St Paul's Steiner School

Transforming St. Paul's Church into a Steiner school from St Pauls Steiner School on Vimeo. The project was founded in 1994, occupying the current site, St Paul's, a previously derelict church, at the junction of Essex and St Paul's Roads in Islington from 1995. The original objective was to rebuild the building as a home for a Steiner School and a resource committed to lifelong learning for the surrounding community. From the beginning the community of parents and interested individuals have focused firstly on making the building windproof and watertight and then on maximising the space. Each year a new classroom has been built and in 2007 the first students graduated from Class VIII to go on to complete their education at local state schools or other Steiner Schools around the country. This has all been achieved through the effort and energy of families and volunteers who have contributed their time and skills to complete projects valued at over 1 million. Funds for further expert restoration efforts have been raised by the community and provided by contractors. The School now provides services to roughly 160 families through inclusive school, kindergarten and parent & child group initiatives. St Paul's has a unique location between some of the most exclusive homes in London and some of the most troubled and deprived estates. St Paul's is situated on the borders of Hackney and Islington and 70% of the school's users come from these boroughs.