In the past years we have already laid good foundations as we have teams of teacher at the school, who deal with integration of foreign students into the environment, students who have emotional difficulties or learning difficulties and we also have a team for gifted students. We purposefully educate these teachers. We wanted to put an important emphasis on developing empathy. We wanted to improve the expertise of employees in the areas of inclusion, working with foreign students, gifted students, students with special needs, students with behavioural and emotional difficulties and various teaching approaches such as forest pedagogy and suchlike. At the same time, we wanted to raise European awareness among both students and teachers through activities in European projects. We want to work in favour of a tolerant society consisting of individuals capable of empathy and acceptance of difference. Through education and insights into examples of good practice, we wanted to raise the quality of teaching, bring the school closer to parents and the local community, connect with the town, and at the same time spread awareness that we are all part of the European Union. By teachers participating in mobilities we wanted to raise their self-confidence and sovereignty at work, encourage their creativity, with a desire to put it into practice.
Primary School Pod goro Slovenske Konjice is a public school, consisting of central school and two branch schools – Primary School Špitalič, where the regular education programme is implemented, and School V parku, where two programmes are implemented –programme with lower education standard (NIS) and special education programme (PPVI). There is a big difference in the structure of students between these schools, as the students of the Primary School V parku are students with lower abilities or mental disorders, the students of Primary School Špitalič come from demographically endangered environment and transfer to the central school in the fifth grade, and at central school there are students with special needs, gifted students, foreign students, students with learning disabilities and students with behavioural and emotional difficulties. With the help of international projects, we want to contribute to the fact that the students would accept other students who are different from them, would encourage them, take part in mutual help, develop empathy, and thus create a better society. It is therefore essential that the teachers who work with them are aware of various examples of good practice, curricula and ways of working. In the future, we want an open school which is friendly to all, accepting and understanding towards all individuals. We want a school where teachers will transfer knowledge and experience gained abroad to their colleagues, students and parents and successfully include them in their work.