South Devon Steiner School was founded by a group of parents in 1980. The school has a current roll of 286 boys and girls aged between three and sixteen years. In addition, it has parent and baby groups and after school care. This provision was not inspected at this time, nor was a summer school for overseas students who wish to improve their English. Other overseas students are at the school for short periods of up to a term or for a whole year. These students stay with local families, an arrangement which was not inspected, although the checks made by the school on the suitability of the host families were examined. The school was last inspected in 2010. The school’s basic principles are stated in its ethos as being an expression of three ‘golden aims’ suggested by Steiner:    ‘to receive the child in gratitude to the world they come from; to educate the child with love; and to lead the child into the true freedom which belongs to mankind.’ In seeking to meet these rules, the school follows the Steiner curriculum and to impart values ‘such as confidence, self-motivation, creativity, an appetite for learning, an ability to work with others, practical skills, tolerance towards others and the ability to adapt and meet change enthusiastically’. The school follows the Steiner Waldorf system for naming classes. The corresponding National Curriculum names for the classes in the school at the time of the inspection are: Steiner class names Kindergarten Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 National Curriculum Nursery, Year R, Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Lower school Do Do Do Do 3 Class 6 Class 7 Class 8 Class 9 Class 10 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Do Do Do Upper School Do Summary of main findings: The overall quality of education is good. The school generally meets its aims. Particularly good use is made of its environment, and the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of the pupils. They make good progress in their learning. Teaching is good overall although it ranges from outstanding to satisfactory. Behaviour is generally good, but at times some poor behaviour from a minority of pupils reflects their limited engagement with activities and lessons. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is outstanding. Provision for pupils’ moral, social and cultural education is good, although pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the different cultures in modern Britain is relatively underdeveloped. Assessment has been developed since the last inspection, however the use of different grading systems for different subjects potentially creates confusions and uncertainty as to how well pupils are doing and how they might improve. Provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety is satisfactory. Leadership and management are satisfactory after a period of considerable change and reorganisation. The provision in the kindergarten classes is outstanding. What the school does well:    spiritual development is outstanding; provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is outstanding and has developed well since the last inspection; and the outdoor environment is excellent and extends the pupils’ learning and social development particularly well.