‘The need for imagination, a sense of truth and a feeling of responsibility – these are the three forces which are the very nerve of education’

Rudolf Steiner

How did the school start?
Highgate House School began as a private kindergarten for children from 3 -5 years old, in a family home opposite the Repulse Bay Beach.  The school opened in 1992 and was founded by concerned parents who wanted to provide their young children with a more gentle and homely environment - a larger amount of space to move with the emphasis on learning through play. The aim was to help children develop healthy social skills and to learn at their own pace in an environment where they felt relaxed. 

 

In June 2001, plans began to introduce Steiner Education into the curriculum. In April 2002, a new larger school opened on the Peak to cater for families with children from 1 - 6 years of age. In April 2004, due to the increasing pollution and construction on Beach Road, the original premises were vacated and both schools joined together at the Peak. 

 

How did your present educational philosophy develop?
As parents we want to provide our child with the best possible start in life. We are bombarded with outside pressures to "hothouse"  our child so they may quickly develop   skills to succeed in life.  One need only look around at the explosive growth of  early learning centres. Starting from the moment our child enters the world, we are told that we must not let them fall behind or miss out - that these skills can only be taught through attending special programs.   As loving parents we all feel that same pressure and we worriedly arrange for our children to be constantly 'on the go'   - this only stems from the desire to give our child the best we can afford...... it is so easy to be caught up in the trap as we well understand. But what is really best for children in today's world and what will they need for the future ?

We asked ourselves the following questions:

- What do we want our children to have in their adult lives?"

-Of course, we all want our children to be successful and to be happy -  to be truly successful, our society is beginning to acknowledge that we need imagination and creativity. We are happy when we have good self esteem, an understanding of others,  and are balanced in body, soul and spirit.  

-What kind of environment is going to allow these capacities to develop?

At Highgate House we have dedicated ourselves to providing the kind of environment which will nurture and encourage all these qualities to develop naturally in the young child. We work with the Educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner.  Please click on ('Links' for more information)  We offer training programs for teachers, workshops, seminars  and study groups for the whole school community. We are accredited by the International Kindergarten Association , and supported by the Steiner Fellowship of United Kingdom and the Steiner Waldorf Asia Pacific movement.

 Children are starting out on an exciting journey to discover life- can we allow it to be a journey for them and not a frantic race to the finish?