Our Curriculum
Rooted in the Irish Primary Curriculum, Inspired by Steiner Waldorf Education
At Cuan na Gaillimhe Community National School, we offer something truly special: the full Irish Primary Curriculum, brought to life through the rich, imaginative and holistic approach of Steiner Waldorf education.
We believe education is about nurturing the whole child, their thinking, feeling and willing, their imagination, creativity, curiosity and confidence. Our approach seeks to educate the head, heart and hands, providing strong academic foundations while preserving the joy, wonder and discovery of childhood.
As a recognised Community National School under the patronage of Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB), we teach the Irish Primary Curriculum in its entirety. What makes our school distinctive is not what we teach, but how we teach it.
A Rich and Complete Irish Primary Education
Our children experience the full breadth of the Irish Primary Curriculum, including English, Gaeilge, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Music, Drama, Visual Arts, Physical Education and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE).
We also teach Goodness Me, Goodness You! (GMGY), our patron's multi-belief and values education programme, which nurtures identity, belonging, equality, respect and an appreciation of the diverse world in which we live.
Every curriculum area is carefully planned, taught and assessed, ensuring children develop strong knowledge, understanding and skills. Yet rather than experiencing subjects in isolation, our children discover the wonderful connections between them through meaningful, integrated learning.
The New Primary Curriculum and Steiner Education
The redeveloped Irish Primary Curriculum resonates beautifully with the principles that have long been at the heart of Steiner Waldorf education. Its emphasis on playful pedagogy, creativity, wellbeing, integrated learning, child-centred teaching and flexible timetabling reflects much of what we already practise each day.
Our school day follows a gentle, purposeful rhythm, balancing focused academic learning with storytelling, movement, artistic expression, practical activity and outdoor exploration. Rather than rushing from one disconnected lesson to another, our teachers weave learning together through rich themes and experiences, allowing children to explore ideas deeply and develop understanding in ways that are meaningful and lasting.
Main Lessons ~ Bringing Learning to Life
One of the most distinctive features of Steiner Waldorf education is the Main Lesson, where children explore carefully planned themes over several weeks, bringing together different curriculum subjects in a rich and imaginative way.
A Main Lesson on the autumn woodland, for example, might weave together Science, Geography, English, Mathematics and Visual Arts through storytelling, nature study, poetry, writing, drawing and practical investigation. Our children create their own beautiful Main Lesson Books, filled with writing, illustrations, diagrams, observations and artistic expression. These become treasured records of their learning, encouraging creativity, understanding, independence and pride in their work.
Alongside this, we use carefully selected textbooks, workbooks and structured programmes, particularly in Mathematics, Gaeilge and homework, to consolidate skills and support clear academic progression.
Strong Foundations in English, Gaeilge and Mathematics
We place great importance on developing confident readers, expressive writers, capable mathematicians and enthusiastic learners. English is nurtured through storytelling, poetry, oral language, reading, spelling, grammar and creative writing. Mathematics combines practical experiences, movement, investigation, explicit teaching and written practice to develop fluency, understanding and problem-solving skills.
Gaeilge holds a vibrant and valued place in our school. We are committed to achieving a high standard of Irish through a structured language programme, enriched by songs, rhymes, storytelling, conversation and the natural use of Gaeilge throughout the school day.
Our aim is for children to develop strong academic foundations alongside a genuine love of language, learning and discovery.
Honouring Childhood, A Gentle Beginning
In keeping with Steiner Waldorf philosophy, we honour the developmental needs of young children and place great value on protecting the wonder of childhood. In Junior and Senior Infants, learning unfolds through purposeful play, storytelling, songs, movement, rhythm, nature, baking, gardening and meaningful practical experiences.
These activities nurture the foundations of literacy, numeracy, language, social development and scientific curiosity in ways that are joyful, engaging and developmentally appropriate.
More formal, systematic academic instruction becomes a greater focus from First Class onwards, building upon these rich early foundations. This approach shares much with educational traditions in several European countries and complements the new Irish Primary Curriculum's emphasis on playful, active and child-centred learning.
We believe children do not need to be hurried through childhood to become confident, capable and successful learners.
Wellbeing at the Heart of Our School
Wellbeing is not simply another subject on our timetable. It is woven into the rhythm, relationships and daily life of our school.
Through SPHE, Physical Education, social and emotional learning, restorative practices, mindfulness, movement, nature and creative expression, we nurture resilience, empathy, confidence and a deep sense of belonging.
Our Steiner approach places particular importance on rhythm, beauty, relationships and meaningful activity, creating a warm and nurturing environment where children feel safe, valued and ready to learn.
Educating the Head, Heart and Hands
Throughout their primary school years, our children learn to read, write, calculate, investigate, question and think critically. They also learn to sing, paint, create, garden, craft, move, collaborate and care for one another and the natural world.
We want children to leave our school not only academically prepared for the next stage of their education, but also curious, compassionate, imaginative, resilient and confident in who they are.
At Cuan na Gaillimhe CNS, we bring together the full Irish Primary Curriculum and the heart of Steiner Waldorf education, weaving academic excellence, creativity, wellbeing and community into an education that allows every child to grow, discover and flourish.
