The institutions come both from Europe (Germany, France, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Hungary) and other continents (Brazil, Israel, USA, Taiwan) and meet twice a year for an exchange of views at an international level. Most recently, the group met at the Institut de Formation à la Pédagogie Steiner-Waldorf Didascali* at the Waldorf school in Sorgues near Avignon from 8 to 10 May 2019.

The meeting focused on a report about the teacher training situation in France and an account by Ida Oberman who spoke about the work of the Waldorf Charter School in Oakland in California. Seventy percent of the pupils at this school live below the poverty line. The percentage of inclusive children lies above average and there are many children whose mother tongue is not English. The school is located in a part of the city in which drugs, prostitution and murder in close proximity are part of life.

The work of the school is exceptionally valued by pupils and parents. It attracts much public attention because in the standardised tests which regularly take place in the USA its results are significantly better than in the state schools.

* Didascali means “didactic” in Provencal