Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School is situated in pleasant, semi-rural surroundings in Stourbridge, in the West Midlands. The school buildings comprise two large Victorian houses and purpose-built accommodation. The school was founded in 1946 and offers educational provision for pupils aged from 3 to 17 years. There are currently 271 pupils, including one boarder, on roll. The school is a member of the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship and closely follows the philosophy and principles of this movement. It is run by a College of Teachers assisted by a non-teaching administrator. The school is divided into an Early Years Foundation Stage department for children aged 3 to 6, a lower school for pupils aged 6 to 14, and an upper school for pupils aged 15 to 17. The school was last inspected by Ofsted and the Commission for Social Care Inspection in October 2006. The school has applied for exemption from the reading, writing, elements of mathematical development, some elements of technology and assessment aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Hence these aspects were not inspected and no judgements are made. The school must teach all elements of the learning and development requirements unless exemption is granted by the Secretary of State.