Information for Local Authorities

The Camphill Schools have more than 60 years’ experience offering education, care and therapy to a wide variety of children and young people with special needs. Today The Camphill Schools offers Curative Education on a daily, weekly or termly basis and is also prepared to look at other possibilities.

The school aims to promote the healthy development of individual pupils, their sense of wellbeing and their education by:

Establishing mutually beneficial learning and working relationships with parents and authorities through the admission and placement of pupils.

Providing a secure, inclusive, healthy and stimulating environment where co-workers and pupils share their home life and maximise opportunities for developing social skills.

Offering a comprehensive education modelled on the Waldorf Curriculum that promotes individual learning and maturation as well as class cohesiveness.

Identifying the specific therapeutic needs of the individual pupils and prescribing treatments and therapies to enhance healthy development.

Organising a rich, wholesome and enjoyable recreational and cultural life that pupils and co-workers can share to their mutual pleasure and growth. It should address the wholeness of the human being—physical exercise for the body, nourishment for the soul, and religious experience based on the Christian faith for the Spirit.

Education

The School’s curriculum is based on Rudolph Steiner’s ‘Waldorf Curriculum’ for mainstream Steiner Schools. Overall the main areas recommended in the National 5–14 Guidelines are addressed in the following manner:

The daily ‘main lessons’ focus on social, environmental or science subjects. These lessons are studied in block periods of 3–4 weeks each, allowing a therapeutic and differential approach. All pupils have an individual education plan (IEP) which is updated termly. Other more individualised sessions focus on communication, literacy, numeracy and sensory and movement skills. All the pupils are involved in expressive arts activities, including music, art and design, drama, and physical education at various times during the week as well as practical skills’ lessons such as gardening, craft, handwork, cooking and animal care. Religious and moral education are covered in weekly lessons as well as being an integral part of life. Classroom activities take place in two schoolhouses which together meet the current requirements.

Therapies

The provision of therapies plays an important part in the life of a pupil in Camphill. On a regular basis internal curative education reviews are held enabling a deeper understanding of the pupil to occur. Within this setting specific therapies are prescribed from the large selection that are practised in Camphill.

Camphill is currently offering their therapy provision to children and young people with special needs not resident in Camphill.

Care

Residential pupils are accommodated together with co-workers and their families in 14 separate houses of between 4 and 11 inhabitants sited on three separate estates, which provide a high quality environment for leisure and recreational activities.

Within the households the pupils live a fully integrated and inclusive way of life, each one participating to the best of his or her ability. Extracurricula activities are accessed from both within and out-with the School.

Schools management

Information about the Schools management can be found here.