Booklet 1: Introduction - Infolink
Transcript of Booklet 1: Introduction - Infolink
Moving forward together: Raising Gypsy, Roma and Traveller achievement Booklet 1: Introduction
Movingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
Firstpublishedin2009Ref:00660-2009BKT-EN
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VTheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievement
Booklet1:Introduction
PrefaceThisguidanceaimstosupportschoolsandsettingsinpromotingtheprogressandachievementofGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilsandgivesessentialbackgroundinformationforthoseinvolvedintheteachingofthesepupils.IthasbeenproducedaspartoftheDCSFactiontoraisetheachievementofGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilsandwillsupportschoolsinmeetingtheirstatutorydutiesintermsoftheRaceRelations(Amendment)Act2000.
Theguidancematerialsconsistoffourinterrelatedbooklets:
1. Introduction
2. Leadershipandmanagement
3. Learningandteaching
4. Engagementwithparents,carersandthewidercommunity
ItisstronglyrecommendedthatBooklet1:IntroductionandBooklet2:Leadershipandmanagementarebothreadbeforetheothertwo,astheygivethecontextforGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildrenandyoungpeopleinEnglishschoolsandoutlineschools’overarchingmanagementresponsibilitiestowardsthem.
Theguidancematerialsaimtosupportschoolstoraisestandards,narrowachievementgapsandaccelerateprogressthrough:
• anexplorationoflearningandteachingapproachesthatwillmaximisetheachievementofGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildrenandyoungpeople;
• providingconditionsforlearningthatvaluediversityandbuildandpromoteself-confidence;
• challengingracismandpromotingracialequalitythroughouttheschool;
• developingeffectivepartnershipswithparents,carers,familiesandcommunities.
Inthisway,Gypsy,RomaandTravellerpupils,likeallchildrenandyoungpeople,canbehelpedtoachievetheirfullpotentialthroughequalaccessto–andfullparticipationin–theireducation.
Key principles• TherearenoinherentreasonswhyachildfromaGypsy,RomaorTravellercommunityshouldnot
achieveaswellasanyotherchild.
• High-qualityteachingandeffectiveAssessmentforLearning(AfL),plusappropriatespecialistinterventions,supportedbyschoolleaders,arekeyfactorsinimprovingtheachievementofGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildrenandyoungpeople,asgroupsandasindividuals.
• Achievementwillonlyoccurthroughthecombinedeffortsofschool,childandhome.
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VI TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communitiesThroughouttheseguidancematerials,referenceismadetoGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupils,parentsandcommunities.Thiscollectivegroupingincludes:
• Gypsies
• ScottishTravellersorGypsies
• WelshGypsiesorTravellers
• Roma
• TravellersofIrishheritage
• showpeople
• fairgroundfamilies
• circusfamilies
• NewTravellers
• bargeeorcanal-boatfamilies.
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TheNationalStrategies VIIMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievement
Booklet1:Introduction
Contents
Keymessages 1
Introduction 2
• Fromtheperipherytothecentre 3
• Improvingascription 3
Raisingattainment 10
WiderissuesimpactingonGypsy,RomaandTravellercommunities 16
• Accommodationandmobility 16
• Parentandcommunitysupport 18
• Gypsy,RomaandTravellerculture 18
Appendices 20
• Appendix1:Communitiesandculturalcontext 20
• Appendix2:DCSFinitiativestoraisetheattainmentofGypsy,RomaandTraveller 22 pupils
• References 23
• Furtherreading 24
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1TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievement
Booklet1:Introduction
Keymessages• Gypsy,RomaandTravellerchildrenandyoungpeoplehavethesamerightsasallothersto
unhinderedaccesstoeducation.
• Becauseofalonghistoryofracialprejudiceanddiscrimination,manyGypsy,RomaandTravellerfamiliesarereluctanttodeclaretheirtrueethnicityvoluntarily.Schoolshaveadutytocreateaninclusiveculturethatencouragesallparentsandpupilstobeconfidentinascribingthemselvestotheirappropriateethnicgroup,eitherwhentheyfirstjointheschooloratsomelaterpoint.
• Attainmenttrendsdemonstratethat,whileattainmentlevelsformostgroupshaveimproved,forGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilstheselevelshavedeteriorated.ResearchstudieshaveconsistentlyidentifiedGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilsasthegroupmostatriskintheeducationsystem.However,researchevidencealsoconfirmsthat,whenGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilsaregiventherightlearningenvironmentandexperiences,theycanbeequallyassuccessfulasanyothergroup.
