The Aberdeen Waldorf School was founded in 1977 and was originally based in Bon Accord Street in Aberdeen city centre. In 1997 the school moved to an eight-acre campus in Cults, which was formerly home to the Aberdeen American School (now the International School of Aberdeen).

The first Waldorf school was opened in 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany. Emil Molt, Managing Director of Waldorf Astoria, was the benefactor who invited Rudolf Steiner to put his innovative educational thinking into practice by setting up and leading the new Waldorf School in its early years.

Aberdeen and Steiner/Waldorf Education
Aberdeen’s introduction to Steiner’s innovative educational methods came 20 years after the opening of the first Waldorf School, with the establishment in the city of the Camphill community.

Camphill founder Dr Karl König had developed much of his pioneering work with special needs children on Rudolf Steiner’s philosophies. So it was natural that Camphill’s co-workers should seek a Waldorf education for their own children.

To provide this, St John’s School was established (later renamed Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools). Over the years, the school provided increasing numbers of places for special needs children alongside its mainstream pupils.

The foundation of the Aberdeen Waldorf School, in 1977, gave Camphill the opportunity for Camphill Rudolf Steiner School to concentrate solely on the needs of pupils with learning difficulties, while the newly-established independent school focused on mainstream education.