For almost 70 years, Glenaeon has offered an independent Steiner education that nurtures the whole person from Playgroups and Preschool to Year 12 within a setting of natural beauty and strong community. Our approach is simple yet profound: we provide a rich, holistic education that is academically challenging and creative while meeting and enriching the NSW syllabus requirements. Guided by our values of courage, wisdom, integrity, and heart, we aim to help young people grow into confident, capable individuals who care for the world and live with purpose. Our educational philosophy and practice was developed by and evolves out of the work of Rudolf Steiner. Our approach to learning encourages expansive thinking, development of the living spirit and connection to the wisdom of the past, realities of the present and possibilities for the future.
Facilities
Our Preschool is in a Federation house and garden in Willoughby. Our rooms are warm, light-filled and thoughtfully furnished. The outdoor play space adjoins Bales Park – a place for exploration and wonder.
Our Kindergarten and Class 1 – Class 3 classrooms are situated on a quiet, tree-lined campus at Castlecrag, with a playground made from natural materials. OOSH After School Care and Holiday Programs are also available.
The Middle Cove campus is set in a magnificent bushland setting, designed to support wellbeing for learning, creativity, and community engagement. Students benefit from light-filled, air-conditioned classrooms, well-equipped science laboratories, and dedicated spaces for the arts. The Sylvia Brose Hall seats over 250 people, providing a venue for performances and gatherings, while the open-air amphitheater offers an inspiring outdoor setting.
Outdoor facilities include two ovals, basketball courts, and bushland tracks. The campus also features inviting spaces for socialising and relaxation, such as The Gentle Café with its adjoining deck, senior and junior libraries and designated playgrounds for Classes 4–6. High school students enjoy a variety of indoor and outdoor areas to gather, and the biodynamic garden with its outdoor classroom and nearby rotunda.
Curriculum
Glenaeon’s curriculum and teaching practice offers a seamless blend of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) requirements with Glenaeon’s Steiner Curriculum evolved from the educational insights of philosopher, scientist, artist and educator Rudolf Steiner.
At its heart, Steiner education recognises that children grow and learn in distinct stages. Teaching methods, curriculum content, and classroom experiences are therefore carefully aligned to each phase of development, nurturing imagination and play in the early years, fostering emotional engagement and creativity in primary schooling, and developing critical thinking, moral judgement, and independence in adolescence. Students develop curiosity, resilience, creativity, and genuine engagement with learning alongside academic rigour.
The Steiner approach is also characterised by rich human relationships and rhythm. Continuity of teachers in the primary years allows for deep understanding of each child, while daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms create a sense of security and balance. At Glenaeon, we are proudly a slow-tech school rather than a no-tech school. We believe technology has an important place in education and it is introduced with intention, purpose and at developmentally appropriate stages. In the early years, our classrooms are screen-free and students build the essential foundations for learning through movement, storytelling, creativity, nature, and human connection. As students mature in the high school years, technology is thoughtfully integrated to develop digital literacy, research skills, responsible online engagement, and an informed understanding of emerging technologies such as AI.
Sport
Glenaeon students are provided with sporting pathways that supports participation, development and excellence in sport. Through affiliation with the Independent Sydney and District Sports Association (ISD) and NSW Combined Independent Schools (CIS), students have access to structured opportunities that extend well beyond the school environment.
At the foundational level, Glenaeon offers a broad and inclusive school sports program where students can develop fundamental skills, teamwork, and a love of physical activity across a wide range of sports. Athletes are encouraged to join Glenaeon teams for ISD Tournaments across a range of sports including Basketball, Touch Football, Soccer, Netball and Volleyball. In individual carnival sports, students can represent at Triathlon, Swimming, Athletics and Cross Country.
Wellbeing for Learning
At Glenaeon, wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do. From how we interact with each other, to the materials we use, the stories we tell, and the places we go. Our unique approach to promoting wellbeing for learning helps us develop free, healthy human beings who are equipped to lead a meaningful life.
Put simply, wellbeing is a holistic state of health; the natural outcome of integrated and balanced experiences across the three stages of child development: early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. By nurturing a child’s physical, emotional, and spiritual growth in a harmonious way and creating an environment permeated by goodness, beauty and truth, we promote a state of optimal wellbeing and provide a strong foundation for future development.
Fees: See website Head of School: Ms Diana Drummond Address: Middle Cove campus (Class 4 – Year 12) – 5a Glenroy Avenue, Middle Cove NSW 2068 Castlecrag campus (Kindergarten – Class 3) – 121 Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag NSW 2068 Willoughby campus (Preschool + Playgroups) – 118 Sydney Street, Willoughby NSW 2068 Telephone: +61 2 9417 3193 Website: https://glenaeon.nsw.edu.au/ Book a Tour: https://www.glenaeon.nsw.edu.au/enrolments/tours-of-glenaeon/ Email: info@glenaeon.nsw.edu.au or enrolments@glenaeon.nsw.edu.au