We aimed to gain insight into European practices, principles, and philosophies of countries with extensive experience in inclusive school environments and working with children with fewer opportunities. This was to increase the sensitivity of our professional staff to the challenges faced by this group of students and their families in both school and the wider social environment. We wanted to learn approaches for effectively teaching Slovene to reduce the impact of foreign languages on academic success and support the maintenance of their cultural and linguistic identity. Through various approaches, we sought to increase their motivation, comprehensive participation, and holistic personal development. We aimed to gain experience in teaching linguistically and culturally mixed, socially and educationally diverse classes, and to manage them so that students can follow lessons more easily and feel accepted. We wish to improve school attendance, increase inclusion in lessons and social settings, and prevent exclusion. By understanding effective European practices, we will be empowered for better communication with parents. We have also set goals for developing leadership competencies and management approaches for our institution.
Our school area has special developmental needs, is socially weak, and the number of Roma and migrant families is increasing. Many of these children live in non-stimulating home environments. We recognize the need to provide an inclusive learning environment and create opportunities for their holistic development, which is quite a challenge. We lack experience with these students and parents, as we have been a culturally and linguistically homogeneous community until recently. There are no Roma settlements in the area, only individual families. We strive to follow the guidelines of the 2030 AGENDA and the EU Resolution on the strategic framework for European cooperation, prioritizing quality, equity, inclusion, and overall success in education. We have not successfully implemented the guidelines for working with these students, as we have not internalized inclusive schooling. Students often get lost in large classes and are mostly seen as behaviorally/educationally challenging. This causes friction among staff, pressure on class teachers, the school counselor, and the principal, leading to beliefs that these students belong in special education. We believe that with effective European practices, the situation could improve.