner School that they are huge part of the school’s growing success!
“Our staff are our biggest asset,” she says.
“They’re all trained teachers like any other teacher, but they do additional training to bring this approach to education to life.”
Specialist teachers in music, visual arts, languages and more work alongside the wonderful class teachers and support staff to create a vibrant community of educators.
“We’re all equals here. Yes, we’ve got our different roles, titles and responsibilities but the way we relate to each other is extremely collaborative and on equal terms, which we model for the children,” Melissa points out.
MYTH #6 It’s for alternative families who live off the grid and don’t do mainstream
Melissa laughs at this one.
“The parents in our school community are from all walks of life and backgrounds and are spread right across the Highlands. We have students from Picton to Penrose and everywhere in between,” she says.
“Parents want their children to have a nice experience of school, not a traumatic one. Many parents tell me they want their children to go to a place where they can be themselves – where their individuality can be celebrated and not squashed down.”
“Fun, happiness and the confidence to be themselves. That’s what drives many parents to enrol their children at Aurora Steiner School.”
Different to what you expected??? Us too!
“The Steiner education philosophy has been around a long time and there can be a dogmatic view of it, but our point of difference at the Aurora Steiner School is we use the fantastic elements of the Steiner philosophy and tailor it to the needs of this generation,” Melissa explains.
“It can be a brave step to enrol your child into a completely different educational experience – one that they and you are not used to. But it’s that courage and pioneering spirit this school is built on, and it’s the reason why our students will become amazing human beings ready for an ever-changing (and unknown!) future.”
Aurora Southern Highlands Steiner School is an independent school in Bowral, offering an enriching, unique and academically challenging education from pre-kindergarten through to high school. Aurora values all aspects of education equally: the practical, the artistic, the social and the academic and aims to support all students to become well-balanced, well-rounded and emotionally stable young people ready to take on the future. Click here for more information or to book an enrolment tour.
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