The sixth key characteristic of the Steiner approach is an emphasis on the role of the parents as primary educators and the special relationship this gives rise to between the parents and the school. Within the Steiner approach there is a strong emphasis placed on the relationship between the teachers and the parents with regular scheduled meetings throughout the year at all ages. Parents are kept fully informed of the learning plan for the year and of the progress of their child. Class evenings for parents are a forum for information exchange and discussion about general topics and also acts as an open forum for raising questions about the teaching and learning plan.
The Steiner approach shares this view of the parents' role with the Primary School Curriculum:
"Parents are the child's primary educators, and the life of the home is the most potent factor in his or her development during the primary school years. There is a continuing process through which the child's formal learning experience in school interacts with the less formal developmental experience of the home and the family.
"It is widely recognised that significant educational, social and behavioural benefits accrue to the child as a result of effective partnership between parents and teachers. Close co-operation between the home and the school is essential, therefore, if children are to receive the maximum benefit from the curriculum" (Primary School Curriculum Introduction - page 21).