DUBLIN WALDORF SCHOOL WAS FOUNDED BY PARENTS SEEKING A DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL APPROACH.
Our story began in 2009, when our kindergarten was established in one room of our historic building at 92 Meath Street. This characterful Georgian building was the home of Dublin's oldest creche, known as the Liberty Creche, which first opened in 1893 to provide care for the children of working mothers, many of whom were street traders in the Liberties. It has been in continuous use as a childcare facility ever since.
In 2017, with demand for our kindergarten services rocketing, four families made the decision to found a primary school and seek a fuller Waldorf education for their children. At the time, Dublin was unusual among European capitals in not having a dedicated Waldorf school.
Our student numbers have grown, and we currently have 80 children from ages 3 through 12, with a waiting list to enter the school at kindergarten level. Children at Dublin Waldorf School are able to enjoy all the benefits of the Waldorf ethos in the heart of our diverse inner-city community, and with access to all the rich cultural amenities - from theatre to galleries to historical monuments - that the capital has to offer.
DUBLIN WALDORF school OR DUBLIN STEINER school?
In 2025, the school changed its name from Dublin Steiner School to Dublin Waldorf School. This is part of a growing movement among schools previously named Steiner, as an act to underline the focus on education.
Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian philosopher whose educational philosophies formed the foundation for the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany. Steiner’s educational ethos focused on nurturing the whole child; his vision emphasised creativity, experiential learning, and the balance between intellectual, practical, artistic and emotional development.
In addition to his philosophies on education, Rudolf Steiner also established the foundation for biodynamic agriculture and the religious philosophy of anthroposophy.
Because of this, the title "Steiner" can be misconceived to encompass all of his philosophies. Our school delivers the Waldorf curriculum with a singular focus on the educational theories. By aligning with the pedagogy rather than the man, this allows more space for the education to evolve in our modern and multicultural interpretation of the Waldorf curriculum.
