• Steiner Waldorf education aims to provide experiential preparation for young people to become active participants in society, engaged in continuous learning, self-discovery and exploration of the world.
• The pedagogical approach is holistic; artistic and imaginative; inter-disciplinary and extended. [8]
• Focal points are the acquisition of varied and relevant skills, the development of a diverse range of competences and meaningful, positive learning dispositions.
• The educational ethos is inclusive and non-selective, in terms of gender, nationality, religious or other belief, ethnic or social background. Schools and settings work to cater for pupils’ individual abilities and capacities and, where resources and context permit, to provide for the additional learning needs of children and young people.
• Fundamental ingredients in the young person’s education are the development of rational, logical thinking, the fostering of capacities for social and emotional learning, the provision of opportunities for practical engagement with the world and encouragement to form and hold questions of life and meaning.
• The curriculum materials and educational approach aim to balance breadth of content with detailed analytical focus across a range of subjects and curriculum themes.
• Artistic approaches to teaching and learning and the encouragement of attitudes of interest and inquiry are acknowledged as potent and progressive influences in a young person’s life and education.
• Foreign language learning is included from the first year of school.
• The development and use of varied technologies in society are held within the broad sweep of other disciplines, including the natural and social sciences. ICT literacy is regarded as an important skill for life that is formally introduced and developed from puberty.
• The natural world and the sciences are approached from a range of observational and theoretical perspectives.
• As young people move into the stage of post-16 ‘further’ education, differences in learning style, syllabus and learning mode are key aspects of the learning process and educational experience. These aspects are encouraged and enriched by extensive experience of guided study in core subjects, independent projects and portfolio work, practical-vocational work and service in the community. Through this process of learning and development, the young person begins to acquire and develop capacities for reflective judgement, self-awareness, personal responsibility and self-directed ethical behaviour.

(For the complete “Statement of Principles and Aspirations” see the website of the European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education: www.ecswe.org)