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2 TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
IntroductionAllschoolsshouldbeawareofthewell-documentedandlongstandingrecordofpooreducationalopportunitiesandoutcomesforGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildren.Gypsieswereearlyimmigrantstotheseshores,aslongagoasthesixteenthcentury,andtheirexperiencehasbeencharacterisedbyalonghistoryofdiscrimination,victimisationandsocialexclusion.Theirmarginalisedstatus,bornofnegativeattitudesandlowpublicesteem,hasresultedinproblematicandrestrictedaccesstopublicservices.Thissituationaccountsforveryloweducationalachievementforthesepupilsasagroup.Asaresult,thereisaneedforclear,well-structuredguidanceforschoolstoarrestthetrendandremedythecurrentposition.
TherepresentationofGypsy,RomaandTravellergroupsasafocusofeducationalconcernshouldnotbeseenasadeficitmodelofthelifestyleandcultureofalloranyofthesegroups.Individualchildrenfromthesecommunitiescananddoachieveaswellaspupilsfromothergroups.Itisnottheintentionofthisguidancetosuggest,directlyorindirectly,thatGypsy,RomaandTravellercommunitiesareuniversallysufferingalackofeducationalopportunitiesorarenecessarilythevictimsofpovertyandeconomicexclusion.AcrosstheUnitedKingdomandEuropethereisasignificantandgrowingGypsy,RomaandTravellermiddleclassthatiswelleducatedatacademicandprofessionallevels,economicallysuccessfulandsociallyintegrated,withnosacrificeofethnicorculturalidentity.Inorderneithertocreatenorconfirmstereotypes,itisimportanttoavoidmakinggeneralisations.
ThematerialsinthisguidanceareintendedtohelpschoolsrespondtotheabovefactorsandtotakeurgentactiontoshiftGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilsfromtheperipheryoftheeducationsystemtotheverycentre.
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3TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievement
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From the periphery to the centreThelongstandingrecordofpooreducationalopportunitiesandoutcomesforGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildrenandyoungpeoplehasrepeatedlybeendrawntonationalattentionbytheworkofresearchersandofHerMajesty’sInspectorsofSchools(HMI).
In1971thegovernmentaskedtheSchoolsCounciltocommissionaresearchstudyintotheeducationalsituationofGypsyandTravellerchildren.Thiswasseenas:
…atimelyresponsetotherediscoverythatmostGypsyandothernomadicchildrenwerereceivingirregularor,inmanycases,noschooling.
The Education of Travelling Children(Reiss1975)
Theresearchstudymadearangeofrecommendations,includingsome‘on-site’teachingprovisionintheformoftemporaryormobileclassrooms.Issuesofaccessandregularattendancewereseenasahighpriorityatthattime;despitethedevelopmentofsomeout-of-schoolprovisionbybothlocalauthorities(LAs)andthevoluntarysector,theeventualpolicyobjectivewastowardsdirectingthechildrentomainstreamschools,withappropriatesupportintermsofresourcesandexpertise.
Bythelate1970smanyLAsweredevelopingrudimentaryTravellerEducationSupportServices(TESS).Theseweremainlyfundedunderwhatwasknownasthe‘Noareapool’arrangements,whichallowedLAstotakefundingfromacentralpooloffinanceforcoveringtheunexpectedandcontingencydemandstheyfacedperiodically.GypsyandTravellercommunitieswereaddedtothiscategorylist.However,withthereformoflocalgovernmentfinancein1988,the‘Noarea’arrangementscametoanend,whichmeantthatfundingforTESShadtobefoundelsewhere.Anewspecificgrantwasintroducedin1990underSection210oftherelevanteducationlegislation:The1988EducationReformAct,Section210,NewSpecificGrantfortheEducationofGypsyandTravellerChildren.
Despitethesedevelopments,officialconcerncontinuedinregardtotherelativelypooreducationalstandardsattainedbyGypsyandTravellerchildren.ThefirstHMIreportonthesituationwaspublishedin1982.TheHMIreportontheachievementofminorityethnicpupilspublishedin1999commentedthatGypsyTravellerchildrenwerestillthegroupmostatriskintheeducationsystem.Theirmostrecentreport,publishedin2003,continuedtoflaguptheseriousnessofthesituationandhintsatfrustrationwiththeseeminglackofprogressintheintervening20years.
ThevastmajorityofTravellerpupilslingerontheperipheryoftheeducationsystem.Thesituationhaspersistedfortoolongandthealarmbellsrunginearlierreportshaveyettobeheeded.
