Legenda – semnificatia cuvintleor hasurate cu diferite culori:

Case Study Nr. 4
Secondary School ”L. REBREANU”
Cluj-Napoca
2015
This case study was conducted by the
Romanian Foundation for Children, Community and Family under the project entitled
"Inclusive School is sChOOL - Learn and live together in democracy"
funded by the Foundation Open Society through the Education Support Programme.
A. Short Presentation of the School
Location and Brief History
Liviu Rebreanu Secondary School is located in Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania
(304,000 inhabitants), in the semi-peripheral Mănăștur area. It is situated in two buildings and offers
a distinctive academic environment with 38 classrooms, offices, laboratory classrooms, and one
sports room.
Founded 38 years ago, "School no. 23", now "Liviu Rebreanu" (the name of a famous Romanian
wrieter) officially opened its doors on September 15, 1977, in a new building with 22 classrooms,
three laboratory classrooms, two workshops, and the sports room. The school catered for up to 1,411
pupils. Now, the school is running with 18 classrooms in primary education and 15 classrooms in
secondary education.
The school building and facilities are continuously improved. It has 38 classrooms; 3 laboratory
classrooms (Physics, Chemistry, Biology); 6 cabinets (Geography, English, French, IT, AEL,
speech therapy); psycho-pedagogical counselling and school guidance cabinet, one paediatric
cabinet; one dental cabinet; school library; sports room. There are 41 computers to be used by the
pupils and 21 for the teachers, 20 are connected to the Internet.
There are other five secondary and high schools in the area that might compete with this school for
pupils’ enrolment, still, the L. Rebreanu School has the second highest number of pupils due to its
good fame.
The school Anthem is:
School Structure, Human Resources, and Students’ Profile
The number of children increased year by year reaching in the 1982-1983 school year 59 classrooms
and some 2,112 pupils enrolled. The school has maintained since its foundation a motivating,
enthusiastic, passionate, and dynamic teaching style. Currently, the school has 13 primary school
teachers, 34 teachers, doctors, nurses, and auxiliary staff. Pupils are educated in the Romanian
language and culture, and they learn also English and French.
The school operates in one shift, using time in school more efficiently. A semi-boarding system is
provided for primary school pupils (grades 1 through 4), which consists of: teaching, homework
supervision, individualised activities and leisure time activities (sports and cultural ones). The
school offers 30 optional programmes: foreign languages, vocal music, IT, graphics and painting,
theatre for children, dance sport, folk dance, road safety education, majorettes, basketball, and choir.
The school cabinets are supplied with audio-video equipment. Integrated education is performed by
support teachers and support primary teachers for pupils with learning problems. Pedagogical
counselling and speech therapy counselling are provided by the school psychologist or school
speech therapist.
In the 2014-2015 school year, 938 pupils has been enrolled in L. Rebreanu School. The school has
five preparatory classrooms (125 pupils), 18 primary education classrooms (434 pupils) and 15
secondary education classrooms (379 pupils). The majority of pupils are ethnic Romanian, but there
are also Hungarian and Roma children. Out of 62 teachers, 48 are permanent and 14 are substitutes.
The number of pupils with statements of SEN is 57 (23 in primary school and 34 in secondary
school).
L. Rebreanu School - Pathways to Inclusion
To get a more complete picture about the teachers’ and management team’s overall school
assessment, we asked the respondents to identify the school strengths and weaknesses.
All the interviewees mentioned the following strengths of the school: very good teaching staff,
good collaboration between them and the school management, positive atmosphere, support
teachers, generous space, school close to the children’s residence, computers and projectors
supplying, good reputation:
"We have a good reputation, we perform well in school Olympic competitions/ international ones
included, we have created conditions for children with learning problems, we are among the first
schools in Cluj-Napoca that has support teachers/ support primary school teachers, good teaching
staff, extracurricular activities – they have found out about us in town and spread it, and so, now,
many children come to study here." (primary school teacher)
"I think Rebreanu School is among the top schools in Mănăștur area: we are the only school in
which primary education is located on a separate building, we have a big school yard, we have 15minutes-longue breaks, we have converted two classes into sports room, an auditorium with a stage,
we are all well-equipped, we use fencing, we are safe." (primary school teacher)
"The standards are quite high in all subjects and the teaching staff is highly trained; there are
disciplinary rules; rules are respected and therefore parents have their children apply for us; a
welcoming and civilised atmosphere." (teacher)
"Space: Each classroom has its own space, it is locked and everything is there the next day; I have
arranged the classroom together with my children, and we will be staying there for at least one year
- I have been sitting here for 4 years. Then, the fact that we have support teachers who help us
when we need guidance or that they are directly working with children; then, the speech therapist
who works with them following an individualised plan. I am happy to say that we have a speech
therapist before the Revolution." (primary school teacher)
"A very good management team; a professional team; well-equipped school; it is the best school in
the area, it has a very good reputation (through its teachers), we have Olympic competition pupils.”
(psychologist)
"Compared to other schools I worked in: the parents in a central school are more educated but
children are not as warm as they are here and perhaps they don’t have the same motivation to
overcome their material condition." (support teacher)
The main weaknesses arise more from external causes, such as legislation and the poor available
funds:
"The teaching staff fluctuation: because of bad legislation, we cannot keep in school very competent
substitute teaching staff; or, more difficult cooperation with some parents." (headmaster)
Some people say that the great number of children is a disadvantage: "it’s a mammoth, too many
children, over 900, classrooms with more than 25 children" (teacher), but some acknowledge that
it stands for a successful future of the school.
Although many appreciated school endowment as strength, it seems pretty likely that there are many
other needs: "Facilities - photocopier machine, printer, multimedia room, more desks, more
comfortable chairs, internet connection at all cabinets." (teacher)
B. School Management - the Determining Inclusion Factor
The school is headed by the Board (Administrative Council), headmaster, and deputy. The current
headmaster elected two years ago is a Mathematics teacher with a seniority of 27 teaching years in
this school, whereas the deputy position is held by a woman teacher. Tasks are shared according to
a principle of effectiveness: "management is shared with the deputy, we have a written procedure,
but we actually divide our work according to our abilities: each of us is doing her best."
(headmaster)
The pedagogical management is ensured by the four heads of department and the educational
advisor. The primary school teachers’ activity is delegated to a person who coordinates their work.
The Teachers' Council is dealing with administrative issues and news. Staff meetings convene
weekly, on Mondays, at the headmaster’s request. Otherwise, the heads of departments and the
educational adviser organise educational sessions when necessary. Special sessions for support
teachers are held at the School Centre for Inclusive Education on last Wednesdays of each month.
Most of the surveyed people appreciated the managers’ democratic style (towards laissez-faire):
"The team and the Headmasterate let me do my duty and my job and this matter most for me, I’m
relaxed, and they don’t stress me with useless things." (teacher)
"I have never been told ‘no’ or that I am not allowed to do this or that, even if I had not so many
co-workers as I would have liked to. The space is generous, the location is welcoming, I can work
quietly and I could recreate some part of what I had had [in the USA], of course excepting the school
endowment there. There are quite many teachers who are open, who want to do good work."
