Two Steiner schools in England have been granted partial exemption from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).

The schools, Wynstones School in Gloucestershire and the North London Rudolf Steiner School in Haringey, have been exempted from some of the learning and development requirements of the EYFS.

In Wynstones School’s case, the exemptions and modifications relating to literacy and to ICT were granted, but those relating to the teaching of mathematics were not. The school’s request for exemption from the EYFS's assessment arrangements was also rejected.

The North London Rudolf Steiner School was granted exemptions from all EYFS communication, literacy and language targets, and any goals related to the use of ICT. But exemptions from Early Learning Goals relating to number recognition were rejected on the grounds that the EYFS is able to incorporate the Steiner approach.

In a statement Wynstones School said, “We are pleased that, in granting us exemptions and modifications, the Secretary of State has recognised that the EYFS is not flexible enough to accommodate the Steiner Waldorf Early Years practice. We had to fight long and hard for an exemption process in the face of the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ insistence that the EYFS was flexible enough to cater for Steiner early year needs.

“While the exemption process was allowed for in the original Act (The Childcare Act 2006), the DCSF failed to introduce it until the last minute after we, and others, raised strong, vociferous and sustained objections.”

Commenting about the two partial exemptions, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for schools Diana Johnson said, “Recent surveys from important workforce stakeholders tell us that the vast majority of early years providers broadly support the EYFS. Testimony to this is that almost a year since its implementation, only 19 providers, out of over 85,000 have applied for any form of exemption or modification.

“We are delighted that providers are embracing this framework which echoes what the best have been doing for years."

But Janni Nicol, early childhood representative for the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, said, “From our point of view, we are aware that there were some delays with local authorities’ responses to the exemptions applications, which has meant that the schools have not yet put their applications to the QCA. We are hoping that our survey of the schools will show that the Government has understood where the ethos of Steiner Waldorf, particularly in the area of the late formal introduction of literacy and numeracy, and the lack of ICT and electronic gadgetry differs from the EYFS.

“However, we still find the exemptions process complicated, time-consuming and unwieldy. We hope this can be reviewed.”

Dr Richard House of the Open EYE Campaign welcomed the partial exemptions as “excellent news” but said that exemption should be available to settings that are not necessarily Steiner-based. “Open EYE has always maintained that as a matter of equity, it is essential that any other settings which object philosophically or pedagogically to the statutory EYFS learning requirements can also be granted exemption,” he said.

“In this regard, there is nothing particularly unique about the Steiner approach that means it alone deserves special treatment, for the Steiner movement’s concern that the literacy, numeracy and ICT requirements are inappropriate is shared by many non-Steiner practitioners throughout the field.”

When asked what types of childcare provider had applied for exemption from the EYFS, a DCSF spokeswoman said that it was “for the settings to make the decisions public”.