The purpose of the master's thesis is to research professional help and support for Roma children in elementary school. In the theoretical introduction, I defined who the Roma people are, areas of settlement and regional differences in Slovenia, the characteristics of Roma families, prejudices towards the Roma population and the education of Roma children (obstacles, legal regulations of assistance in the education of Roma children and strategies for more successful schooling). I also presented programs for Roma integration, the role of social work in the education and social integration of Roma people and counselling work in education. In the empirical part, I asked myself research questions on the following topics: help and support provided by professionals to Roma children, cooperation with parents, cooperation with external institutions, inclusion in the classroom and the school community, and completion of education. I carried out quantitative, exploratory and descriptive research among 161 experts. The results of the research showed that the majority of Roma children receive help and support from professional workers (teaching assistance, conversation, socializing, etc.), and the initiative for it mostly comes from teachers or counseling workers, rarely from Roma children or their parents. Very common obstacles faced by Roma children are language barriers, and there is very little adaptation for them. Roma children in Prekmurje are better integrated into the classroom and school community than Roma children in South-East Slovenia, and they also more often collaborate with non-Roma children in classes and socialize with them during breaks. Roma children from the participating schools mostly finish their primary school education with the 9th grade, while boys finish fewer grades of primary school than girls. More than half of the participating professionals report that Roma assistants are employed at their schools. As many as 84% of respondents cooperate with external institutions in their work, but there is very little connection between schools and kindergartens. Support and help for parents, strengthening of trust between parents and the school, and joint support (of parents, teachers, non-Roma parents, students and external organizations) in schoolwork are important steps in order for Roma children to complete the entire primary school more often. I also wrote down a few suggestions, among which I would highlight the following: that preparation for school in the pre-school period should be implemented in practice in a way that is accessible to the Roma community, greater involvement of Roma parents in the educational and educational program, and training of professionals on the importance of working with classes and inclusive work methods.
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