An overall progression through years of the Upper School can be characterized as follows:
Naturally, any curriculum drawn up by educationalists will have broad areas of commonality since there is much intrinsic logic within a given field of knowledge. It would be surprising if there were not broad areas of overlap between different curricula. How and when an experience is brought to children, however, has to be an area of judgement by teachers who know their children.
The Waldorf Curriculum is essentially aimed at supporting the healthy balanced development of the individual. The outcome of this process is to equip the individual to participate in and contribute to society. It is not primarily driven by learning outcomes, which are merely subject or skills-orientated.
While the teaching approach can and should respond to individual needs, the curriculum content is aimed at peer groups. Since one of the crucial factors in human development is the role of social processes, no curriculum can be wholly individually orientated. Children learn with and from each other. Sharing experiences with others at broadly the same stage of development is more productive and enriching than learning alone. Thus Waldorf education's emphasis is on whole class mixed ability groups.
Each lesson and learning process requires a balance of primary experience, social interaction - through discussion, listening, working together and so on - and working alone. Each of these elements is essential; their balance will depend on the given situation.