Provision and support for Traveller pupils(Ofsted2003)
HMIwerenotaloneinflagginguptheirconcernsonthismatter.Education for all–theSwannReport(HMSO1985),ontheeducationofminorityethniccommunitiesinBritaincommented:
Inmanyrespectsthesituationinwhichthetravellers’childrenfindthemselvesalsoillustratestoanextremedegreetheexperienceofprejudiceandalienationwhichfacesmanyotherethnicminoritychildren.
Overrecentyears,however,effortshavebeenmadetosecureunhinderedaccesstopublicservicesforGypsy,RomaandTravellercommunities,andparticularlyinthefieldofeducation.Withtheslowlyimprovingsituationsurroundingaccesstoschools,alliedtothefactthatthesecommunitiesarecharacterisedbyvaryinglevelsofnationalandinternationalmobility,itislikelythatanyschoolmayhavepupilsonrollfromanyorallofthesebackgroundsatsometime.
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4 TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
Theinitialfocusofconcernaboutearlyeducation,bybothgovernmentandLAs,relatedtoissuesofaccessandattendance.Inthiscontext,theSwannReportalsocommented:
…manyoftheparticulareducationalneedsoftravellers’childrenarisebecauseofdifficultiesingainingaccesstotheeducationsystematall.
Inthepast,manyGypsy,RomaandTravellerparentshavebeendiscouragedfromenrollingtheirchildrenatschoolsbecauseoftheirunhappyandpainfulmemoriesoftheirownfrequentlyshortencounterswithformaleducation.Inaddition,someparentsfoundthatthepracticaldemandsofanomadiclifestylewereatoddswiththeroutinesofregularschoolattendance.Someparentsmaywellhavebeenuncertainoftheproceduresrequiredforenrollingtheirchildrenatlocalschools.Pastexperiencehadrepeatedlyledthemtobelievethatsomelocalschoolswerenotaccessibletothem.
ThereisalsoevidencethatsomeschoolsdisregardedtheirlegaldutieswhenitcametotheadmissionofGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildren.Schoolsexerciseddiscriminatorybehaviourbyrefusingtoadmitthechildrenfromthesecommunities.Someschoolswereabletoofferonlylimitednumbersofplacestochildren,evenofthesamefamily,becauseofavailability.Parentsfoundsuchrestrictionsboththreateningandconfusing.Manyparentswishedthatalltheirchildrenshouldstaytogether,particularlyforthesakeoftheyoungersiblings,motivatedbyconcernfortheirchildrenenteringanunfamiliarinstitution.
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5TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievement
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Recently,LAsandschoolshavetakentheirdutiestowardsthesemarginalisedcommunitiesmoreseriously.ThevastmajorityofLAshaveestablishedTESSandthesehavebeenpart-fundedoverthelast30yearsbyasuccessionofcentralgovernmentfundingprogrammes.TheseservicesvaryinsizebuttheircurrentprimaryfunctionistoworkjointlywithschoolsandotheragenciestoensurethatLAsfulfiltheirstatutoryresponsibilitiestosecuretheaccess,regularattendanceandsatisfactorylevelsofachievementforGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildren.AllLAsthathavethreeormoreGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilsinanyonecohortarenowrequiredtosettargetsonpupils’progressandattainmentatKeyStages2and4.Asaresultoftheworkoflocalauthorities’TESS,asignificantcohortofGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildrennowhappilyaccessbothEarlyYearssettingsandprimaryschoolsinmanypartsofthecountry.However,successfultransfertosecondaryschoolingandbeyondremainsamatterofcontinuingconcern.
TheevidencecomingfromLAs’TESShasrepeatedlyconfirmedthataccesstoeducationandregularattendanceareoftenunderminedforGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildrenandyoungpeoplebyincidentsofrealorperceivedracistbullying.Therealityofthissituationhasbeenconfirmedbyoneresearchstudyafteranother(seeChrisDerrington,2004,andFranksandUreche,2007).ThesefearsarealsosharedbyGypsy,RomaandTravellerparents;itiswellestablishedthatracistbullyingisoneoftheprinciplereasonsforthewidespreadnon-attendanceand/orprematuredropoutfromsecondaryeducation.
LAdatasuggeststhatthereisaverysignificantandgrowingcohortofsecondary-agedGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilswhoareeithernottransferringtosecondaryschoolordroppingoutofschoolduringKeyStage3.In1996anHMIOfstedreportestimatedthat10,000secondaryGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilswerenotregisteredwithschools.ThesubsequentHMIreportof2003drewattentiontotheworseningsituationinthisregard.
Thissurveyindicatesnodecreaseinthesenumbersandestimatesthatthefigurecouldnowbecloserto12,000.Despiteexamplesofsuccessbysomeservices,thepictureatthesecondaryphaseremainsamatterofveryseriousconcern.