(support teacher)
"The teaching staff and school management collaboration, and the headmasters’ involvement in all
of our problems [have been considered essential of our strength-based school management].”
(teacher)
"We are good at keeping things organised, all teachers know how to apply, who to call after; a
Yahoo group has been set up, communication is good, and we know what to do. Then, we have an
economic development headmaster, a deputy, and an educational headmaster who share their tasks
and so, things are really going well. We also have to get through last-minute tasks not because of
mismanagement but because of out of school sources. "(support teacher)
There are also opinions about how to “still improve the school management. Headmasters should
be more demanding because sometimes we do not come on time to classes or get out earlier; the
internet is not working; then, we have slowdowns in the flow of activities as they are simultaneously
running and it's not ok. But generally, we work well, it’s an atmosphere of collaboration, perhaps
we should be better coordinated; teachers do their best in this school.” (teacher)
It is a quasi-unanimous opinion among teaching staff that the headmaster’s allocation time on
various administrative issues and resource management are the most time-consuming tasks. The fact
that the headmaster has teaching obligations is valued differently, some people consider it important,
and others believe the headmaster should not spend time with teaching.
Similarly, conflict mediation and family-counselling sessions are not considered important
activities, so they might be delegated to other people (psychologist, class masters). The headmaster
herself is overwhelmed by administrative problems and would like to have more time for other
activities. The most difficult moments are those when, receiving highly urgent tasks on behalf of
educational authorities (ad-hoc reports and statistics to do), she has to decide on taking action. A
way of addressing them is to ask for her colleagues’ collaboration although she already knows that
they still have to manage their daily heavy workloads.
In conclusion, we can say that, within a relatively brief period of time, the headmaster gained her
effectiveness on the job and is much appreciated for the way she manages the school activities.
C. The School Atmosphere
L. Rebreanu School has a very good infrastructure which is exploited with generosity and creativity
by the management team and the school staff who work together to provide a most favourable
environment for pupils and teachers in particular by facilitating academic performance. Moreover,
those who have been serving in school for a long time do appreciate the management team’s interest
to create an open and positive school atmosphere, which is a specific tradition of this school:
"Teachers feel great; we celebrate our birthdays, and share outputs at least twice a year. We have
coffee/tea rooms in both buildings, we get on well together.”(teacher)
All the teachers appreciate that the school atmosphere is largely favourable to the educational
process:
"The atmosphere is definitely conducive, children are happy to go to school, we are having our
morning tea or coffee together, a brief discussion during breaks, and then we go back to classes
with pleasure. There are no conflicts or arguments between us, even if someone raises his/her voice,
we are just talking together."(teacher)
"... Especially the relationship between colleagues: it is a warm and self-help atmosphere. It makes
a great pleasure to primary school teachers to gather the teaching staff around them and discuss
with them on different children’s issues or other aspects from school life; the fact that discussions
are held outside the meetings is more helpful. Not to mention our colleagues’ birthdays celebrated
together, trips, the 8th of March – they all strengthen our team. We focus on helping new colleagues.
Tolerance and openness are high, it’s nice here, in our school, I come with pleasure to school. I feel
appreciated by my colleagues.”(support teacher)
"Undoubtedly, it is a calm, warm, quiet, and positive atmosphere; it depends on the teacher to
manage the pupils and keep them busy." (teacher)
And teachers' views on children, alike "They (children) have ideas, take the initiative, and ask for
activities. I suppose, they like going to school, indeed. We have the Big Brother programme by which
pupils are encouraged to look after each other in school, the greater ones are taking care of the
younger ones, 8th graders of those in the 5th, 4th graders of the 1st grade. The project is running
better in the primary school; they really feel responsible for taking care of them during
breaks."(headmaster)
The rules are disposed on the classroom walls and usually these are elaborated in a partnership
process (class headmaster, pupils, and teachers).
The school hall is decorated with children’s works, creating a cheerful and welcoming environment.
The children's drawings express their joy of "feeling good school". Their drawings say a lot (see
analyse of an external psychologist): “the atmosphere in school and during classes is good. Children
believe that their teachers’ expectations about doing better in their school achievements/
performance are higher. They like the methods, and they know their teachers would like their
achievements as such. However, they are afraid of evaluation during some classes and they would
rather ‘skip classes’. Children feel safe in school. Their desire is to have more social interaction and
establish connections with other children around them. This thing is happening but they would like
more."
Absenteeism is low compared to other schools in the city, which is a proof that pupils feel good in
their school. However, it can be noticed an increased absenteeism in the subjects they do not like/
are more difficult, and last class skipping when they are tired.
There is a good monitoring system, through direct communication (mainly by telephone) between
class masters and parents/ family in case of skipping classes. If no one answers the phone, local
police is alerted. The parents’ false motivations for their children’s absenteeism are not accepted.
No pupil may leave school without a hall pass signed by the teacher and one of the parent’s
permission. After 10 absences, they are more likely to get behaviour lower grades and, if there are
other problems, the disciplinary committee will be informed. "The class master discusses with the
parents, directly or by telephone. For example, I was asked to go to the child’s home but it was a
bit difficult because of dangerous behaviour within that family, too. "(teacher)
"After the first 3-4 absences, I inform the parents. They might know nothing but when finding out
they might provide written documentation to excuse absences but I do not accept it."(teacher)
"There are subjects children don’t like and skip classes; or skip last classes of the day and lose time
elsewhere else. In addition, poor family supervision, no discipline to respect certain rules, or
disorders that appear in early puberty and especially with boys. Girls do not have so many absences
as boys."(teacher)
The same is true of every teacher in the school: "It is a system we all have to comply with. Classes
are well managed, every minute should be used; we have crowded /oversized classes. We have a
schedule for substitutions when the regular teacher is unavailable because of different reasons. For
cases that we know in advance, we ensure substitution through exchange of hours. We also have a
substitution system for our special educators when it is necessary." (headmaster)
The pupils’ physical and psychological safety is ensured by all possible means. Access to school
is restricted; the school uses an interphone to control entrances into its buildings. Teachers and pupils
are always present on duty in order to supervise pupils during breaks and take action whenever
necessary. (See direct notes collected during breaks.)
Pupils, teachers, and parents mention the advantage of feeling safe in this school.
Each teacher makes use of an approach/ a procedure to address minor problems for improving the
pupils’ conduct by applying the most adequate modalities of reducing their undesirable actions in
the school environment. Verbal violence is increasing and in cases of physical violence, the teachers
intervene immediately and the incident is recorded in a register of the teachers who are on duty.
In case of poor behaviour, the class master/ primary school teacher makes use of the following
intervention techniques: observation, discussions with the classroom council, warning, invites the
pupil’s parents to school, and writes down in a notebook any part of the discussion. In case of more
serious misbehaviour, the teachers’ council is notified in relation to the gravity of the misconduct
and, the child, accompanied by his/her parents, come in front of the disciplinary committee where
the case is presented in all its aspects. The pupil should participate in a counselling programme
provided by the school psychologist. The next step is referral to a specialist for counselling sessions
(family doctor, physiotherapist, etc.).
