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| Traveller education services in local authorities
provide provide support and advice for Traveller communities
and in-class support for schools with Traveller children.
Contact your local authority to find out about provision
for Travellers in your area. According to official statisitcs in 2007, there are over 8,000 children of traveller heritage in the school system. They are the worst performing ethnic group in Britain with 3.9% acheiving five top GSCE passes including English and maths in 2006. Local authorities with high numbers of Traveller children in schools can qualify for additional money from the Vulnerable Children's Grant. |
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Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Gypsy Traveller
Pupils (2003)
DfES guidance for schools on good practice in educational
support for children from Traveller families, available
from www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities
Research
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The Times has reported that the academic performance of Irish Traveller and Roma pupils has decreased over the past five years. The Bow Group study shows that pupils in these groups achieving five A*-C grades at GCSE has fallen dramatically, despite a national programme to support Traveller children launched in 2006. Irish Traveller pupils who achieved the highest marks fell from 41.6% in 2003 (Roma 23.2%) to 15.6% in 2007 (Roma 14%), with the proportion of those achieving five good GCSE including maths and English at 8.4% (Roma 7%).
(The Times, 17 December 2007)
The TES reported that Scotland's Traveller children will benefit from school-based education more than ever, thanks to A Curriculum for Excellence (ACE). People working with Traveller children on a daily basis believe the curriculum will make school more relevant, and there are some signs of a new willingness for children to go on to secondary school. This is a huge step forward, as formal education for Travellers often stops after primary school due to parents fears that their children will be bullied and assimilated into another way of life. The flexibilty of the curriculum meant that skills common to Traveller communities could be applied to the four 'capacities' of ACE. One worker said: "Acknowledgement of Travellers skills might counter negative feelings about not being on a par in literacy and numeracy."
(TESS, 28 September 2007)
The Society of Chief Librarians has agreed that: "Children
and young people who are Travellers, looked-after, refugees
or asylum-seekers - and their parents or carers - can return
library materials to any library in the UK (also without any
overdue charges being made), and that the library will then
make arrangements to return the items to the originating library
free-of-charge."
This ground-breaking decision removing one of the barriers
to use of libraries by people who are on the move came about
through collaboration between ASCEL, The Network, YASP and
SCL, following the raising of this issue by a number of library
services.
(The Network press release, January 2006)
A five-year investigation into the schooling of Traveller
children has shed new light on the factors behind their chronic
underachievement and high drop-out rate. Ofsted has described
Traveller pupils as the group most at risk in the English
education system, and has estimated that 12,000 secondary-aged
teenagers are not enrolled at a school.
Its concerns are borne out by the study, conducted by Chris
Derrington of Northampton University and Sally Kendall of
the National Foundation for Educational Research.
They tracked 44 Traveller children from the age of 11 to
16 and found that only three of them (7 per cent) achieved
five or more A*-C GCSEs this summer (the national average
was 61 per cent). In total, 10 of the 44 gained five or more
A*-G GCSEs (23 per cent, compared with a national average
of 98 per cent).
However, the overall achievement rates for the teenagers
are almost certainly worse than even these disappointing figures
because most of the young people tracked by the study team
were living either on official sites or in houses and had
good primary-school attendance records.
The researchers, who presented their findings at the European
Conference on Educational Research, said only 13 of the 44
had completed key stage 4. The other 31 youngsters had dropped
out for a range of reasons.
More than half the parents expected their children to fulfil
traditional, gender-based roles in adult life. These parents
assumed their sons and daughters would leave school by the
age of 14. One girl, who was still 12 at the time, told the
researchers: "Next year, I'll be at home learning how
to clean up... helping my mum. We don't really get jobs. We
usually stay at home until we're 18 or 19 and then get married
and be a housewife."
(TES, 16 September 2005)
At least half of all Traveller children drop out of school
between key stages 1 and 4, says a report on ethnic minority
pupils. The report, published by the Department for Education
and Skills, also found high exclusion rates among Traveller
children in general and revealed that in 2002/3, children
of Irish heritage were more likely to be permanently excluded
than any other group.
