The school opened in 1988 due to the initiative of a small group of enthusiastic and dedicated parents, with an initial enrollment of only 22. Since that time, the school has grown steadily, with approximately 185 children enrolled at present and significant waiting lists in most classes.
Mumbulla School for Rudolf Steiner Education offers an education with a strong philosophical foundation developed out of a spiritual understanding of the human being. We offer a rich and varied curriculum and a caring and personal approach to each child's teaching. All families are encouraged to share in the school's rich cultural life through festivals, markets, celebrations, concerts, working bees, camps, excursions, and P&F.
Mumbulla School is based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, which acknowledges the spiritual nature of human beings. The School community, through the encouragement and co-operation of individuals, sets out to create a harmonious school environment that fosters the balanced development of children, preparing them to act in freedom, with intelligence, creativity, and purpose in a changing world.
The goal of Steiner schooling is "to produce individuals who are able, in and of themselves, to impart meaning to their lives." We aim to educate the whole child, their "head, heart, and hands." The curriculum places specific emphasis on the need to balance academic subjects with artistic and practical activities. The use of artistic activities within the syllabus supports children's well being and engagement with their work.
Some distinctive features of Steiner education include:
- An emphasis on imaginative play in the early years of schooling
- The curriculum content, cognitive development, and skill-building are approached in a pictorial, imaginative way, emphasizing experiential learning.
- Teachers use narrative, creative writing, visual arts, music, drama, and movement to foster the students' feeling of life, allowing them to engage fully in academic content.
- Class teachers stay with their students throughout the primary years from Class 1 to Class 6
- Certain activities which are considered extras at mainstream schools are central to Steiner schools: Visual Arts, singing, Music, drama, dance, gardening, and foreign language learning (French at Mumbulla School), to name a few
- All children learn practical Craft skills, including knitting, sewing, crocheting, copper work, and woodwork.
- Steiner Schools usually have a strong Music program. Children play the recorder from Class 2 and learn violin or cello from Class 3.
- Students are taught the Main Lesson, an integrated, thematic block of work taking up the morning lesson of each day for a 2-4 week period. The Main Lesson allows children to study a subject in-depth and provides a fresh start several times a term.
- All children have Main Lesson books, which become their workbooks during each Main Lesson. The children essentially produce their textbooks, which record their experiences and what they have learned in class.
- The use of electronic media by younger children is strongly discouraged. The focus in a Steiner School is on direct experience and the transmission of knowledge from one human being to another. Parents at Steiner schools may be asked to limit their children's screen time.
- There is an emphasis on beautiful surroundings at Steiner Schools, which is believed to enrich the children's experience and support their learning. Landscaped and ecologically sustainable gardens, the rich cultural and aesthetic nature of the built environment, and the natural fibers and handmade toys in the Kindergarten are all reflections of what is embedded within the education system.
Additionally, at Mumbulla School, we:
- See learning as a non-competitive activity. There are no grades given in the younger years, but the teachers write detailed Semester Reports for each child from Kindergarten to Class 6
- Have a strong Music program which includes ensemble work from Class 4, the option for children to play brass, woodwind, or percussion in Classes 5 & 6 or to continue with their stringed instrument (violin, viola, or cello). Weekly Music lessons with a strong emphasis on rhythm from Class 1
- Use commercially produced textbooks for Maths (Class 2-6) and Spelling (Classes 4-6) to supplement their Main Lesson work
- Ask that parents limit their children's screen time during their time at Mumbulla School.