Monthly or quarterly, the school psychologist decides upon a theme of discussion, which he/she
announces to the parents by a written memo, through their children (e.g. the causes of absenteeism
from school), and invites specialists in the field to join it. However, it happens that even those who
should be concerned are not attending such meetings and it is very difficult for them to accept they
have a problem with their child.
"This year, we have an optional "conflict mediation" series of sessions held by the psychologist.
There has been made up a group of all 3rd graders. I also suggested some parents to send their child
to this group, and I had to act tactfully in order to persuade them to accept." (primary school
teacher)
Although the rules are consistently applied, there is some healthy flexibility in order to help children
with different special needs. For example, diabetic children are allowed to eat during classes and the
children who commute from the country side can use the school cell phone.
D. Teachers - and Their Methods for Inclusion
The pupils enrolled in the L. Rebreanu School have the opportunity to study under qualified teachers/
primary teachers, 62 in all. Out of them, two hold Doctoral studies, 29 hold the didactical
qualification level I, 11 hold the didactical qualification level II, and 12 are permanent certification
teachers. The average number of classes attended by teachers included in the intensive continuous
professional development programmes is 30/ year.
Most of them have a significant experience in teaching, and in L. Rebreanu School: 15 people have
over 30 years seniority in education; 26 people have over 25 years seniority in education; 8 people
are junior teachers; 5 teachers have over 30 years in this school; 9 teachers have under 25 years
seniority in this school, whereas 13 teachers between 3-5 years seniority. "Retention of good staff is
our primary goal. But the article which allowed retention of such people has been removed from
our legislation. "(headmaster)
A critical problem facing the educational system is the ever changing legislation. It was a period of
one-two year roll-out of decentralisation when schools decided upon teacher hiring policies and the
exam selection procedure. Then, step by step, all these opportunities for schools to reach out and
provide a high standard education have been taken away so that now, centralization of the school
system is more acute than before. Should it be possible to take a decision at school management
level, the teachers’ selection and the quality of education would be better:
"I would initiate more projects. I would choose people willing to do good things, able to finish a
project. For example, projects in which all the pupils within a grade could take part in various
creative activities (after classes). I would ask for more practice, acquiring knowledge and expertise
in other forms. "(support teacher)
There is an annual plan of meetings between teachers which is updated at semesters beginning. The
Teachers’ Council is coordinated by the two headmasters. There are also occasional meetings, even
during the big (20 minute longue) school breaks, dealing with issues related to different problems
in school. The meeting can be conducted even by the person who asked for it. "Anyone can ask for
a meeting. We meet more informal than formal. We meet during breaks, we talk to each other, if we
have problems we will solve them together, class masters and teachers; many times, during breaks,
we have joint short meetings, we quickly resolve problems and intervene. The headmaster let us
know when we have joint meetings. "(teacher)
Methodical Councils are held monthly. "Because there are so many classes (pupils), we hold them
separately for grade 1 and 2, we discuss on the basis of pre-set themes, essays, tests, etc. We can
meet whenever we need. It’s all too easy to write down on the blackboard that at a certain hour we
invite 10th graders teachers; we’ll meet even for 10 minutes if we need. As for the methodical area
of Mănăștur, we meet once a month, according to same-grade classrooms (those from 1st, 2nd grades,
...) "(primary school teacher)
The Education Commission is required to convene only when information should be transmitted
from school to the County School Inspectorate or vice versa. The headmasters’ visits to classes are
infrequent as they are increasingly gridlocked with other issues. "When we have complaints from
parents that something is going wrong during classes, then yes, we make visits. We have a special
mention for the junior teachers’ classes. We make them aware of class inspections to accustom them
to observations/ inspections. The parents are also allowed during classes. Once, a classroom had
raised many complaints so that we organised parents into groups of two people each to better attend
classes for three weeks. After the children get acquainted to their presence, they began to act as
usual so there was much more to know about their children's behaviour at school. I've also invited
them to come and watch what is happening during breaks.” (headmaster)
Regular monitoring between colleagues is much appreciated by all who attended the interview. It
is evident the lack of teachers’ professional practice: "My new colleagues are lacking
pedagogical/teaching practice. I use to inspect the education commissions and see the differences
between those who have completed pedagogical high school and the others who have no teaching
experience. They are studying three years of theoretical pedagogy without any practice. "(teacher)
"They [the rookies] know they can come to me anytime should they have something to ask or for
other different problems. These observations are well received, it is a good team. We have other
young colleagues who have been trying for two or three years to get acquainted to our style of
working.” (teacher)
The quality of teachers is appreciated by all respondents as very good, and the good school
institutional culture being even better than in central schools which are considered elite schools:
"The offer is as generous as in central schools; I think that teachers work even more than in some
central schools (I know from my own experience how things are working there, the demands are
very high, but the didactic offer not); I do not think they are reaping huge benefits from sending
their child to this supposedly central school." (teacher)
"The curriculum is the same for everyone, but central schools set up boost plans, that is requiring
and giving more than the educational programme. They have very large claims from parents, and
in turn, they are doing all that is asked of them, but they do not take into account the child's ability,
who becomes depressed or even worse." (teacher)
Teachers make permanent efforts since they are aware of the value of theoretical and practical
knowledge, although "there are many things without immediate application, but they (children) do
not understand that using existing knowledge develops cognitive skills." (teacher)
However, difficulties may also come from parents: “More recently, children say during classes that
‘my father told me not to do my homework because it’s worth nothing for my life." (support teacher)
There are working procedures for low academic performance children. The children's problems
are mainly caused by the educational system/ overloaded curriculum. Each child develops his/her
own pace of learning and the one required by the school programme "is too hard for many children"
(teacher support).
"For example, I have a child with an extraordinary intellect, but who works very slowly. He will
have problems at the new school because they do not know anything about his capacity, he will be
judged compared to the others’ learning pace. "(coordinator teacher)
Most teachers pay attention to the differences between children and try through various methods to
adjust the educational programme to the pupils’ real possibilities. The methods applied in both
teaching and assessments are differentiated for the children who need support in order to reach the
expected results:
"We have initial and final tests and we can monitor each child’s progress. Each child is different. If
the teacher is working individually with a poor learning child, then finally a positive outcome will
follow. Or there are organisations that help them both with homework and learning and so, they
can meet the requirements, even if their capacity is lower than of the others’. "(teacher)
"If every child with learning problems will benefit from support, they even will be able to avoid
grade failure." (teacher)
"I feel the pulse of the classroom; I will stop and will not continue to teach if they do not understand
and do not take into account the educational programme, I have this advantage thanks to my
experience." (teacher)
"Yes, when I evaluate, I take care to use minimum standards for those who have difficulties (I do
not mean those with statements for special curriculum)." (teacher)
"Our problem, at Mathematics and Romanian, is that assessment for passing is performed through
written tests, and there we cannot differentiate them. ... I do not want to lie to them, if I give him/her
a higher grade I will disadvantage him/her because he/she cannot appreciate himself/herself, the
family will know the truth as well."(teacher)
"I give them easier evaluation tests, making it easier for them to get good grades this way, but at
the end of the school year, they get the same test as the others and it is this grade that mirrors reality.
