Primary School

Michael Mount Waldorf School is an private school situated in Bryanston, Johannesburg catering from 4 months to matric.

Primary School

In the Primary School, the Waldorf curriculum presents the opportunity to address the key stages of development in a child’s life. This is done through age-appropriate learning. For instance, at 6 years of age, once children leave our nursery school and move to Grade 1, they are ready to start experiencing and re-learning the world at a more conscious level, specifically through the use of imagination. Subsequently, it is the teacher’s role to transform knowledge into a language of imagination, where morals, mathematics, nature, and practical work are learned through the experience of folk tales, fables, biographies, mythologies, and imagery.

Anything that can be clearly pictured by the child at their unique developmental stage activates an emotional connection, making it effortless and enjoyable to learn and remember the information being taught. In this way, Waldorf children develop a life-long love of learning.

For this reason, Michael Mount children are guided through the process of creating their own beautiful workbooks, collecting the knowledge imparted by their teacher themselves. This instils within each child a sense of direct engagement with the material and allows them to comprehend the information in a format that suits them best. In addition, Waldorf students start to feel that they own the knowledge they are acquiring. This creates a sense of purpose, responsibility, and satisfaction.

This form of notetaking is particularly paired with the Main Lesson. Waldorf students start each day with their morning main lesson, where they spend time concentrating on one subject for 3-4 weeks. The subject matter varies across all academic subjects, from history and mythology, to science and mathematics. Having a main lesson allows students the opportunity to become thoroughly immersed in a specific topic, creating a space for holistic learning.

Music, drama, handwork, and rhythmic movement form part of the Waldorf curriculum. However, while obviously igniting the creative spark in our students, these practices also serve as a means to present school subjects in an impressionable way, simultaneously developing the child’s will, moral understanding, and awareness of their position in the world.

Additionally, the ideal is that teachers at Michael Mount are entrusted with their class from Grade 1 to Grade 8, which provides the children with a consistent guide through their schooling. The teacher integrates formal academic learning with the individual development of each child in their care, with the intention of preparing well-rounded, confident, intelligent individuals prepared for the complex learning required in our high school.

If our Primary School sounds well-suited to your child, please fill in the form below and we will be in touch with you shortly with further information

Our highest endeavour must be to develop free human beings who are able of themselves to impart purpose and direction to their lives. The need for imagination, a sense of truth, and a feeling of responsibility—these three forces are the very nerve of education.

—Rudolf Steiner

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