Children are more likely to thrive when there is a close relationship between home and school. Every Class in the School is composed of children who come together daily from a wide variety of families, homes and cultural and religious backgrounds. What we experience as a group is the Steiner Waldorf curriculum, as interpreted and presented to the pupils by their teachers.
The PTA are focussing on two key projects over the coming months, identified as vitally important to enhancing the School:
Joining in August 2021, Karen’s two children are in Classes 8 and 11. She has worked in corporate as a consultant for 20+ years and more recently served in senior leadership roles. “My expertise is organisational psychology, change management & communications.
Fiona’s children are in Classes 9, 7 & 5. She has been a parent of the school for ten years (holding the wealth of knowledge of organising the Christmas Market).
Nick has been a long-time teacher of the School, and is a member of Management and the Estates Mandate Group.
Lindsay’s son joined Middle School (Class 7) at the beginning of the academic year, coming from a parent-led school.
Peter Sheen is the Movement Education/PE Teacher at ESS and has been instrumental in setting up the popular Circus Arts and other Extra Curricular Clubs. His daughter graduated from ESS in 2019, and his son is a current Class 10 pupil.
Deirdre has a decade of PTA experience as a former parent. She is also a long-serving teacher in the Upper School. She has taught Anthroposophical Studies on the Teacher Training Course; is on the School’s Festival Group and a member of the College of Teachers.
Arlette’s family is new to the School. Her daughter (Class 11) chose to join at the beginning of the academic year. Arlette is a stay-at-home parent.
George is a new parent to the school, joining in May of 2022. Her son is in the Lower School (Class 3).
All parents and/or carers of pupils and teachers attending the School are automatically a PTA Member.
It is recognised that parental / carer participation in the educational process at ESS is foremost through supporting your child’s learning at home, which looks at education from a different standpoint to mainstream schools. We have only to look back to our own childhood to recall the important part that home life played in our own growth and development.
A well-directed Parent Teacher Association can strengthen the spirit of what makes this approach to education critically relevant in instilling a lifelong curiosity for learning, whilst equipping them to meet the ever-increasing array of social, political, economical and natural challenges.
Joining the PTA is one of the many ways parents are an engaged part of the school community. Other areas include being part of a PTA Working Group (such as the Friday Market, Extra Curricular Clubs), Trip volunteer, member of the Board of Trustees, contributing to the parent-led Christmas Market (the School’s largest annual fundraiser) and sitting on the Christmas Market Investment Group.
The PTA meet monthly, with the Minutes of each meeting made available to the wider PTA members (i.e. all parents / carers of enrolled pupils) here once approved. (Read here). Contact: pta@edinburghsteinerschool.org.uk