Urgent inspections of Steiner schools have been ordered by the Education Secretary, following an investigation by The Telegraph.

Damain Hinds has written to the chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, demanding that Steiner schools - both private and state funded - are subjected to “additional scrutiny” by Ofsted.

The move follows mounting concern from Ofsted about child safety in some Steiner institutions, with two schools threatened with closure by ministers after inspectors discovered serious failures in safeguarding.

Favoured by liberally-minded middle-class parents, Steiner schools base their curriculum on the spiritual philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, called anthroposophy, which emphasise child creativity and the importance of rearing free spirited individuals.

An Ofsted spokesman said that inspectors have found an “alarming disregard” for children’s safety and well-being in Steiner schools they have seen so far.

This week, Department for Education (DfE) officials published a memo they sent to the Steiner Academy Exeter, warning that they are “minded” to cut off the school’s funding.

The school's most recent Ofsted report describes “significant lapses” in safeguarding procedures, as well as “dysfunctional” leadership “at every level” and governance in “disarray”.

It describes how rather than acknowledge the school's problems, a “significant” minority of parents and teachers blame them on pupils with learning difficulties.