The other children accept this, because it highlights some of the progress that has been made by
that child. "(teacher)
"I design my tests for a medium knowledge level so that all get a 5 grade. I adjust my teaching
method to the pupils' academic level and I often need to return when I find out that some pupils need
further explanation or otherwise ... while others are working on something else."(teacher)
The teachers’ strategy of working with all /or groups of children within a class is strongly used
instead of working individually while the semi-boarding system allows for using individual work,
too. This might be a solution for those children who have no support at home for various reasons
(parents either do not have time or do not know how to help them).
Support teachers are also working with children without SEN statements, provided they have S
(Satisfactory) grade: "I involve in working with children at learning limits; the teachers ask for my
advice about how to work with them.” (support teacher)
There are 57 children with statements of SEN and two support teachers (one support teacher for
primary school and one for secondary school), one speech therapist and one psychologist. The
school is financed on the basis and within the limits of the standard cost per pupil, according to the
number of pupils enrolled. There is an extra percentage added for SEN children and a maximum
number of support teachers (up to 12), even though, in reality, their number is greater.
SEN children benefit from special procedures provided in the speech therapist or support teacher
cabinet but "there are created proper conditions during classes, too; my colleagues accept to work
with them, they adjust themselves to their needs.” (support teacher). In the absence of sufficient
support staff, such services are delivered by support volunteers, but their efficiency level is very low
in this case:
"Support volunteers are good enough but they should work with them, not just stay with them, they
should know the curriculum. If they have only behavioural problems, it might be enough. But they
should best be able to work in a team. Any special need requires someone trained on this matter
because there is no time to learn methods for each type of disability. E.g. there are psychologists
specialised in ADHD, and therefore it's worth working with them to ease our work; using the right
methods allows cutting time. "(school psychologist).
But there are parents who refuse support teachers, psychologists, and speech therapists. "I cannot
compel the parent to anything, because the law does not allow me to (in many cases the law does
not help us to help children)." (headmaster)
The school is also innovative in applying a method designed to help children pass from primary
school to secondary, when a peak dropout is recorded. "We have been practicing a programme for
4th graders that allows primary school children get acquainted with School for such a long time,
before the inspectorate started the programme "I’m passing to the Secondary School". We all teach
to all fourth graders (Romanian and Mathematics) and make double assessments, to check out the
children’s knowledge level from our point of view, too. "(headmaster)
Children with learning difficulties benefit from tutoring sessions. The Christiana Association is
dealing with children who need a second examination. Some of the teachers ask good academic
pupils to help those pupils whose school results are weaker. "I ask good learning pupils to help the
weakest ones, and it came out well. I had a girl who, above all, didn’t hear well, was very weak in
Maths, her grandma told me that they had taken her a tutor, but she still had 1 or 1, 5 as grades (the
minimum possible). And a very good mate helped her for the better and she took an 8 grade ".
(teacher)
The basics of adjusting curriculum to the children’s needs are possible but within the educational
programme limits. Changing the programme is decided in compliance with the methodological
norms elaborated by the Ministry of Education. If manuals are old or outdated, it is possible to
continue teaching without them on the basis of the educational programme. "I’m as flexible as
possible; my ultimate goal is to complete the programme, to receive feedback and at the final
assessment, my pupils have very good results; finally, I can adjust the programme and take into
account the pupils’ level of instruction and their academic performance: if I have very good pupils,
I will raise the bar, if not, I‘ll tame the stuff. "(teacher)
Most teachers believe that family, hereditary factors, school, and environment are the most
important factors in children’s education. "School is on the last place, although we are trying to
correct certain attitudes, values, but family or entourage are important for them. Then comes
genetics, and finally, school. "(teacher) There are some exceptions, namely teachers who believe
that school is the determining factor in children’s successful academic performance since they
spend most of their time in school and parental involvement in their education is becoming weaker.
Inclusion Policy at Institutional Level
The Liviu Rebreanu School has been promoting an assumed inclusion policy for a long time, which
also has become a well-known tradition to the stakeholders.
"We have been the inclusion pilot school through running the programme, ‘The Romanian School
- Inclusive Environment’. Yes, we enrol children with disabilities. We provide them specific
support; and ADHD children are accompanied by their caregivers." (headmaster).
However, the issue of inclusion remains a rather controversial concept: "Inclusion trainings were
very well designed, but unsuccessfully received by the teaching staff. Many of them do not want to
imply more than what is strictly necessary in terms of the subject they teach. "(teacher)
It is really obvious that it is necessary to invest many and varied efforts until everyone involved
in school life (teachers, parents, inspectors, etc.) be truly convinced of the importance and
benefit of what “de facto” inclusion of each child in the school community should be.
"The teachers’ training is very important, special education would help them better understand the
children’s problems. They think that, if we try to integrate a child with lower academic abilities,
we’ll force the issue. Then, they hold them back in grade in order to get rid of them, for example
they give them only 2 non-passing grade on their assignment, leaving them no chance to narrow
the gap. We treat the child as our enemy. Why? They want to demonstrate that he/she cannot succeed
instead of proving he/she can.”
“I am of a certain age and seniority, they cannot stand that much, but if a young woman comes next
year, they’ll do as they wish. If the child has a disability or behaviour disorder, "let him go," "he
disrupts the whole class", "he’s wasting my time", " he’s wasting my energy," "he stops others
learn." (psychologist)
Equitable distribution of students and teachers in classes is an important feature of inclusive
schools, because they offer a real opportunity for each child to be part of any study classes and
eliminates the possibility of selection on various criteria. However, this thing doesn’t happen
because “better achievement” pupils should be given a more challenging environment to get the
results their teachers wish.
"We have outstanding grades, too, a 9.20 average grade in Mathematics at final exam, now I have
an excellent Olympic grade. It was a selection from two grades, I would consider it the best thing
ever; if I want to get good results, I’ll set up grades with the same knowledge level of the children one grade per school would be enough."(teacher).
But the same teacher recognises that children from other grades might very well reach similar
academic performance when working with them without taking into account the "grade level".
“Although I also had a not so good class, I had a national Olympic. It's true that I used the same
methods; it was not relevant for me that a grade is better and the other one worse. If we keep on
having the same demands, they get acquainted from the very beginning, from the 5th grade, get used
to the style, even if they have a start shock. "(teacher)
"I do not agree with sending SEN children in special classes, because the environment is very
important to them. Neither excellence grading has nothing to do in a mainstream school."
(psychologist)
All members of the teaching team consider themselves essential for an inclusive school for the
following reasons: We have in school all sorts of specialists: school speech therapist, support
teacher – this is the reason why parents bring their children here.” (primary school teacher)
The school will require additional classes if the number of children who want to enrol is higher. "We
can honour the requests, even if, for example, we planned only 3 parallel classes and then we needed
4. I have never refused children from of lack of room. People from the surrounding villages of
Salicea and Floresti come to our school, too. If there are children who come from another area, we
will apply specific criteria (i.e. it is considered discrimination on grounds of enrolling our teachers’
children or of former teachers’). "(headmaster)
Preparatory classes are made up of children who come from kindergarten (three groups) keeping as
much as possible the same children in the same grade and according to the parents’ wishes who
prefer a teacher or another. Those who come from other areas are also assigned according to the
parents’ wishes. "Usually, parents inform themselves and then choose the primary school teacher.
