etic community of parents and teachers working together for the benefit of the children (pg. 107). Ernst (2011) describes anthroposophical philosophy as ‘a school of thought or esoteric philosophy that expands the human mind through imagination, inspiration, and intuition’ (pg. 187). However an anthroposophical philosophy which Steiner schools adopt may create challenges to parents from traditional backgrounds weakening a connection to the education progress marginalising parental immersion to pedagogy. Evangelou et al (2008) suggest children should spend a couple of days at their future school; this is reported to be supportive for children and parents to transition into the schools ideology gradually (Crafter and Maunder, 2012, pg. 7).
Schools which are able to partner with families may create a higher consistency between school and home environments. Smith (2014) notes that such partnerships require that teachers and parents have shared understandings of classroom curriculum, pedagogy and behavioural expectations. Steiner claims that good practice for practitioners is to understand children’s home circumstances with intent to connect to Steiner philosophy (Woods, 2005, pg. 109). Steiner ethos stretches beyond school hours with many teachers expected to visit their pupils at home in order to further their understanding of them as individuals (Woods, 2005, pg107). However Smith (2014) identifies that family engagement from different cultures and low incomes have shown barriers to a child’s progress due to a lack of shared values indicating that the setting may impact on home life creating more of a divide to partnerships. To address this potential disconnect, Molland (2004) suggests teachers need to seek out information to understand and bridge the cultural and linguistic diversity reflected in the families of their students; creating an approach to develop relationships. Noel et al (2013) notes that evidence for poor or negative engagement regarding sharing of information creates a barrier to parent teacher engagement. The importance of clear family engagement is identified in Montessori schools that practice a family centred, community based approach which openly communicates and collaborates ideas within the setting (Morrison, 2006). Morrison (2006) also exemplifies the ideology of partnerships with families to create effective teaching and learning (pg. 7); parents who interact with school values discuss issues within the setting (pg.25) potentially this discussion can strengthen reciprocal values and understanding of practice.