IDENTICAL twins attending two of London’s top drama schools have thanked Ringwood Waldorf School for giving them the ‘curiosity and love of learning’ to pursue acting careers.

Former pupil Leah Gayer is studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) while sister Mhairi is attending Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

After several rounds of gruelling auditions, both are now receiving some of the finest performance art training in the UK to equip them with career options in theatre, film, television and radio.

Leah and Mhairi were pupils at Ringwood Waldorf School until they were 16.

Mhairi said: “We were very lucky to have begun life in such a safe and nurturing environment. Through attending a Steiner school, we gained a unique education. We were encouraged to be ourselves and develop a lifelong love of learning.

“In this environment we learnt the importance of creativity; to be inquisitive, to be curious and to question. We were given the tools to be endlessly curious about the world, to be able to express ourselves, to work non-competitively with others, leaving us engaged, motivated and independent learners.”

Leah said: “When a group of actors are communicating with an audience, something magical happens. Theatre opens a space for voices to be heard, to pose difficult questions, opening gateways of inspiration and change in people’s lives.

“Waldorf education gives you a thirst for knowledge and the ability to learn in an ensemble while celebrating you as a uniquely free-thinking human being. The greatest skill you could develop is to learn how to learn, and the Waldorf school really encourages this.”

Sandi Weir, Music Teacher at Ringwood Waldorf School, said: “We wish Leah and Mhairi all the luck in the world with their chosen careers. They are prime examples of young people who leave our school nurtured with confidence and independence of thought, ready for the challenges and opportunities of today.”