It also draws attention to the difficulties faced by Black
children at school. Black Caribbean and other Black boys were
twice as likely as White British boys to be categorised as
having behavioural, emotional or social difficulty. www.standards.dfes.gov.uk
(Children Now, 10 February 2005)
New statistics released by the Department for Education and
Skills show 64% of travellers of Irish heritage and 54.8% of
Gypsy/Roma heritage are eligible for free school meals at primary
school, a much higher proportion than any other ethnic group.
The national average in England is 18.3%
(www.dfes.gov.uk, October 2004)
The inflexibility of secondary school curricula is one of the
reasons why young people from Traveller and Gypsy backgrounds
are failing in education, a study by the University of Derby
said in March 2004.
The study, carried out by student Paul Harman, found that the
number of young Traveller people in education dropped radically
in the transfer from primary schools to secondary schools. Only
one in five Traveller children moved on to secondary school,
despite a 95% attendance at primary level.
"All children should be given the opportunity for education,
but it needs to be made suitable for them," said Harman.
"Traveller families tend to value the need for reading
and writing skills but after the age of 11 they expect their
children to start working with the family business. Having more
vocational courses for young people in schools would help them
see the benefit, as well as a liaison officer based in schools
who understands their culture."
(Young People Now, 31 March 2004)
Link:
Find out more about this study by visiting www.derby.ac.uk/press-office/newslist.asp?ID=522
An Ofsted report on provision for Traveller children in schools
makes shocking reading. It documents bricks being thrown at
the caravans of Traveller families and Traveller children
who have been refused service in shops. It talks of "deep-seated"
prejudice against the Traveller community, and the inhibitive
effect this is having on their education.
There are now 12,000 Traveller children not registered in
school out of an estimated school-age population of 60-70,000;
attendance rate for Traveller children is the lowest of any
ethnicity at 75%; and Traveller children have the lowest levels
of achievement of any ethnic group.
"The vast majority of Traveller pupils linger on the
periphery of the education system. The situation has persisted
for too long and the alarm bells rung in earlier reports have
yet to be heeded," the report says.
Lorna Daymond, head of the local Travellers Education Service
(TES) in Norfolk, is not shocked. "They are talking about
10-12,000 Traveller children out of school as if it's a surprise.
We knew that in 1966, what's new?"
Practically every local authority now has a TES. They are
at the heart of the battle to get Traveller children into
school.
But the issue isn't just about mobility. The curriculum is
neither appealing to young Traveller children, nor flexible
enough. "There are real similarities with black Caribbean
boys," says Daymond. "There is a feeling that what
they are being taught doesn't reflect their lives - when they're
looking at images they are thinking, 'where am I in here,
where do I fit in?' The child is left asking what this has
to do with them."
(The Guardian, 9 December 2003)
Schools should be advocates for Gypsy and Traveller children
while at the same time "upholding the integrity of the
family" according to new guidance launched in January
2003 by Cathy Jamieson, Scotland's education minister. The
guidance also calls on local authorities to be more innovative
in their approaches and to reserve short-term pre-school places
"with rapid access arrangements".
The guidance, Inclusive Educational Approaches for Gypsies
and Travellers, was produced by the Scottish Traveller
Education Programme (STEP) supported by the Association of
Directors of Education in Scotland, Glasgow and Edinburgh
Universities and Learning and Teaching Scotland.
It is available at www.scottishtravellered.net/resources/publications.html
(TESS, 24 January 2003)
Advisory Council for the Education
of Romany and other Travellers (ACERT)
ACERT works with Gypsies and Travellers and concerned organisations
towards equal access for Gypsies and Travellers to safe and
secure accommodation, education, health and other community
services.
Contact: ACERT, Moot House, The Stow, Harlow, Essex CM20 3AG
European Federation for the Education
of the Children of Occupational Travellers (EFECOT)
EFECOT promotes educational opportunities for the children
of circus, fairground, bargee and seasonal worker communities.
Contact: 6 Rue de la Limite, B-1210 Brussels. Tel: 022 227
40 64
Gypsy Research Centre
The Gypsy Research Centre produces Interface, an information
newsletter about Gypsy/Traveller issues across Europe. It
is published in English, French and Spanish.
