The Waldorf Pedagogy began in Portugal in the 1st half of the 20th century with the influence of a Portuguese, Swiss family named the Abecassis and Leroi family. They ran a Waldorf school in Lisbon which was closed by Salazar and remained closed until 1980. In 1980 the Waldorf Association of Lisbon was created by Vera Leroi who dedicated her life to the Waldorf pedagogy.
In 1984 the S. Jorge Kindergarten was born in the outskirts of Lisbon. In 1988 Margrit Kegel founded the Escola Primavera in the Algarve which ran until 1996. It held classes from 1st to 8th grade with mostly foreign students and teachers. Educator Eva Herre joined the parents movement and in 1997 the Jardim de Infancia Waldorf Internacional was founded, and remains to this day in the Lagos area.
In 1990 the Waldorf Movement grew and new initiatives bloomed. Today there are four Waldorf schools recognized by the Ministry of Education: Escola Waldorf a Oliveira in the Algarve (which goes until 7th grade), Escola Casa da Floresta in Lisbon, Monsanto (which goes until the 6th grade), the Escola da Terra in Sintra (which goes until 4th grade) and the Escola do Jardim do Monte in HARPA in the surrounding areas of Lisbon, Alhandra (which goes until 9th grade).
In terms of training, today it is possible to do the initial training in Waldorf Pedagogy in the Waldorf Course Association (Lisbon) and in HARPA (Alhandra)
Currently there are many educational and family support initiatives which serve families with children of different ages. These families are searching for an educational answer for their children. This has caused a growth in demand and interest by teachers and educators to learn more about the Waldorf pedagogy.