Raheen Road, Tuamgraney County Clare, Ireland

Tel: +353 (0)61 921 494

Welcome to our school

Steiner Waldorf Education in East Clare

Raheen Wood is the founding Steiner Waldorf School in the Republic of Ireland and has been offering a multi-denominational, child-centred co-education since 1986. The school is situated in mature woodlands near the village of Tuamgraney in County Clare. We cater for children from kindergarten age (4-6) through the primary classes (7-12) and now also a Class 7/8 for 12-14 year olds. We also offer an Afternoon Care facility for those children who finish at 13.30.  There is the option of the ALFA project in nearby Scariff for ongoing secondary level Steiner education. The families attracted to the school represent a wide range of nationalities as well as a rapidly growing number of born and bred Irish families.

We offer an academic and practical education for the whole child, and are part of a rapidly growing international school movement of over 800 schools worldwide.

Based on the work of scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner, the education began in 1919 with the founding of the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany in the aftermath of the Great War. On the initiative of industrialist Emil Molt, Steiner helped to develop an education for social renewal to meet the growing challenges of modern times. An innovative curriculum and way of working was developed that is rooted in a deep understanding of the human being, strengthening the connection to the rhythms of nature and the faculties that distinguish our humanity. 

The education combines solid academic values with a sense of wonder for the world around us that truly speaks to the child's emerging personality, and equips him or her with the imagination, flexibility and inner strength to face a fast-changing world.

About Steiner Waldorf Education

Developed by the Austrian philosopher and scientist, Rudolf Steiner, who opened the first Waldorf School in 1919, Steiner Waldorf education is based on a developmental approach to learning that addresses the needs of the growing child. Steiner Waldorf teachers strive to transform education into an art that educates the whole child - the heart and the hands, as well as the head. At the moment there are 7 Steiner schools and more than 20 kindergartens in Ireland. There are over 880 Steiner schools and 1,600 kindergartens in 60 countries worldwide. For further information on Steiner Waldorf Education visit the website of the European Council for Steiner Education www.ecswe.org