Junior & Senior Infants
Children in the Steiner/Waldorf model of education learn through experiencing the world. At Cuan na Gaillimhe CNS, the Junior and Senior Infant classes explore a wide range of activities. Learn more about some of them here.
1st - 6th Class
We deliver the national curriculum using the Steiner methodology. For pupils from 1st to 6th classes, subjects are taught in “Main Lessons“. Main Lessons are taught in blocks of up to four weeks,
Junior & Senior Infants
In the Steiner approach, the early years of school are about learning through doing.
Young children understand the world best through their senses, their imagination and their hands, so our Junior and Senior Infant classrooms give them time to play, explore, create and wonder before more formal learning begins.
A day with a gentle rhythm
Each day follows a calm, predictable rhythm that moves between active, outward times and quieter, inward ones. Children know what comes next, and that helps them feel settled and secure. The week and the year have their own rhythms too, shaped by the changing seasons and the festivals we celebrate together as a school community.
Learning through play
Imaginative free play is at the heart of the infant classroom. With simple, natural materials like wooden blocks, cloths, shells, pine cones and handmade dolls, children build, invent and act out their own stories. Through this play, they develop language, problem-solving, cooperation and resilience in a way that feels natural and joyful.
Free Play
Central to our infant day is a space where our children can immerse themselves in what is most innate to childhood: Play.
A space big enough to move freely and, through careful preparation, convey a warm, joyful atmosphere.
The textural qualities of wool and wood, the weight of a stone, and the experience of stacking and balancing branch logs, tying a rope, or wheeling a cart can’t be learned from a book or an electronic device, yet they are the basics of science and important triggers for healthy brain development.
In free play, children can meet and interact directly. They learn to communicate, share, compromise and solve problems.
Teachers avoid interfering with or disturbing play. When teachers ask to join, they play along to observe the children and identify their needs without being intrusive.
Cooking & Baking
It is an especially valuable and purposeful experience for children to prepare their own food.
That is why we include a cooking and a baking day in the weekly rhythm
One day each week, the children peel and chop vegetables to cook soup, and one day they bake bread.
Wherever possible, we use raw materials and process them with manual tools, e.g. a grain mill, mortars and pestles, etc. This way, we let the children experience the whole process and give them a much better understanding of what food is.
Measuring and mixing the required amounts is also a mathematical activity.
Sharing a healthy lunch in class is an important social experience: children learn to engage in table conversation and take responsibility for setting up the table and cleaning up afterwards.
Walks & Nature Trips
Our school day always starts outdoors. Wrapped up in wet gear and wellies, our children experience the elements and the changing seasons in the garden and on trips to Barna Woods next to the school
Walking through rough terrain and defying the weather can be challenging. These challenges help children build resilience and willpower, allowing them to endure difficulties and “keep on going” in later life.
As children master long walks, climb trees and rocks, and play in inspiring spaces, their brains develop more connections and branches. Nature's complexity helps unlock individual abilities and skills, but its main purpose is to build emotional strength. Overcoming obstacles and discovering nature's little secrets give children a natural way to take on new challenges and know they can do it.
1st - 6th Class
We deliver the national curriculum using the Steiner methodology.
For pupils from 1st to 6th class, subjects are taught in “Main Lessons“. Main Lessons are taught in blocks of up to four weeks, allowing for depth, integration and focus.
Artistic activities and movement are integrated into the day and form part of the teaching of each Curriculum Area of the Primary School Curriculum (English and Irish Language, Mathematics, Social Environmental and Scientific Education, etc). The use of drawing, painting, music, movement, poetry, modelling and drama is at the heart of the learning experience in all subjects. Skills such as drawing, painting and craftwork (e.g. knitting) are valued as highly as academic ones and are part of every subject. This gives every child an opportunity to shine and builds confidence and self-esteem.
Our aim is for all children to experience a personal connection to what they learn in school in order to nourish a love of learning that they will carry into their lives beyond primary school. We want to see the children develop into confident and enthusiastic readers, skilled and expressive writers, at ease when working with numbers and mathematical concepts.
Our academic assessments show our methods are working. The Steiner education combines solid academic values with a sense of wonder for the world around us that truly speaks to the child's emerging personality, and equips him or her with the imagination, flexibility and inner strength to face a fast-changing world.
In 1st class, letters are discovered through the illustrations of the stories they hear, deepening their pictorial imagination and laying the foundation for a vivid approach to learning. The four elementary mathematical processes are introduced and reinforced through concrete activity, including movements such as skipping, jumping and rhythmic clapping, thus supporting and strengthening different ways of learning.
Song and music punctuate the morning, and the first musical instrument of these years, the pentatonic flute, is introduced.
Heart, hands and head are all engaged, as the child finds their own increasingly expressive and creative voice.
Art at our school is not just a subject; it forms part of the entire educational ethos.
Rudolph Steiner believed that we as humans have three aspects – intellectual, manual and artistic/creative, and that all three parts have to be advanced equally.
While the Steiner approach encourages children to develop a keen sense of the aesthetic, it also ensures they understand that you shouldn’t separate art from life and that every child’s inherent artistic ability can permeate every subject taught.
Our aim is to thoroughly engage the developing child as their capacity for thinking, creating and feeling unfolds.
