Frequently-asked Questions

We cultivate compassion, kindness, gratitude and reverence during our day, but we do not adhere to any one religion. We acknowledge and celebrate major religious festivals in a child-appropriate way to bring our school community together and bring rhythm and order to the year.

We offer a 15% sibling discount on course fees for the second enrolled child onwards. Discount will be applied to the child(ren) with the lower school fees. To find out more about admissions, contact us at admin@straitswaldorf.com or call +65 8833 4277 to speak to our friendly staff.

School starts at 9am and closes at 2pm. We ask that children do not arrive before 8:50am.

There are currently up to 18 children in each class.

We ask that all children in Grade school bring their own lunch and snacks daily. 

We provide healthy snacks for the Early Childhood (3 to 6 years) and encourage the children to take part in preparing the food, for example washing and cutting, and the table, to sit down and enjoy eating amongst friends. Children in Early Childhood bring lunch from home.

Our school is in the early stages of its development and we fully intend to provide teaching until Grade 8.

We do not provide transport at this time.

Between three and six years, children visit one of the local parks everyday. We encourage the children to run, jump, skip and climb, because they are growing and strengthening their bodies. We want them to breathe, to feel the dirt and the grass beneath their feet, and to feel a sense of life and exhilaration. We point out millipedes, butterflies, interesting leaves and colourful flowers. It is not unusual for the children in the Early Childhood class to bring back a new stick or stone to the classroom.

From around six years, the children go on Wonder Walks in the surrounding areas to connect with the surrounding areas, the birds in the sky, the ground beneath us, and to feel the elements on their skin. Regular exposure to the natural world gently nurtures reverence for life in all forms. 

The older children also go on hikes and cycle rides. The children gain confidence in their strength and feel empowered to go out into the world as the boundaries expand. If we don’t allow children to feel wonder and joy as a child, how can we expect them to find them as an adult?

We speak English in the classroom and offer Mandarin as a second language from Grade 1. 

Through Early Childhood and Grade school, the children sing songs and perform music from around the world and in the original language. This helps your child absorb the feelings and the different sounds and rhythms of other languages, and helps show that we are all part of a bigger world.

During Early Childhood, we focus on the spoken word and help children master language through repetition and by learning songs and verses by heart.

In Grade 1, we introduce each letter of the alphabet as a symbol, representing an element from a story that we tell the children. This way, each child has the opportunity to engage their imagination, and to develop a living relationship with each letter and written word, rather than learning it in a dry and abstract way. 

From here, the children learn to read and this may take place in Grade 1 or 2. At Straitswaldorf school, we understand that learning to read will unfold naturally and believe that your child will learn to read and write when they have a positive relationship with the spoken and written word. 

We introduce all children in Grade School to our school library and to the joy of reading.

We assess our children daily through direct observations, recall, check-ins and quizzes by the class teachers. We give each child regular feedback on their progress and how they might improve. 

We do not use mass standardised testing, because we acknowledge that each child’s pace of development is different.

All Straitswaldorf school teachers are experienced and qualified teachers. Becoming a Waldorf teacher requires special training and our teachers take part in ongoing professional training and development to be able to teach your child not to answer familiar answers, but to ask unfamiliar questions. This is called the “discovery method” of teaching. 

Straitswaldorf school teachers have weekly mentoring sessions and benefit from peer-to-peer observations.

At Straitswaldorf school, discipline will vary according to the stage of child development and will consider the soul condition and temperament of the child. We find it much more effective to appeal to the child’s innate desire to “do the right thing”, and provide opportunities to make up for an infraction or poor choice in a meaningful way that is connected to the incident or behaviour. When a child feels honoured for who they are, feels understood, and is given a meaningful way to make up for poor choices, most negative behaviours do not reoccur.

We avoid punitive and authoritarian consequences which shame or belittle the child, as these methods negatively impact self image and self confidence.

It is natural for some adjustments to be made when children shift from one school system to another. In the earlier grades, children may need to catch up a little in certain subjects, because we do not fast-track into intellectual working before they are ready.

Whilst children in Straitswaldorf school Grades 4 to 6 are working at the grade level of traditional schools, they are often ahead in some academics and tend to excel in bodily coordination, artistic skills and expression, and in their listening and speaking skills. 

Children who transfer to Straitswaldorf school from traditional schools often join with a great deal of information about the world, but lag behind in social and listening skills, artistic expression, and physical coordination. Very commonly, children coming from the traditional school system express new enthusiasm for working and learning, and parents often comment how their children have become more relaxed and settled in themselves.

At Straitswaldorf school, we follow the international Waldorf curriculum and method of teaching. Students who have received a Waldorf education graduate with a wide set of well developed skills, and studies show that they are very successful after their schooling. Many colleges and businesses report how much they value Waldorf-educated students, because they demonstrate great creativity and flexibility with critical thinking skills and have strong, healthy social skills.

Yes, we have air conditioning in all classrooms.

We are unable to use “A Waldorf school” in our name without infringing on any copyrights. We are committed to providing your child with an authentic Waldorf education held to strict standards as set out by our Waldorf-accredited education manager.