Their wish is not compulsory, the Board decides in order to keep a balance in each class (girlsboys, etc.), but it takes into account the parents’ wishes." (teacher)
For the 5th level study, the procedure follows a process which consists of making three 5th grades
from four 4th grades, "we should have 30 children/classroom in compliance with standard costs.
Our salary was cut by 25%, the standard costs as well. We do not have funds for those with doctoral
degree or higher degrees. The city of Cluj has not run out of money to pay, but we have no money
for the bills and other school materials. City Council and Parents’ Association agrees to give money
for the children’s prizes, but not for refurbishments." (headmaster).
The number of enrolled pupils is higher and the school requested help to increase the number of
support teachers. The headmaster took this decision since from four positions they cut off two
although the need grows continuously. "I moved in Mănăștur area [2007], and I wanted to work
here. I made inquiries at the neighbouring schools, but it was here that I found open people and
from them and I found out a support teacher was needed. I made an application, the headmaster
said YES from the very beginning, the School Inspectorate approved, and on 15 September the
headmaster began the meeting saying: ‘we have a support teacher for the secondary school.
Everyone applauded, although they hardly knew at that time what it was about." (support teacher)
The discussions with the management team and teachers reveal that the need of support teachers
should be three times higher. “Out of four positions, they cut two, although the number of children
with learning difficulties is more and more increasing. Those exceeding number of children who
need help and cannot be supported, go to Christiana Association." (teacher support). However, to
work with all children "We need free continuous training." (teacher)
There are different opinions on assigning SEN children in classes:
"I do not agree with separating children with learning disabilities from the other children, but
teachers should be trained better because such cases are more and more increasing and they lack
the skills needed to work effectively with them." (headmaster)
"ADHD children need a permanent programme, it’s not enough to discipline them; if they feel
compelled to do something, maybe it only makes them worse. Should they assign jobs or attendants
for the children who need support; children might be integrated into normal classrooms." (primary
school teacher)
"I work very much on inclusion. Inclusion is better than special school (which is good only for severe
cases), but it depends on the availability of schools and teachers; the truth is that teachers are still
much reluctant, then material resources and other type of resources (offices, support teachers,
specialists like psychologists, special education teachers, etc) are lacking." (psychologist)
"I don’t know how to work with ADHD children at school, you cannot control them, they even have
a support teacher, but still, they disturb the class. Often, neither I nor the support teacher can calm
them down, and then we send them out for a short walk down the hall or in the courtyard."(teacher)
"A child with Down syndrome, if no other combination of disorders is present, can attend normal
classes, but needs a teacher and an attendant who knows this aspect, only a specialist on disabilities
can accompany him/ her and integrate him/her." (support teacher)
"They want things happen right away, now, they rise in outrageous behaviour if they don’t get what
they want, for example, they want a break or to eat their sandwich – at home, they behave differently,
they are aware that they will be punished otherwise.”(teacher)
"They are all different, although they have the same diagnosis, each behaves differently." (support
teacher)
An interdisciplinary teamwork (made up of support teachers, speech therapist, psychologist,
teacher/ primary school teacher) work at the beginning of each school year for children with SEN,
monitor the interventions, and at school end they submit to County Centre for the Educational
Resources and Assistance the folders to confirm whether or not children need special intervention
in the next school year.
Children with low academic performance can benefit from various ways of support and intervention.
Free counselling sessions are effective, "if children come to us and make use of this service"
(headmaster). Children with learning difficulties are inserted in the support programme, even
without their SEN certificate or can benefit from psychological counselling - but there are parents
who oppose it. E.g. a child who stutters needs to be assessed by a speech therapist who will
recommend the treatment programme that is appropriate but his parents forbid him this because they
do not want other kids to know he needs this service.
Indeed, individual cases that have been described as an example in this field show that teachers are
concerned about keeping children in school using different approaches and give them the necessary
support to avoid grade retention. Teachers also differentiate the children depending on the reasons
why they are repeaters. Some children might have been ill, so they did not get a chance to learn
everything they needed to learn, others “repeat the school year because they are having trouble with
the work, not because they cannot, they do not want to learn". (teacher)
In the case of grade retention, "Our policy is to keep them in school and to work with them; the
parents know this and let them come here to study. As for central schools, children are told to go to
other schools. "(teacher). Generally, they stay in school and are redistributed to other classes.
“Grade repeaters are given priority for support, in fact this stigma should be removed, they should
be counselled and repeat the subject, if they have deficit or limit intellect, they should repeat the
subject.”(support teacher).
"Sometimes we work in a team (parents, teachers, pupils) with retained pupils and if they have
the necessary capacity, they will overcome this situation and will recover." (psychologist)
There are very few cases of grade retention in primary school as "we support after school
programme and finally, they manage to get a Sufficient grade. We help them pass the grade,
especially if grade retention is caused by absenteeism or social reasons; teachers are supported to
help children pass the grade. "(teacher)". “We ask them to come over the summer to solve the
knowledge gap and pass to next grade." (primary school teacher)
In some cases, parents decide otherwise: "Now, I have a girl who had a second exam, her parents
scared and moved her to the sports school saying that she needs no Maths, although I asked her to
be patient and see how she will develop in time." (teacher)
But there is no unanimity regarding the teachers’ opinion on grade retention since there are teachers
who oppose keeping such children in school:
"For some children, grade retention is useful, they are progressing, but for most of them it’s not
effective." (teacher)
"For a child, who repeated grades several times, I asked transfer to another school and there, he
was able to pass the grade." (teacher)
"I don’t think it is possible to integrate serious cases into mainstream school because they need
other services, medical or physical therapy services, art therapy, music therapy, but mainstream
school cannot provide it." (psychologist)
"A child should have alternatives more quickly [instead of repeating the grade two times], in order
to perform the tasks of a particular job, to develop some skills that will be really useful for him/her."
(support teacher)
The parent is the one who ultimately decides whether the child goes to another school, the school
proposes only. There are cases where teachers very strongly oppose to remaining in school. "But
even if the parent opposes to moving away, he/she will be constrained (low grades, low grades for
bad behaviour)." (psychologist)
Moving pupils from one class to another is a process used especially when conduct disorder or
adjustment problems occur. Primary school teachers are able to work with these children, but for
higher grades, the class master/ teachers tend to ask for moving or, in some cases, even the child’s
parents are asking this.
