Exeter Kindergarten

The Exeter Kindergarten Project began life in January 1997 when a small group of parents asked students of the University of Plymouth's Steiner teacher training programme to create a Kindergarten two mornings a week.

In May of that year, a toddler group was formed and since then the project has quickly grown, providing five toddler sessions a week for 60 families, and a kindergarten running five mornings a week with a full-time teacher. In September 2002 we began a class one/two with five children, from the ages of eight-10, two mornings a week. We hope to expand this facility as soon as we are settled in our new premises at Locarno Road in November.

This move signals an exciting new phase in our development. For the first time in our history we will have a home of our own. Funding from the government's New Opportunities Fund means that from January 2003 we can operate wrap-around care, enabling us to cater for children both before and after the formal kindergarten sessions. It is also our intention to reach out in whatever way we can to the local community and we have plans to offer art and craft and circus skills workshops. We even have volunteers to run a football club.

Although the interior of our new building is almost complete, the exterior will take a little longer. In what is at the moment little more than a builders' yard, we hope to establish a beautiful oasis, designed around the theme of the five elements.

We have a policy of using only high quality natural materials in the project (there are no plastic toys), giving the children a high quality sensory experience. This experience of the natural world in our everyday lives fosters respect for its resources and gives our project a unique quality.

Everyone who attends the project is there to learn - even the teachers! Parents can develop their skills through workshops, reading and sewing while their children get the chance to play creatively in a calm and natural environment.

Steiner believed that rhythm was an elemental force in nature, and so therefore in people, and used rhythm as a framework in the classroom. The kindergarten sessions are based on Rudolf Steiner's three R's - rhythm, repetition and reverence.

Development is encouraged through a range of activities, including imaginative play, circle time and social activity. Steiner greatly emphasised the importance of play and believed that children should develop and learn in a quiet, unhurried atmosphere. The Steiner philosophy covers many subjects from art, architecture and agriculture to medicine and education.

We live in an era where parents feel they have few choices and a lot of pressure is put upon their children to begin formal learning at a very early age. The Steiner curriculum, on the other hand, recognises that physical, emotional and social development precede, and are the foundation of intellectual skills, supporting the child in each stage of his or her growth as an individual. This helps to build the child's motivation and creativity, launching a life-long journey in learning, while preserving the precious gift of childhood.

We rely totally on parental contributions and fundraising. We believe strongly that Steiner education should be available for all, regardless of the parents' ability to pay, and hope that in time this country will follow the European policy of state funding for Steiner schools.

The Steiner Schools movement has over 800 schools and 1,500 kindergartens worldwide, and has been active in the world of education for over 75 years. Our kindergarten received a glowing OFSTED report last year showing that the Steiner curriculum is recognised by the DfEE as providing a truly effective and worthwhile alternative to State education.

We are offering a fantastic opportunity to get involved in something truly special. If you feel that you can help us in any way we would love to hear from you.


To contact the Exeter Kindergarten Project, call: Helen Wilkins on 01363 866 841; Eve Faron on 01395 567717; or Llinos Davies on 07736519331.