Adrian Dow, headteacher of Greenwich Steiner School, outlines the importance of cherishing childhood
As a headteacher and parent, I am constantly questioning what matters in education. Having worked in a number of mainstream schools as a head of year, behaviour manager and teacher of mathematics, it is a joy to be leading a school where mindfulness and the well being of children is not just a curriculum add-on but a way of life.  Bullying and mental health issues are minimal, children are happy and supportive of each other and the wider community of families come together to support the school.
Greenwich Steiner School follows a curriculum based on developing the head, hands and heart. We provide a developmentally appropriate, experiential, and academically rigorous approach to education that integrates the arts in all academic disciplines for children from age three to 14 years. We are also currently at the exciting stage of developing our provision for 14 to 18 year olds. Our Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ Kindergartens are gentle, home-like environments with a strong rhythmical structure to the day and week reflecting the seasonal rhythms of the year.
Children join aged three and stay until aged six, with the older ones growing into role models for the younger ones. Materials are natural; the teachers model calm voices and the focus is on a mixture of adult and child led activities with free, undirected play at the centre.
There are no digital or screen based ac...