Chinese teacher’s visit to Ringwood (From Salisbury Journal)

Chinese teacher’s visit to Ringwood

6:00pm Tuesday 13th November 2012 in News By Miranda Robertson

A RINGWOOD school welcomed a visitor from China, who was interested in its movement techniques.

Teacher Wan Qi, pictured, a dance and movement specialist, flew 5,000 miles to spend a week at the Ringwood Waldorf School.

Wan Qi teaches at the first ever Steiner school in mainland China, in the Chengdu Waldorf School in Szechuan Province.

She made the trip to Hampshire to witness how the Ringwood school teaches a special therapeutic form of movement called Eurythmy.

She said: “It has been an amazing experience to see how the children at Ringwood Waldorf School are taught this wonderful form of movement, which makes huge improvements to a young person’s sense of co-ordination and balance.

“I am really excited about taking this back home and showing these invaluable skills to our children.”

There are now more than 1,000 Steiner schools and teaching |centres worldwide, making it the fastest growing form of alternative education.

The curriculum concentrates on the “natural development of the child”.

Children join the kindergarten from three and do not begin |formal education until they are six.

The school is currently pioneering the European Waldorf Diploma, which will be academically equivalent to A-levels and the German Abitur, and will be a university entrance qualification.

The school already has strong links with other Steiner schools, including ones in Sierra Leone and Estonia.

It also takes part in group exchanges with children from across Europe.

Nigel Revill, the school’s administrator, said: “Our children are learning so much from our involvement with schools across the world.

“We are very excited to be involved with Chengdu School and hope to extend the hand of friendship even further.”