Best Schools - Ofsted chief warns over Steiner schools as she reveals that three quarters failed inspection

Amanda Spielman revealed that of the 26 Steiner schools that have been inspected by Ofsted over the past year, 13 were branded “inadequate” and seven were rated as “requires improvement”.

In a letter to the Education Secretary, Ms Spielman said: “The performance of Steiner schools overall remains poor, and there are areas of weakness that need to be addressed.

“Most worryingly, inspectors found that a significant minority of the schools had ineffective safeguarding practices, and I continue to be concerned about the provision for pupils with SEND [special education needs and disabilities] about quality of education more generally and about leadership.”

All but four of the Steiner schools in England are private, meaning they must adhere to independent school standards. But Ms Spielman revealed that 15 of the 22 fee-paying schools failed to meet these standards.

A spokesman for the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, the umbrella organisation which runs Steiner schools in the UK and Ireland, said it welcomes the "informed feedback" from Ofsted.

"Amanda Spielman’s letter highlights several of the steps that SWSF is taking to guide school improvement and we 'share a common purpose' to ensure all our children are well-educated and safe."

New Head Appointed For Fast-Growing North Wales Private School

A new head has been appointed at Myddelton College in Denbigh which is the second fastest growing private school in the UK.

Andrew Allman, 39, said he was “proud and privileged” to take the helm at the co-educational day and boarding school which was recently hailed by inspectors as “a vibrant international learning community”.

Pupil numbers are due to increase to 280 when the new school year begins in September, up over 27 per cent on the previous year.

The new head paid tribute to his predecessor Mark Roberts for the firm foundations he laid in making Myddelton College “a successful school where pupils thrive personally and academically”.