Home » Glasgow Steiner School Fire: Down But Not Out

Glasgow Steiner School Fire: Down But Not Out

Down but not out

You may or may not be aware of the disaster which befell the Glasgow Steiner School on Tuesday morning 26^th March. A fire broke out which destroyed all of the upper floor and roof as well as a substantial part of the ground floor. Fortunately the swift action of staff meant that all of the children were taken to safety and no one was hurt. Many of the staff lost keys, wallets, phones and other personal property and children lost cherished handmade items as well as books and folders containing work completed during their classes. So the incident has left many feeling a great loss, not just in a material sense but also in relation to their emotional attachment to the school. The Steiner philosophy which underlines the teaching methods in the school encourages a holistic approach and this in turn fosters close, almost familial relationships within the school community.

The fire happened two days before the school was due to break up for the Easter holiday and the classes had each been preparing for the closing ceremony by learning songs, music and poetry which they would have performed in the assembly hall in the presence of friends and family. The loss of the school building obviously meant that this would not be possible but, being the close and supportive community that is the Steiner School, an alternative was soon found. Email and text messages flew through the ether and it was decided to gather in Kelvingrove Park. Parents brought their children, teachers brought recorders and sheet music and everyone brought some food and drinks to share. Almost everyone involved in the school came along and showed that there was a commitment to continuing the school in spite of losing the building. Some of the management group were able to let people know that they had already been negotiating for temporary premises which could allow classes to continue at least until a more permanent solution can be found. One of the class teachers told the company how pupils at the Edinburgh Steiner School had loaned their recorders so that the music group could perform.

Some Edinburgh kids had also made cards with messages of goodwill. One had an image of a Phoenix rising from the flames. The sentiment in that was echoed by everyone around and one family member said how “it just shows you that the school is not the building but the children and staff themselves”.

There is still a long way to go before the school will be settled in a new home but even if it has to share temporary accommodation in the coming months and move from one site to another there is a will to continue and to preserve the spirit of the school whatever may be necessary.      

John Lafferty,

28th March, 2013

This section: Uncategorized