Symposium Breaking Roma Children’s Silences: Findings of the SEDRIN and TERNO Project This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

To sum up: by Focusing on Education It appears that the reasons that many Roma families withdraw their children from school often has less to do with not wanting their children to receive school education and out of school circumstances (financial/living/work circumstances, cultural aspects, etc) and far more to do with concerns about the school institution itself.

Sum up: by Focusing on Education Roma children are subjected to racial repression, discrimination and overt institutional racism Teachers underestimate this rather than recognising its impact including the more obvious one -the interrupted attendance at school- may have had on creating gaps in pupils’ learning as well as on Roma children’s sense of identity and belonging. Roma children are still subjected to many European education systems that are unresponsive to, or even repressing of, their culture, and that schools still face major difficulties in adopting an inclusive ethos that promotes cultural diversity.

Sum up: by Focusing on Education The schools fail to establish anti-bullying and anti- racism practices. Thus many Roma parents may not desire their children to attend the school due to peers’ -and sometimes teachers’- racist behaviour, due to safety reasons, and due to lack of support from the school staff. Due to their positioning, Roma do not enjoy the same rights as other children and they are not regarded as full citizens in the school environment.

What to do then? Some current local and European initiatives send a positive and promising message Schools are doing better in some places than others However, we need to find ways in which Roma children can be included as full citizens in schools, particularly in relation to their marginalised position in society The existence and implementation of coherent equality policies (particularly for tackling racism and bullying), a strong leadership ethos (Deuchar & Bhopal, 2013), as well as an inclusive curriculum that makes Roma children and their culture feel valued appear to be significant in increasing positive attitudes towards Roma (Symeou, Luciak, & Gobbo, 2009, Crozier, et al, 2009).