Parents join together to save Bristol Steiner School

Bristol Steiner School is set to close its doors next year

More than 50 parents have joined together to save the future of a school at risk of closure.

The group is made up of parents of Bristol Steiner School and Kindergarten as well as teachers and supporters who want to secure its future.

The school announced on 16 December it was shutting its doors next year due to an "untenable" situation.

The group said it is working on a business plan to prevent the closure.

The school said the closure resulted from the combined impact of the Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis and lower student numbers.

Joint administrators at Leonard Curtis will help manage the premises during the final two terms.

The school in Redland Hill has been in the area for 50 years, offering what it called a "child-centred, relational approach to learning".

'Love this school'

Daryl, the parent of an 8-year-old girl at the school said: "My daughter was biting her nails to bleeding with all of the pressure of exams in her state school and catching up after Covid. She was crying before school every day.

"Now she wants to be in school all the time, including weekends and holidays. Sometimes she reads a whole big chapter book in a day and does maths because she wants to."

Lindsay Frenchford, chair of Bristol Steiner School Parents, Friends and Teachers Association, said they "don't feel that all avenues have been explored" and are hoping to have a business plan by the end of January 2024.

She said: "Our community is coming together. We have parents who are experts in finance, business, communications and education working on a plan.

"We have all come together because we love this school and everything it stands for. We know the power and beauty of Steiner Waldorf education and together we will secure the future of this 50-year-old institution."

'Untenable situation'

Following the announcement, a Bristol Steiner School and Kindergarten spokesperson said: "Over many years the school has been supported by the generosity of friends, charities and the global Steiner Waldorf movement, enabling the school to provide high quality education.

"Sadly, the recent decline in current student numbers has made the financial situation untenable."

In June 2023 Ofsted said the school had 73 pupils on roll, ranging from three to 11 years old, and annual fees were between £2,814 and £8,460.

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