Steiner education, also known as Waldorf education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Steiner schools are always co-educational and fully comprehensive, and ideally, they take children from age 3 to 18, although most schools in the UK stop earlier. The priority of the Steiner ethos is to provide an unhurried and creative learning environment where children can find the joy in learning and experience the richness of childhood rather than early specialization or academic hot-housing.

Some key features of Steiner education include:

• Whole Child Development: Steiners schools focused on "whole child" development, rather than the narrow academic focus popular in German schools at the time. The curriculum is a flexible set of pedagogical guidelines, founded on Steiners educational principles that take account of the whole child.

• Arts Integration: Waldorf schools integrate the arts in all academic disciplines for children from preschool through twelfth grade to enhance and enrich learning.

• Developmentally Appropriate: Waldorf schools offer a developmentally appropriate, experiential, and academically rigorous approach to education.

• Spiritual Core: Steiners belief that all people are imbued with a spiritual core has fueled Waldorf schools social mission.

While Steiner education has its advocates, it has also been criticized for its association with anthroposophy, which some view as a cult, and for its lack of emphasis on standardized testing and academic rigor.