Contact: Centres de recherches tsiganes, Universite Rene Descartes,
Paris Cedex 06, France
National Association of Gypsy Women
Contact: Meadow View, Goldsmith Drive, Rayleigh, Essex SS6
9R5 Tel/Fax: 01268 782 792
National Association of Teachers of
Travellers (NATT)
NATT works to improve continuity of educational support for
Traveller children in the UK and is a founder member of EFECOT
(see above).
Contact: NATT, Traveller Education Service, 16 Carlyon Road,
St Austell PL25 4AJ Tel/Fax: 01726 77113 Email: gharrisonwhite@cornwall.gov.uk
Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP)
Contact: Educational Studies, The University of Edinburgh,
2.5 Charteris Land, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ Tel:
0131 651 6444 Fax: 0131 651 6511 Email: step@education.ed.ac.uk
or visit www.scottishtravellered.net
A project has been launched to preserve the endangered
language and culture of one of the world's most marginalised
and maligned populations. Romany is spoken by small groups in
42 European countries but since it has a largely oral tradition
and those conversant in it are stateless and scattered, it has
been driven to the brink of extinction, appearing on a list
published by the University of Manchester of the world's most
threatened languages.
The university is now transcribing the many Romany dialects
for the first time, and has launched a website allowing people
to locate different dialects on a world map and listen to examples
of them. It is hoped this will help the Romany people to codify
their language and agree on how words are spelt, as well as
provide a resource ensuring the language is eventually included
in mainstream media and school curriculum.
Professor Yaron Matras, head of the Romany linguistics project
at Manchester, said: "We also hope it will inspire governments
across Europe to develop policy in educational and cultural
development."
Many Romany lack access to computers, but those with access
have discovered that they may communicate with compatriots as
far apart as Norway and eastern Russia. Chatrooms for speakers
of the language are beginning to flourish.
Analysis of the Romany language has shown that it is closely
related to those spoken in northern India, Punjabi in particular,
which is a reflection of the people's geographical origin. Loaned
words also make it possible to trace the pattern of their migration
west and some of these remain in common parlance, including
posh, pal, lollipop and slang words such as shiv or chive (knife)
and cooshtie (good).
The website for the project is www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/research/projects/romani
(Independent, 30 January 2006)
The first book in a series aiming to encourage Traveller children
of primary school age to read was published in April 2003.
It features colourful photographs and descriptions of traditional
wagons, barges and modern caravans, which are compared with
the houses and flats of non-Travellers.
Houses and Homes, published by the Derbyshire Gypsy
Liaison Group, is the first of a planned 100-plus books, aimed
at children in key stages 1, 2 and 3. Series editor Robert
Dawson said, "Lack of literacy is still often used as
a weapon against Travellers, knowing that older ones, especially,
cannot read or understand official documents."
Traveller Education Services, which operate throughout the
UK and Northern Ireland, were asked to submit ideas on topics
of particular interest to Traveller children. Mr Dawson said
that, by April 2003, more than 30 education services had made
suggestions for forthcoming titles. Houses and Homes
was published at the request of Hampshire Traveller Education
Service.
Many of the writers, artists and editors are Travellers themselves,
and work for free in return for copies of the books. Books
are sold at only 50p above the cost of production, and the
proceeds are ploughed back into the group to finance future
titles.
The majority of the funding has been obtained from a two-year,
£30,000 grant from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, in
addition to £3,000 from the Tudor Trust and £2,000
from Connexions.
To order a copy of Houses and Homes, by Gill May and Michelle
Nye, send a cheque for £2.95, payable to DGLG, to Richard
Dawson, 188 Alfreton Road, Blackwell, Alfreton, Derbyshire
DE55 5JH. Email bob@robertdawson.fsnet.co.uk
for more information on forthcoming titles.
(Nursery World, 24 April 2003)
The library service in Essex and the Essex Travellers Education
Service are bringing books to families living on Traveller sites
in the county. Mobile libraries make weekly stops at a number
of sites and also at primary schools with a high proportion
of Traveller pupils. Preparation for this project included cultural
awareness training for librarians and careful selection of stock,
to cover subjects known to be of interest to the Traveller community
- for example, non-fiction books on animal keeping. Older adults,
who may have low levels of literacy skills, particularly enjoy
looking at well-illustrated Traveller heritage books and discussing
the photographs, some of which contain extended family members.