"Yes, I asked for moving some time ago, he was in the 8th grade, a grade repeater, a small clown
during classes who moved away into a more tolerant environment. If one student disturbs and
destroys everything around, I will not tolerate this, he/ she should stand still, at least. "(teacher)
"There were a couple of situations, meaning that the pressure was too great for him, he was
frustrated, and the second case of behaviour disorder." (teacher)
"No, I did not ask for such a thing, it seems natural to do everything as a teacher or class master to
help children in your class. But there are more special cases. We had a little Roma girl, who was
complaining all the time that her mates did not play with her, that they called her gypsy, but
eventually it was her fault, she stood aside. Her mates were really nice; they went to her house to
give her homework when she missed classes. Then she repeated the grade and together with a friend
of hers, also Roma, left for the Second Chance programme. "(teacher)
The requirement to move children to another school occurs particularly when it is considered that
everything possible was made to help them overcome problems and adjust to academic
requirements, and nothing worked. "I personally have not proposed, I went ahead – only for a pupil
who repeated grade 6 and 7 - I worked with him before he left. I got to see how he was doing during
classes, I knew his IQ was lower and theoretically, he could not acquire anything, but being a
courteous and helpful child, I thought a well-chosen job would be the best thing for him. He moved
away to SAMUS (a high school for children with disabilities). I demand this thing only if the new
school has sufficient support elements and our school can no longer help the child.” (psychologist)
"For SEN children who cannot cope with our support either, I propose moving away to a special
school or if they have special aptitudes for sports or anything else, I’ll guide them to another school"
(support teacher)
"Yeah, I asked for moving away, but they did not accept. It was an emotional issue, but because of
the great number of pupils and not wishing to set a precedent, the case was not accepted. Eventually,
I counselled him, the class, and the parents, and he finished the 8th grade in our school.
“(psychologist)
There are also special cases where even parents withdraw their children from a more competitive
school environment and move them to the special school.
"I had a case where the child was withdrawn from school because his father could not deal on with
him at home. He stayed home for a year, and then his father enrolled him in a special school,
although he had capacity to learn." (support teacher)
One reasonable argument seems to be moving primary school pupils if they change domicile and
live fare away from the school: "The only reason I propose this thing is in the best interest of the
child. I have noticed over time that the best thing for them is to be closer to the school. They can
learn anywhere, especially if parents are also interested in. "(primary school teacher)
E. Students in the focus
The majority of the pupils in this school come from families with average financial situation to poor.
This is an advantage and disadvantage at the same time: "... I was a teacher at a central school and
I can tell the difference: it is about the same as between a child living in the country and a child
living in the city. Those in the country have more sense. And there are not so many disciplinary
issues that often can arise because of good material situation."(headmaster)
Teachers appreciate that the greatest majority accepts the rules and that poor or SEN children are
well integrated. "Only one pupil who has Asperger syndrome is more isolated, but I have counselled
the other children and they accepted him." (psychologist)
Most of the teachers bring their children to this school, because they trust that the education given
here will assure the best bases to access a “strong” high school. On the other hand, "children know
from the very beginning (they are told this) that it is a high standards school; pupils benefit from
good teachers, they can tailor their skills and knowledge to a degree that places them at least at an
average School level pupil. Each pupil has the chance to be bright because it is a small school; they
also have the opportunity of taking part in the school Olympics. However, good pupils take an
advantage because it is still used frontal instruction which gives advantages to those who perform
better. "(psychologist)
A shortcoming of the school is the insufficient school equipment/human resource; 90 children
wanted to attend computer courses but there was only one teacher for one group of children. The
others were reassigned to other optional subjects, although their parents asked for IT courses. Then,
"We have no connection to internet and not enough computers to make classes more interesting."
(teacher)
The curriculum is overloaded and many parents cannot/ do not have time to deal with them. But
"the children's major difficulties are linked to their parents, their poor education, because this is
the source of everything that is both their material hardship and lack of interest in school." (teacher)
"The family does not develop productive family-school relationships, most of them are from
Mănăștur area which doesn’t interfere with intellectuals, but nevertheless they are modest parents
who want their children to go to school and to overcome their condition. Also, many parents left the
country to get a job and children are raised by grandparents. "(teacher)
"Generally, learning motivation is weak: they come to me and ask me what’s the use of learning
when those who have more money have no education and managed though." (teacher)
"They’re not really interested in knowledge; the youngest ones are still filled with curiosity, but from
the sixth grade on, things change. They are interested in movies, fashion – they are open to
knowledge but not to what they should learn. "(teacher)
Still, the discussions during focus-groups sessions and the children’s drawings approach
demonstrate that they love going to school: "They like school because they like to stay with their
classmates; they don’t like to go out during breaks or they are boring during some classes or some
teachers are demanding too much of them, but overall, I have the feeling that I come with quite a
lot of pleasure at school. (teacher)
"They feel safe in our school; then, enjoy the opportunity to organise various afternoon activities
(dancing, handball, volleyball, etc.) (support teacher)
How I feel in the school (Cum mă simt eu la școală)
How should school balance work more to encourage and motivate pupils to learn? "Neither success
nor positive issues, nor overcoming the toughest moments, nor taking a step ahead are celebrated
enough”. (support teacher)
This happens occasionally only, in collaboration with NGOs. Thanks to the IMPACT Club, they
made a crosswalk, set up the school hall, and now want to place benches in the schoolyard: they
won grants/ money to support their projects. Or they organised a charity fundraising dance event
to help children from other schools.” (headmaster)
The children’s diversity and needs are tremendous: 57 children have Special Educational Needs
Certificate, 20 children live in single parent families, 10 are in the care of their grandparents, and 13
have social grants. In addition, the parents’ education is rather average: 5.66% have 8 grades or
less, 50.3% have secondary education, and 44%, higher education (at least one of them).
The pupils achieved an average of 8.52 at their national assessment. The qualifications are:
in Romanian language and literature, all the pupils achieved passing grades over 5 (44% got grades
from 9 to 9.99, and three pupils got 10), in Mathematics, 97.33% achieved passing grades over 5
(33.33% got grades from 9 to 9.99 and thirteen pupils got 10). This school year, two pupils got an
average of 10 in both subjects, the highest passing grade. The school results are very good, given
the 12th school rank among the schools in Cluj County.
8 children have to repeat the class and 39 had to go to the autumn re-examination.
The children's achievements and diplomas are valued, celebrated; the diplomas are displayed in their
school hall:
F. Pupils and Teachers (Pupils – Teachers Relationship)
Generally, teachers are satisfied with their pupils’ efforts to meet such a demanding curriculum.
Otherwise, they consider it too overloaded and focused mainly on theory and accumulation of
knowledge, which highly complicates the application of a much more interactive methodology. This
burden falls entirely on their shoulders and therefore, they need more time to prepare for teaching.
Now, most children have access to computer and internet and are interested in different information/
knowledge than those that are offered in school textbooks. To ensure/ maintain their motivation for
learning, teachers have to adapt and make efforts in this area:
"Sometimes I ignore those parts of lessons that are not necessary for evaluation and insert topics
that are most interesting to them." (teacher)
"It is a great desire for knowledge and often not necessarily for what we offer them. I am often
surprised by what they provide us as knowledgeable which differs from the curriculum. This is a
real chasm; it is a system problem, not of the school.” (teacher)
Teachers are aware of their role in motivating the pupils:
"I try to present the subject differently, to make analogies, to use other methods and other
information, if I teach empirical, I’ll use other strategies. We seek the causes and effects together.
