To provide nourishment for soul and spirit, the seasonal and Christian festivals are celebrated within our school.

These build upon the daily and weekly rhythms and are experienced with verse, through song and story, drama, colour and movement.

Easter, Whitsun and Advent are observed by the teachers and students within the school, while Autumn Harvest, Midwinter, Spring, The Christmas Carol Evening and Shepherds Play are celebrated with the wider community. These festivals form part of the curriculum and therefore students must attend as if it were a regular school day.

“The festivals are nodal points of the year which unite us with the Spirit of the Universe”.  Rudolf Steiner (1861 – 1925)

Whitsun Festival 

In week four of Term 2 we celebrate Whitsun or Pentecost with the school. This festival marks the eighth Sunday after Easter and we celebrate it in several ways: firstly, we come together in the hall decorated with white doves by the Lower School and symbolising the Holy Spirit, to listen to a story and hear a short passage from the bible which describes the moment of Pentecost and is spoken to us by students in different languages; secondly, we return to our rooms in small groups of students spanning the entire school and have a short time together to enjoy a biscuit and a drink and each other’s company.

This festival tends to be slightly more subdued and centred than others but this sets the correct mood of reflection about the Easter events but also about the season that we are entering. We use it as a moment, through the story and atmosphere, to explore a sense of uprightness, courage and community.

Mid Winter Festival 

We mark Mid Winter with our festivals for the Lower and High school. The High School meets in the darkened hall during the day and amongst candle light to celebrate the longest night around a gigantic map of the world and a biography to inspire us. Class 7 join the High School for this event.

The Lower School meet that evening for a lantern walk and the singing of songs around the spiral. This is the inward gesture of winter but also a little suggestion of the light to come: a looking ahead.