Management
In Waldorf Education schools do not have a traditional management with a headmaster and department heads. It is managed by a principle outlined by Rudolf Steiner and is best described as collegial or associative leadership. What this means is that decision-making does not fall on any one person but is always done by groups or individuals who have been given responsibility for specific areas in the school system.
Most Waldorf Schools are not-for-profit organisations. The governing bodies consist of selected representatives of all areas of the school and are called The Board of Directors also called the Board of Trustees or Council of Management and the College of Teachers.
Each school finds its own way to work with these basic guidelines and the following is a break down of how this has manifested as the McGregor Fountain Waldorf School Management.
Whole Life Education Centre
The Whole Life Education Centre is responsible for all the assets. It is a Voluntary Association and governed by a Board of Trustees. It owns the land and buildings and leases it to the McGregor Fountain Waldorf School and the McGregor High School.
McGregor Fountain Waldorf School
The McGregor Fountain Waldorf School is governed by the following three bodies:
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for the legal and financial management of the School.
Management Committee
The Management Committee is responsible for the day-to-day management and administration of the School. They are there to support the pedagogical Waldorf ethos of the School and to make sure all administrative matters are taken care of. They work closely with the College of Teachers. There is an Administrator overseeing the administration of the MFWS who communicates with the MC regularly.
College of Teachers
All the teachers in the School are members of The College of Teachers. They are responsible for matters related to pedagogy. They carry the educational ethos or the pedagogical governance of the School. So what is thought of as the role of the head teacher is carried collegially. All decisions are taken by consensus. They are primarily responsible for teaching, educational research, curriculum development, staffing and staff development, admission of children, pastoral care, the timetable, celebration of festivals and the general cultural life of the School.
McGregor High School
The McGregor High School is a private school and follow the government CAPS curriculum. It specialises in Arts and Drama. Most children from the MFWS transition from primary school education into the McGregor High School. The High School is sympathetic to Waldorf education and so the children feel at home in their new environment.