Classes 7-12
The High School Program
Our small high school offers a calm, friendly and beautiful setting to guide our students through the high seas of adolescence. In high school we emphasise independence, critical thinking, and social-emotional growth and aim to develop confident, thoughtful, and socially conscious young adults,
Inspired by the Gesell Institute’s research and Rudolf Steiner’s insights, lessons reflect each student’s stage of development and are enriched through art, music, movement, and hands-on experiences, ensuring students engage with their studies in meaningful and dynamic ways.
Our teachers cultivate deep relationships with students, guiding them with authenticity, wisdom, and care. Understanding individual capability underpins our approach, with student progress measured not by standard tests but by each student’s potential and growth. Collaboration is valued over competition, and students learn alongside others with compassion and kindness.
We warmly welcome new students to join our high school and experience the rich benefits of Steiner education, where each young person is guided toward their unfolding potential and prepared to step into the world with confidence, purpose, and integrity.
Classes 7-10
Class 8-9: Testing and exploring the forces of physics
Class 8 (Maths/HSIE): Exploring Pythagoras, his life, and impact on the world.
Class 9/10: World War I
Class 8: HSIE Water in the World
Class 7/8: HSIE, Importance of the Polynesian Expansion on today’s world.
Class 7-8: HSIE, Australia’s colonial history
Class 7-8: Science, understanding the world of chemistry.
Class 7-8: Maths/HSIE, Money and its role within society.
Class 7: HSIE, The Middle Ages and Impact on Society
Class 9/10: English/Drama, exploring morality through the works of Shakespeare
Class 9/10: English, the uniquity of Australian Poetry
Class 9/10: HSIE Civilisation and Urbanisation
Class 7-8: English, the power of storytelling and imagination
The Years 7-10 curriculum is comprised of core subjects and our broad-based curriculum, to give students the opportunity to study across a wide range of subjects for a well-rounded education.
Interdisciplinary study is a hallmark of Steiner education, in particular in the Main Lessons. The Main Lesson, is a rich two-hour learning sequence that concentrates on the same theme every day for a three-week period. These longer sessions allow students to interact with their subject, classmates and teachers more deeply. The Main Lesson offers more time for a truly broad-based education, with differentiation according to student need, layering of increasingly complex material, and questioning and response time.
The remainder of the day is spent on weekly lessons, such as maths, english, art and broad-based curriculum. These lessons provide essential practice, ongoing skill development, and a steady rhythm of learning across different disciplines. By fully engaging in both Main and weekly lessons, students experience a rich and holistic education, where deep inquiry, skillbuilding, and creative expression work in harmony.
Classes 11-12
Class 11-12 students have a choice in learning pathways, including completing the Higher School Certificate (HSC), school-based apprenticeships (SBAT), the alternative entry UNE Pathways Enabling Course (PEC) and a tailored program that offers personal development, and life/work preparation.
HSC Course:
We offer the Compressed Curriculum model in our Senior Years program. This model allows completion of three Stage 6 Preliminary and HSC courses (including an HSC examination for each one) in approximately one calendar year. Instead of studying six subjects across two years, students study three subjects to completion one year, and three subjects the next.
This model allows twice the amount of time allocated to each subject per week. This allows students to consider the subject more deeply, aligning to our Main Lesson model of immersion and focussed work.
Readiness for Life
The Senior Years curriculum is academically rigorous with a strong focus on real-world application. Through partnerships with other Steiner schools, PLC Armidale, UNE and local businesses, students have opportunities to grow their community personally and professionally. These partnerships also open opportunities for realworld application of lessons, such as our UNE Visiting Academics Program. This outward-facing approach creates a learning environment that inspires and prepares students for an engaged and purposeful life.
Through all teaching and learning, we offer students a sense of use, interest and joy in the subject at hand, so that the culmination of their education is more than a certificate; it is a readiness for life.
Camps
Camps are an integral part of the high school experience, offering students hands-on learning, personal growth, and a deeper connection to the world around them. Each camp is thoughtfully designed to extend classroom learning into real-world experiences, providing a rich and immersive connection to the curriculum. Importantly, they also build a greater teamwork skills, resilience, independence, and sense of responsibility. Camps are considered part of the curriculum, and it is compulsory for students to attend.
A typical high school camp runs for one to three weeks. Each class participates in at least one camp per year, with additional camps offered to meet the individual needs of the group. For example, students in Class 9 and 10 may attend extra camps that further strengthen resilience, while Senior Years students may participate in shorter, more regular HSC study camps.
Find out more
Read more about our High School Download our guides below:
Then, discover our High School in person!
Visiting our campus and meeting our teachers is the best way to see if our high school is the right fit for you. Private school tours are run regularly and tailored to your needs.
To book, contact our friendly reception team via email reception@waldorf.nsw.edu.au or phone 02 6772 8876