Many of the children are very enthusiastic, eagerly waiting
for the van to arrive each week, and anecdotal evidence suggests
that some children are helping their parents learn to read.
Future plans include the provision of IT for Traveller families.
The work is coordinated by a project manager funded by the Children's
Fund Essex, and other partners include the Gypsy Services Team
and Sure Start.
Link:
The National Association of Teachers of Travellers has developed
a literacy programme for beginner and non-reading Traveller
secondary-aged pupils. It aims to fill the gap between early
years and adult literacy material, which was previously the
only material generally available to young people with little
or no reading experience, as well as reflect the culture of
Gypsy or Traveller youngsters and improve self-confidence and
esteem. The scheme is based around a short teenage novel, The
Smiths, and has been trialled, with success, with Traveller
and non-Traveller pupils across the UK. The project was funded
by the European commission and the programme is available in
Spanish and German. The project is seeking funding to publish
the material and make it more readily available (see resources
for programme details).
For more information contact Chris Hart: christinahart@unforgettable.com
(From the National Literacy Trust database)
Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Gypsy Traveller
Pupils. Guide to good practice produced by the Department
for Education and Skills in July 2003. It offers advice and
guidance to schools and LEAs, including practical guidance
and examples that are shown to work to raise Traveller pupils'
achievement and ensure their inclusion in school life, and
answers to some frequently asked questions.
Contact: DfES Publications, Tel: 0845 60 222 60 Fax: 0845
60 333 60 Email: dfes@prolog.uk.com
Quote reference DfES/0443/2003. Or download from www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/links_and_publications
Early years outreach practice: supporting early years practitioners working
with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families. Save the Children, 2007. Available to download as a pdf (705 Kb) from www.savethechildren.org.uk/earlyyears/ey_outreach_practice.pdf
Further information from the Department
for Education and Skills:
www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/raising_achievement
Gypsy Expressions, a website encouraging those from the
Gypsy and Travelling community to express themselves in the
written word, celebrating Romany culture and oral tradition.
website: www.gypsyexpressions.org.uk.
Inclusive Educational Approaches for Gypsies and Travellers.
Guidance produced by the Scottish Traveller Education
Programme (STEP). Available from www.scottishtravellered.net/resources/publications.html
Reading materials. Karen Taylor has written a number of
20-page A5 books reflecting the experiences of Traveller children.
Contact: Handsome Prints, Durrows, Quarry Lane, Kelsall,
Cheshire CW6 OPD. Tel: 01829 751097. Email: KarenTaylor43205@aol.com.
The Smiths Secondary Literacy Programme, developed as
part of a National Association of Teachers of Travellers project
(see above for details), supports secondary-aged beginner
readers. The programme contains six copies of the specially-written
novel with dual language text, a literacy programme in four
stages which take the pupil from non-reading to level 3, and
a reference section to support independent learning. The programme
includes worksheets on vocabulary acquisition, phonics, grammar
and punctuation, dictionary skills and independent writing.
It has built-in assessment and revision opportunities. The
first print run is sold out; there is currently a waiting
list to generate orders to cover costs of second print run.
Cost £150 (£5 off for Traveller Education Services
buying first set). Novels can be purchased separately, six
for £12 plus p&p, or 30 for £55 plus p&p.
Contact: Sallie Gurney, West Midlands Consortium Education
Service for Travelling Children, The Graiseley Centre, Pool
Street, Wolverhampton WV2 4NE. Tel: 01902 714646. Email: wmcestc@dial.pipex.com.
University of Hertfordshire Press, produce a number
of books on Travellers. Information about these can be found
on www.herts.ac.uk/UHPress/Gypsies.html
Voices website www.bbc.co.uk/kent/voices
Wild Call has produced two picture books for under-fives
and are developing worksheets and CDRoms to accompany them.
The books show modern gypsy life in colourful photographs
and would be useful to any school or group who work with travellers.
For more information visit www.wildcall.co.uk.
Working Towards Inclusive Practice: Gypsy/Roma and Traveller
cultural awareness training and activities for early years
settings Save the Children Fund www.savethechildren.org.uk
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