There are teachers who allow me to do so even during their classes, I may intervene, I can warn
them when there are more children who don’t understand. Those who know me well, agree to give
them an idea."(support teacher)
"The difference between grades 1-4 and 5 is enormous, it is a difference of curriculum, and teachers
have no guilt. Especially in Maths. I only want them know basic operations, the rest is no problem
to me, I can handle it. The problem is that they come with a gap of knowledge, and I’m really
shocked. My 5th grader whose parent works in the IT field doesn’t know simple subtraction. He feels
shy, scared, his fear comes from ignorance.” (teacher)
"I try to make transition as smooth as possible, to go from simple to more complex, I repeat all the
time with them to fix their knowledge. I stop when they don’t understand something, I repeat until
they understand - the truth is that few teachers do this, they usually go on, they are not interested
in.” (teacher)
"Yes, my pupils do what I’m asking them to do, but not from fear in any case, I’m not the boogeyman
teacher nor do I conduct evaluation “in front of the blackboard”, but I use minute tests/ limited
response tests or short-answer quizzes, so I don’t let them know they receive grades and so, they
are not distressed.” (teacher)
"Pupils will be attentive if you know how to tell them interesting things, how to hold their interest,
make time pass quickly for them, and put them in different work situations; it matters how you create
and maintain an effective learning environment in the classroom, use different exercises. If you can
put yourself in his/her situation, he/she will listen to you.” (teacher)
Each of the interviewed teachers had positive experiences with "weaker"/ learning disabled pupils,
that they were able to overcome the difficulties in school life. However, none of the teachers has
assigned their determinant role in their children's success:
"I had a student in the 5th grade who got a 9 to an optional subject, but in the 7-8 grades he only
got low grades. He was very eager to enrol in a good school, he had a mind good for Maths, worked
hard to get a good grade at Romanian and finally, he managed. He comes from a modest family, his
parents work hard, and he wants to make serious money.” (teacher)
"... a little girl not good at Maths, very playful, during my first years of teaching; she is now a social
worker at the Faculty of Mathematics. She was very ambitious and worked hard." (teacher)
"I had a girl from a Roma family. She was low achieving in Maths, repeated a grade during
secondary school besides, but she finally graduated from tailoring vocational school, then she
finished high school and later on I found out she was head of a tailoring unit in a company.”
(teacher)
"There are also children with cognitive and family problems who can manage very well in life, for
example, a former pupil of mine who finished the plumbing trade school and now he’s making a lot
of money, I can tell.” (teacher)
"I had a pupil who was not extraordinary either at Romanian or Biology and now she’s a successful
physician, who, while in the 7th grade, discovered Biology and ancient Egypt, then drawing. Now
she’s a physician and painter as well.” (teacher)
"... there are children who, when taken out of the classroom environment where they feel stressed,
come here and I realise that their knowledge level is by far higher than it might be assumed following
the grades they got. With some help, they might show what they really know; they can be more
successful than they really are. "(psychologist)
"... Autistic children, who after accumulating knowledge in time cannot demonstrate this; you work
very hard with them and see no results but at some point they show everything they know." (support
teacher)
"Those who experience very low grades but work hard might, at a given time, show the progress
they made; or those with gaps in their knowledge or family problems who work hard and go from
Insufficient to Satisfactory or even to Well grades.” (support teacher)
Traditionally, this school focuses on building relationships of trust and support between
teachers and pupils. Even those teachers who are overloaded or feel unprepared to address various
issues they want to be closer to pupils and more efficient in their effort to help them:
"If it were me, I would consider I need a psychologist, specialists to help me; I have problems with
my class, very serious indeed, there are children who smoke, use drugs, and I found this by accident,
while attending a class about drug prevention, I realised this from their questions that they are using
drugs.” (teacher)
"I have two grade repeaters who drink, smoke, use drugs, even one of the parents called me and
told me - I am glad he trusts me and tells me this. I want to help them.” (teacher)
"It happened as a low grader to ask me, by the end line of his test paper, not to say his grade in front
of the classroom, and so I did. I am very careful not to ridicule them in front of the others, and they
feel that I care about them. In this way, even if they have to repeat the grade, they will not be angry
with me and come to me with love even after years and years. You must treat them equally and let
them feel that you care about them, even if you set firm limits effectively.” (teacher)
Everybody is concerned about the pupils’ social and family problems, not just the class masters. The
school psychologist, headmaster or the Parents’ Committees are most likely to intervene according
to what support would be more appropriate. And, certainly, there is some ground institutional policy
related to active involvement and a positive sense of efficacy for helping children succeed and caring
for their difficult situations:
"I don’t have an individual role, we are teamwork. The one that observes behaviour problems or
low grades decrease, informs us, then I try to find out what it is known about his/her situation,
without asking embarrassing questions. Then, I guide them to a psychologist for conflict mediation.”
(teacher)
"... we solve the problem through our Parents’ Committee, or often it’s enough to contact one parent
only who can help." (teacher)
"Our headmaster knows all these cases, we inform her about these issues." (teacher)
"For those with financial hardship, parents organise themselves and buy them what they need
(books, trips)." (teacher)
"It’s so hard to make a team: some children are socially withdrawn, isolated or have family
problems, their mates do observe this and so we do: they do not sit in rows with others at all or
stand-alone during breaks, we should intervene and talk individually with them. We have a board
in the classroom with cheerful, excited, angry, and upset emoticons, and when they come to school,
put their name under one of them. When I see boredom or sadness, I ask them what it is about and
they tell me their problems. It is very important for them that I observe their changes and their
problems.” (primary teacher)
"... they know that I’m both their ally and friend, that they can tell me even their family issues. They
write on the blackboard ‘We love you’ or other examples of the kind. There is a healthy bond
throughout my 3rd grade, I only glance at them and they know they were wrong.” (primary teacher)
In their turn, pupils show their desire to work more in groups, on various projects, and
appreciate those teachers who engage in such activities, for example the "we love eating" project
(see the focus group with pupils):
The teachers hold the same opinion about the most important factors that influence the pupils’
learning process. They believe that the family has a decisive role, even if the school has the leading
role in the educational process.
Most of the interviewed teachers assume their important role in knowing and identifying the
children’s and families’ social problems. They have set up counselling sessions with the families;
the class masters, support teachers, the psychologist and speech therapist, even the headmaster play
a substantial role and are most asked for taking action in such services. The value of this school lies
primarily in its flexibility and openness; if parents have problems, they will always and anytime ask
the school staff for support.
"They document themselves better and better, they know that here we’re working with children with
special needs or learning difficulties, and then, they are even asking for that (to work with pupils
with statement of SEN)."
G. Parents – Community - School Relationship
There is an agreement between each parent and the school that contains the Internal School Rules
in compliance with the law. This regulation was read and commented at the meeting in the beginning
of the semester in each grade and parents have agreed and accepted these rules.
"There are parents who would transfer full responsibility on school education. Therefore, this
partnership agreement governing cooperation between school and parents is very useful, so
everybody knows what to do.” (primary teacher)
"The relationship might be better, especially on behalf of the parents. The Partnership Agreement
is a 5 year tradition in our school, this is the way I have been working with them for such a long
time; we sign this agreement every year, but many of them don’t read it. Now, we signed and
processed the new regulation.”
“There were good initiatives, too, grandparents came to play chess or other games with the pupils
or other common grandparents – pupils activities. Generally, class masters organise the activities,
trips, picnics. "(headmaster)
Regular meetings with parents are held at least two times per semester, but in reality, more often.
