A Brief History of the School
The inspiration for South Devon Steiner School came in 1977 when a small group of parents and friends envisioned a local school based on Rudolf Steiner’s educational philosophy and modeled after Steiner Waldorf schools around the world.
By October 1981, a school was born at Sandwell Manor near Harberton, opening a freshly painted Class 1 to five, six year old students. Their teacher was Christopher Cooper, still a Trustee of the school today, some 36 years later! The school continued to expand and on 10th September 1985, two years of intense fundraising came to a climax when the school bought Hood Manor. After extensive renovation work by pioneering teachers, parents and friends, Hood Manor opened its doors on a snowy day in February 1986 to some 130 children in seven classes from Kindergarten to Class 7.
An impulse existed to create an Upper School and in 1990, the first Class 9 was ushered in, becoming Class 10 the following year. Numbers swelled and confidence quickly grew in the Upper School and its strong team of teachers. There began to be a steady flow of students from Steiner Schools on the continent, visitors who stayed for anything from one term to one year, bringing a welcome cosmopolitan feel to the whole Upper School, creating firm links with mainland Europe and establishing the schools outstanding exchange and visiting student programs. Students left the school at the end of Class 10 to pursue their education at local colleges, but this did not quite complete the vision for the school.
Now, South Devon Steiner School has opened a dedicated Upper School College as an extension of the established South Devon Steiner School, but located in a separate, dedicated, beautiful timber framed and straw bale building, Hood Barn. This will allow students to join the College from 14 years, whether they are already students at the school, from other Steiner schools or graduating from mainstream settings, to pursue a Steiner Waldorf education to 18 years, for a purposeful journey into life.
By October 1981, a school was born at Sandwell Manor near Harberton, opening a freshly painted Class 1 to five, six year old students. Their teacher was Christopher Cooper, still a Trustee of the school today, some 36 years later! The school continued to expand and on 10th September 1985, two years of intense fundraising came to a climax when the school bought Hood Manor. After extensive renovation work by pioneering teachers, parents and friends, Hood Manor opened its doors on a snowy day in February 1986 to some 130 children in seven classes from Kindergarten to Class 7.
An impulse existed to create an Upper School and in 1990, the first Class 9 was ushered in, becoming Class 10 the following year. Numbers swelled and confidence quickly grew in the Upper School and its strong team of teachers. There began to be a steady flow of students from Steiner Schools on the continent, visitors who stayed for anything from one term to one year, bringing a welcome cosmopolitan feel to the whole Upper School, creating firm links with mainland Europe and establishing the schools outstanding exchange and visiting student programs. Students left the school at the end of Class 10 to pursue their education at local colleges, but this did not quite complete the vision for the school.
Now, South Devon Steiner School has opened a dedicated Upper School College as an extension of the established South Devon Steiner School, but located in a separate, dedicated, beautiful timber framed and straw bale building, Hood Barn. This will allow students to join the College from 14 years, whether they are already students at the school, from other Steiner schools or graduating from mainstream settings, to pursue a Steiner Waldorf education to 18 years, for a purposeful journey into life.
