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Office for Standards in Education, December 2003
Ofsted visited 37 primary schools and ten secondary schools
in 11 local authorities between autumn 2001 and summer 2003
to evaluate provision and support for Traveller pupils. The
term "Traveller" here includes Gypsies/Roma and
Travellers of Irish heritage, fairground and circus families,
New Age Travellers, bargees and other families living on boats.
Some of the groups covered by the term have minority ethnic
status.
This report states that the access to education, and attendance,
by primary age Traveller children continues to improve, but
that not enough Traveller pupils attend or stay on at secondary
school. It estimates that 12,000 Traveller pupils of secondary
age are not registered at school; of those that do attend,
the average attendance rate is about 73%, and many pupils
achieve at standards well below the national average. Success
in improving and maintaining pupils' attendance depends on
the quality of relationships between schools and families.
The report adds that most of these pupils come from very
caring and protective families, who report fears of racist
bullying and the erosion of their community's moral code.
They may also perceive the secondary school curriculum as
irrelevant, due to the strong tradition of starting work in
the family business at a young age. The report's authors are
concerned that unacceptable numbers of children are missing
out on opportunities to gain the skills needed for full and
equal participation in society, and that the warnings in earlier
reports have not yet been heeded.
Other points of concern are that the use of data from schools
and local authorities to track the progress and achievement
of Traveller pupils is very variable between local authorities
(this is compounded by a lack of guidance on improving the
accuracy of reporting by Travellers of their ethnic origin),
and that the way in which too many authorities deal with unauthorised
Traveller encampments contradict their public statements about
the inclusion of all pupils in education. Many Traveller pupils
are educated at home, but the suitability and quality of this
provision is very uneven and there is also a lack of guidance
for local authorities on the subject.
However, the report also states that Traveller pupils make
satisfactory to good progress in the short term, and that
most local authority Traveller education services provide
at least satisfactory and often very good support to the schools
and the Traveller families, particularly with regard to literacy.
The report highlights examples of good practice, such as:
- In one school, a flexible programme of out-of-school sessions
covering literacy, maths, crafts and outdoor activities
- A school which arranged for Traveller pupils who had become
disaffected with the curriculum to complete courses in blacksmithing,
farrier work and game-keeping at the local agricultural
college
- In one local authority, delivery and completion with Traveller
families of induction packs for children transferring from
primary to secondary school
- A social worker who volunteered to meet a secondary-age
pupil at the bus stop to see him on the way to his new school,
and who arranged for 'buddies' to meet him at the other
end
There were also instances of collaboration with other agencies
including Connexions and New Start, and of teaching, planned
in conjunction with the Traveller education service, that
celebrated and affirmed the Traveller lifestyle - for example
through texts used in the literacy hour. The report recommends
that schools take greater responsibility for promoting and
sustaining links with Traveller families.
Download the full report from www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications
Ofsted (2003). Provision and support for Traveller pupils.
London: Ofsted.
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