The meetings are announced through the pupils’ cards. Generally, mothers are those who respond
to the invitation and they are the ones who are more involved in their child's education. Besides
meetings "at school year beginning, we set up our teachers’ audience timetable; the other problems,
the administrative ones, are discussed during the parents’ meetings.” (teacher). "It even happens
that parents stand in line for an audience to the class master." (headmaster)
Teachers consider that building parental involvement is very important, when parents get involved,
children do better in school; if missing, usually behavioural problems occur, especially in high
graders, during secondary school.
In primary schools, the parents’ presence at meetings or other activities is more frequent, but in time,
they gradually lose their interest, which is also the cause of lower impact in creating a positive school
climate open to community, desired by teachers and parents alike. "If they come to see their
progress/ regress, children will overcome difficulties." (teacher)
All respondents think that good communication between parents and teachers has many benefits.
Some work more and try various methods to attract parents to school: "We set up a group but it does
not work." (teacher); "I organise extracurricular activities, e.g. going sledding, to movies, camping.
I have nine new children in my grade (they come from a grade that fell apart because there were
too few pupils) and organised a two days trip for them, in the mountains. We organised specific
activities there to improve group dynamics. Some of them are more difficult to integrate.” (teacher)
Other teachers organise picnics, pizza-parties, etc. “We ask them to take part in various activities,
especially in the week ‘a different school’, when they are happy to get involved. I have prepared a
questionnaire for children and parents for this purpose, to see how they want to participate in this
event.” (teacher)
Another method would be to set up a permanent "school for parents". The school psychologist
developed such an activity by announcing the themes in time, a successful way about getting parents
involved: "I propose the topics; some of them are imposed by the County Centre for the Educational
Resources and Assistance (for example child development stages, school guidance, going to
secondary, etc.). I discussed with parents about school violence, ADHD, oppositional defiant
disorder in adolescents, etc. Always the same parents come to school, those who, anyway, involve
in their children's education at home, too, those who don’t do this usually don’t come. "
The school also allows parental visits during lessons, but many parents do not use this opportunity.
"In the past years, we were open to parental visits during lessons, most of those who came were not
necessarily among those who had problems but they had the curiosity to come." (teacher)
"In our school, parents can stay during lessons, they are really invited to attend and see how their
children are doing during lessons." (support teacher)
The Pupils’ Portofolio is also a good method for parents to get optimal information about their
children’s work and performance in school. "The portfolio is set up by the primary school teacher;
it’s a folder with sheets, the most representative works, and drawings. We have a day when parents
can view these files, in fact, all the children’s files. The children put their works in the portfolio and
at school end, they take it home. Test papers and grades are not included in it. The narrative
description of child was formerly compulsory, now, it’s no longer required. We receive such a
description from the kindergarten. The portfolio has no predetermined structure; we’re trying to
make it look good. "(support teacher)
We asked the interviewed people tell us also "what does influence the school and parents
relationship?"
"Mutual respect is crucial for good relationships between us." (teacher)
"The parents' level of education has the most powerful influence. The parents’ children from the
schools on the outskirts are not interested in education. They say "well, then, we know how to
educate our kids, no one should tell us." (support teacher)
"It's hard to make them participate more often in school life, since those who abuse them at home,
beat their children or are violent don’t contact us for fear of being discovered or because they don’t
accept the idea that they aren’t able to educate their children properly. They say that without a good
spanking a week they can’t cope with their kid." (psychologist)
They are trying as much as possible to respect each parent’s dignity and privacy: "It’s only when we
need the parents’ votes on behaviour and sanctions affecting the class or more children that we
discuss about the children’s individual problem behaviours. Otherwise, we discuss issues in
particular.” (teacher)
There is a good school - community relationship:
"We work well with the local Police, Gendarmerie – they yearly organise useful themed activities
with children such as preventing juvenile delinquency. We also work well with nongovernmental
organisations such as Preventis (smoking, alcohol, drugs prevention), Caritas (day-care centre for
underprivileged children), New Horizons, and Impact Club. We have a continuous collaboration
with the church of Mănăștur area (drama sketches and songs for Christmas and Easter).
”We have projects in collaboration with the City Hall. Training sessions and some projects are
supported by the University and County School Inspectorate, and everybody who wants, can
participate. "(headmaster)
H. Conclusions
1. The Atmosphere of the L. Rebreanu School demonstrates that the transformation into a real
inclusive school requires much time and determination, especially on behalf of the
management team. In regard of this, the school has a long tradition inherited from the headmaster
before the current leadership and greatly appreciated by the present headmaster who believes that
this long experience determined the present leadership style.
"Our school had a very good headmaster, who imposed discipline, responsibility, and seriousness,
and this atmosphere was carried on by our headmaster, who, in her turn, was also in school under
the guidance of the former headmaster." (teacher )
2. In order to operate autonomously and in an "inclusive" way, schools also need changes in the
current legislation: "The main problem is about those who are making the law in the Ministry of
Education. Both curriculum and manuals are made by people who had no affiliation to school and
teaching. There are also huge differences between school inspectors who used to work in education,
especially in neighbourhood schools, who know reality, and when they get their position they know
what steps to take because they knew how schools were working, and the other kind of inspectors
who have no practical experience. "
3. In order to accept inclusion and have motivation, use appropriate knowledge and methods to put
into practice inclusive education, teachers’ formation should focus on initial and permanent
training.
4. In order to become a real open, democratic, and transparent school, it is necessary to intensify
local lobbying and advocacy activities so that local authorities support this effort. Currently,
School Councils, that should function as real framework for the involvement of parents, pupils,
local authorities and community, are rather more formal, without any real impact.
All the interviewed teachers affirm that they are members of an inclusive school since:
"Our school demonstrated over time that we enrolled pupils without refusing attendance to anyone;
it offered a chance to everyone, unlike other schools that refused them from the very beginning.
Change is sometimes needed, an adjustment maybe, but staff is rather asked to change their
methods, moving to a new vision for the whole school learning, serving each pupil. Our school is
well-known in Cluj for integrating SEN children. We have professionals: speech therapist, support
teachers, etc. – a good reason for parents to bring their children here.” (primary teacher)
"We are open to all children who come to our school. There is a pupil who is a wheelchair user, we
moved his classroom downstairs and built a ramp designed to improve his access into school – he
is in the 3rd grade. His mates take him out during breaks and he integrated very well. We also have
short-sighted children who sit near the front desks and the tall ones on the side desks.“(support
teacher)
"Because we really try to integrate children; It was already an inclusive school when I came here;
now, we’re trying to give a chance to everyone.” (teacher)
"Some of the teachers are against integrating ‘children with problems; sometimes they oppose and
speak directly with the management team, but they finally must accept working with these children
and realise they can help and work with them as it is.” (teacher)
"Tradition: the headmaster’s and class masters’ acceptance of children who are different. We had
a support teacher who coordinated school inclusion in Cluj." (psychologist)
“All teachers and support teachers are treating all children equally. They give them equal
opportunities and support teachers deal with poor school performance children; parents of autistic
children bombarded us because after enrolling the first child, the others came to us with confidence.
They spread the word, and now, they’re coming to us.” (teacher)
"We have all kinds of children, we have autistic children who integrated very well - we have tolerant
children that help a lot each other – actually, it depends on us, if they see that we are tolerant, they’ll
behave the same, too." (teacher)