Holywood Rudolf Steiner School
Encyclopedia
The Holywood Rudolf Steiner School is a Waldorf school located in Holywood
, County Down
, Northern Ireland
which teaches children using methods inspired by Rudolf Steiner
. The school is co-educational, serving ages 3 to 17 with an enrollment of more than 160 students.
Camphill Community
at Seahill
, just outside Holywood. In the early days the school moved site frequently before moving to the current site at Croft Road in Holywood in 1976. Initially the house at Croft Road which formed the school building was too large for the enrolment at that time and families actually lived in the spare rooms. In 1979 a new building which became the school hall was added. In 1993 a new block was built comprising four new classrooms. In 1997, with the help of the National Lottery
, a new kindergarten
was added. In 2000 another new block of classrooms was completed, again with National Lottery funding.
The school was granted provisional registration as an "independent school" in 1976 and final registration in 1993. The school's application for "maintained status" was turned down in 2006 because the school could not meet certain statutory and other mandatory requirements.
in Northern Ireland since the troubles began as it has had children from different communities sharing their culture, gifts and abilities throughout the school's history."
More commonly this honour is bestowed upon Lagan College
in Belfast
, which opened in 1981 as a response to conflict between the Protestant and Catholic communities
.
The Holywood School opened six years previously in 1975, however Holywood does not appear on the Department of Education in Northern Ireland's list of integrated schools.
Holywood
Holywood is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the shore of Belfast Lough, between Belfast and Bangor. Holywood Exchange and Belfast City Airport are nearby. The town hosts an annual jazz and blues festival.-Name:...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
which teaches children using methods inspired by Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
. The school is co-educational, serving ages 3 to 17 with an enrollment of more than 160 students.
History
The school was founded in 1975 in two rooms at the GlencraigGlencraig
Glencraig is a very small former mining village in Scotland, situated in the Benarty area of Fife, between Crosshill and Lochgelly. The village's population has decreased significantly since the decline of the coal-mining industry during the 1970s and 1980s....
Camphill Community
Camphill Movement
The Camphill Movement is an initiative for social change inspired by anthroposophy. Camphill communities are residential "life-sharing" communities and schools for adults and children with learning disabilities, mental health problems and other special needs, which provide services and support for...
at Seahill
Seahill
Seahill is a village on the northern coast of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Ballyrobert, with Holywood to the west and Helen's Bay and Crawfordsburn to the east. Seahill was once a stand-alone settlement but it is now joined to Holywood and the Greater Belfast...
, just outside Holywood. In the early days the school moved site frequently before moving to the current site at Croft Road in Holywood in 1976. Initially the house at Croft Road which formed the school building was too large for the enrolment at that time and families actually lived in the spare rooms. In 1979 a new building which became the school hall was added. In 1993 a new block was built comprising four new classrooms. In 1997, with the help of the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
, a new kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
was added. In 2000 another new block of classrooms was completed, again with National Lottery funding.
The school was granted provisional registration as an "independent school" in 1976 and final registration in 1993. The school's application for "maintained status" was turned down in 2006 because the school could not meet certain statutory and other mandatory requirements.
Integration
Holywood's School Website contends that it "has some claim to be the first fully integrated schoolIntegrated Education
The Integrated education movement in Northern Ireland is an attempt to bring together children, parents and teachers from both Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions: the aim being to provide a balanced education, while allowing the opportunity to understand and respect all cultural and religious...
in Northern Ireland since the troubles began as it has had children from different communities sharing their culture, gifts and abilities throughout the school's history."
More commonly this honour is bestowed upon Lagan College
Lagan College
Lagan College is an integrated secondary school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1981 as the first integrated school in Northern Ireland and contains students of mainly Roman Catholic and Protestant faiths, however students from other faiths also attend the school.The school is...
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, which opened in 1981 as a response to conflict between the Protestant and Catholic communities
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
.
The Holywood School opened six years previously in 1975, however Holywood does not appear on the Department of Education in Northern Ireland's list of integrated schools.