Michael Hall Parent Portal - 16th October 2026

Friday Flyer - 16th October 2026

Dear Michael Hall Community,

I hope that everyone is well and that the gradually darker mornings and earlier sunsets are being offset by the warmth and light of home and family.

Since the start of the month as a school we have spent a lot of time in the wider educational world. This has supported my developing views on the value of Waldorf education to our children, but also has reminded me that we cannot continue to provide the educational service we want to, to our children without looking at the wider world into which they will enter.

There is a danger in any walk of life that we adopt a singular view of how we do things (there is a brilliant talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi about the danger of a single narrative – different context, but well worth a watch/listen). We all live our lives through our respective lenses, and in our school we have a collective lens through which we view education. But if we do not give that lens a clean, zoom out a little and look to see what else is going on in the world, we become entrenched in dogma, stuck in cycles and things get done just because "that is the way we have always done it".

In his closing remarks in Discussions with Teachers (2019) Steiner stated " It would be deplorable if we as teachers were to shut ourselves off from anything that might interest human beings. We should take an interest in the affairs of the outside world, and we should also be able to enter into anything, great or small, that concerns every single child in our care. That is the second principle. The teacher should be one who is interested in the being of the whole world and of humanity" - thanks Emmeline for sharing this with us all this week.

On Friday last week Emily Gearing-Grief and the Early Childhood team welcomed over 40 Early Childhood Waldorf teachers from around the globe to the school. On Wednesday myself, Jacqueline and Renata visited Bedales school and met with their inspiring Head Will Goldsmith and other colleagues. At the start of the month, I attended a webinar through the Chartered College of Teachers and heard from Dr Helen Dodd discussing her paper which highlights the value of outdoor play in supporting positive mental health into middle childhood. And, at the start of next month I will attend a lecture from David Blunkett which will question the purpose of education in depth.

We can learn so much from others who want the very best for children and young people. We should read the research, hear the lectures, learn from approaches, see how other processes 'live' in other schools, and maintain a curiosity and passion for continued growth and development – personally, professionally and institutionally. Even if we choose that it is not right for me/us, we will know why.

We will all bring different ideas, questions and plans from our visits and interactions with the wider world. We will share thoughts and have conversations with colleagues. We will undoubtedly challenge some of what we do with valid questions and new ideas. Hopefully this will bring about positive change for our children through development or through increased conviction that what we do remains correct. Whatever the outcomes and paths we take, none of them will dilute our underlying philosophy of teaching and child development as our commitment to Waldorf education is true - we will just continue to get better at it.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend and a fabulous week ahead.

Warm wishes,

Stuart

Stuart McWilliams
Principal