South Devon Steiner School
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+44 (0) 1803 897377  |   Hood Manor, Dartington TQ9 6AB
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Our Kindergartens

Young child playing in the school garden
In our Kindergartens, we provide time and space for the natural, unforced development of key life skills by creating a warm and secure learning environment where the qualities of childhood are nurtured. This allows children to build a strong base for social and emotional competence, literacy and numeracy and prepares them well for more formal learning in the Lower School.
 
Free creative play strengthens the imagination. Repeated research studies have shown that children who are encouraged to enjoy creative play tend to show more empathy towards others and to display less aggression. They are more likely to have the capacity to see things from the perspective of the other, and demonstrate fewer signs of anxiety, distress or fatigue. 

​In Steiner early childhood education, children are allowed to learn through investigation, exploration and discovery, encouraging them to become inventive and adaptable.

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We have beautiful rooms and gardens and offer a broad and accessible curriculum for children from 3 – 6 years old.

​We have 3 mixed age Kindergartens at our school, and each Kindergarten is able to take up to 16 children between the ages of 3 and 6 years old. Each Kindergarten is held by a teacher and an assistant.

We offer afternoon play sessions after Kindergarten every day of the week. These finish at 2.45pm.
For children between the ages of 3 to 6 our Kindergartens are like a warm loving home. Learning happens naturally through active involvement, rhythm, repetition and imitation.

Our early childhood curriculum is accessible for all children, including those with additional needs or English as an additional language. Subjects such as Literacy, Maths and Science are embedded into the daily life in our Kindergartens.

There are strong weekly rhythms, which include handwork, crafts, baking, painting, woodwork and gardening.

The day also follows a regular rhythm of 
outdoor play, finger games and counting games, ring time with seasonal songs and verses accompanied by movement, a substantial snack prepared by the children, creative indoor play and story time. Activities such as food preparation, bread making, painting or modelling are embedded into our daily rhythms. Daily story telling nurtures the imagination and develops the love of literature. 

Our curriculum is rooted in the seasonal rhythms and festivals, which are celebrated throughout the year.​
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EYFS Exemptions and Modifications
For more information please see our Parent Handbook:
Hedgerow Children's Garden Parent Handbook 2022/23
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© Copyright 2015 - 2021 | Rudolf Steiner School South Devon Limited | All Rights Reserved
​Charity no. 286434. Company no. 1693887. Registered at ​Hood Manor, Dartington, Devon TQ9 6AB
Steiner Waldorf School is a collective mark (Regd. TM 3069952) of the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship.