Cardiff Steiner School’s Upper School, offers an exciting and ground breaking, exam-free alternative for 14 to 18 year olds.

High School at Cardiff Steiner School is referred to as our Upper School and serves students age 14 to 18. We offer the NZCSE from age 16 to 18 – a recognised, alternative, secondary school qualification which not only equips your child for future careers or university, but cultivates the lifelong competencies and capacities they need to prepare them for the full journey of life.

Our Upper School programme offers the full Steiner Waldorf curriculum to 18/19 years of age. Our distinctive, international programme integrates arts and academics into a broad, diverse and rich education including Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Music, Geography, History, History of Art, Biology, Spanish, Drama, Literature, Movement, Philosophy and Arts & Crafts.

How does it work? How is it different?

Traditionally, education has used a strongly content-based curriculum, and the standards for reaching a qualification have been oriented towards knowledge of this content. The UK for example has had a National Curriculum for school education since 1988. GCSEs and A Levels are linked to this curriculum and use standardised tests and exams to generate evidence of whether individual students have met the standards prescribed.

There is widespread criticism of this approach and the way it tends to ‘teach to the test’ rather than developing students’ skills, creative capacities and competencies.

Research shows that UK schools are among the worst in the developed world for ‘teaching to the test’ and UK children are currently among the most highly and continually tested.

This puts pressure on children, teachers and schools, contributing to UK children being among the unhappiest, according to a recent OECD report.

Clearly the current model is not working for children, schools, government or industry. Increasingly, outcomes-based education (like Cardiff Steiner School), which is directed towards learning competencies, is preferred.

An outcomes-based education offers:

• a student oriented approach with flexibility of what and how to teach students
• a focus on individual students’ learning styles and goals that enables students to progress at their own rate
• a clear expectation of what has to be accomplished for both students and teachers
• an approach that develops students’ skills, creative and analytical capacities and competencies

21st Century Smart

Steiner education prepares children and young adults to meet the demands of the future by developing their capacities as flexible thinkers, creators and doers. When they move on from Steiner education, they will do so as socially-responsible, motivated self-starters, whose capacities for both analysis and imagination are not only treasured, but sought.

Steiner students are accepted in and graduate from a broad spectrum of colleges and universities. Steiner graduates go on to work in all sectors, bringing their passion for learning and their highly developed ethics to the realms of science, business, law, the arts, engineering, computer technology, ecology, government, and other new and traditional professions.

We’re accepting applications now

If you’re looking for a broader, richer, more relevant education, or have a child who’s disheartened from a school culture of cramming and testing, then the NZCSE and Cardiff Steiner School may suit your child better.

When children are allowed to apply their natural creativity and curiosity, they love learning. The NZCSE allows for a broader range of learning styles, whilst losing nothing in academic rigour and the standard/quality of education.

Our Upper School is enrolling now. If you’re ready to learn more, and want to find out whether Cardiff Steiner School is right for your child, then we’d love you to come and Visit Us.