The Austrian philosopher and educator Rudolf Steiner opened the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1919, giving birth to what is one of the fastest-growing educational movements in the world today.
In the UK there are more than 60 Steiner early years centres, with many more parent and toddler groups, while Steiner schools flourish in more than 50 countries.
Rudolf Steiner believed children progressed through three seven-year cycles of development: from birth to seven, from seven to 14, and from 14 to 21.
His aim was to help pupils achieve clarity of thought, sensitivity of feeling and strength of will by creating an educational framework to address each developmental stage in the most appropriate way.
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