Provision and support for Traveller pupils(Ofsted2003)
ThisHMIreportwentontocomparethesituationofTravellerchildrentotheimprovingsituationofthemajority,asdemonstratedthroughOfstedSection5schoolinspectionreports.
Themostrecentannualreport(Ofsted,2003)fromHerMajesty’sChiefInspectorofSchoolsstatedthat’theeducationsystemisdoingbetterandbetterformoreandmorepupils.Butthesystemcontinuestofallshortforasignificantnumberofpupilsandstudents,particularly
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6 TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
thoseforwhom”academic”learningdoesnotcomeeasily.’TheresultsofthisinspectionclearlyindicatethatTravellerpupilscontinuetomakeupasmallbutveryworryingproportionofthosepupilsandstudents.ThesituationisatitsmostseriousatthesecondaryphaseandinthisrespecthaschangedlittlesincetheearlierHMIinspectionreports.Theyaretheoneminorityethnicgroupwhichistoooften’outofsightandoutofmind’.
In2002,theDepartmentforEducationandSkills(DfES)introducedtheAimingHighstrategy,whichwasspecificallyfocusedonraisingtheachievementofminorityethnicpupils.Inthesummerof2003theDepartmentpublishedA Guide to Good Practice,toassistLAsandschoolsindevelopingpolicy,provisionandpracticeinaccordancewiththeprinciplesofgoodpractice.
Inautumn2006theDepartmentforChildren,SchoolsandFamilies(DCSF)initiatedtheNationalStrategies’Gypsy,RomaandTravellerAchievementProgramme.Sincethen,theworkhasprogressedsteadily;thisguidanceisseenasanessentialpartoftheplannedprogrammeofDCSF-approvedactionsindisseminatinggoodpracticemorewidely.TheLAsintheprogrammehaveworkedinalargenumberofschools,buttheprogrammehasalsobeenthecatalystforthepublicationofarangeofsupportivedocumentation.ForadditionalguidanceinrelationtotheEarlyYearsFoundationStageseeBuilding Futures: Developing trust,afocusonprovisionforGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildrenintheEarlyYearsFoundationStage(duetobepublishedinAutumn2009).TheNationalStrategies’guidanceandtrainingmaterialsforlearnersofEnglishasanadditionallanguage(EAL)complementthisguidance,asdoesthatofferedwithintheNewArrivalsExcellenceProgramme(DCSF2007).IniativesbytheDCSFin2007oneducationalinclusionandcommunitycohesionarealsohighlyrelevanttoworkwiththisgroupofpupilsandtheirfamilies.
EffortswithintheUKtoimprovetheeducationalsituationofthesecommunitiesshouldnotbeseenasisolatedattemptstohelpanumberofsmall,disadvantagedgroups,butaspartofamuchwiderpan-EuropeanmissiontoprotecthumanrightsandprovideeducationalequalityforEurope’slargestminorityethniccommunity,withanestimatedpopulationofapproximately15million.
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7TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievement
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Improving ascriptionGypsyandRomapeoplehavebeenrecognisedasaracialgroupsince1988;TravellersofIrishheritagereceivedlegalrecognitionasaracialgroupin2000.Gypsy,Roma,TravellersofIrishheritageandScottishTravellersarethereforeprotectedbyracerelationslegislation.In2000,theDfESintroducedethnicgroupmonitoringwithintheAnnualSchoolCensus.Since2003thetwominorityethnicgroupsofGypsyorRomaandTravellersofIrishheritagehavebeenincludedasethniccategories.
OthergroupstraditionallyincludedwithinthegenericterminologyofGypsy,RomaandTravellerarefairgroundfamilies,showpeople,circusfamilies,NewTravellersandbargeesorcanal-boatfamilies.TheselattergroupsdonothaveminorityethnicstatusandarenotspecificallylistedascategorieswithintheAnnualSchoolCensus.However,schoolsshouldrespondtotheeducationalneedsofthesechildren,takingintoaccounttheirparticularandspecialcircumstancesandthedemandsandconstraintsplacedonmanyinrelationtotheirnomadiclifestyle.
TheUKgovernment,incommonwithadministrationsacrossEurope,hasverylimitedstatisticalandethnographicdataonthesecommunities,theiractualpopulationcohorts,sizeoffamilies,numbersofchildrenandthecommunities’accesstoanduptakeofpublicservices.ArecentreportonRoma,publishedbytheEuropeanUnion(2004),emphasisesthedata-deficientenvironmentsurroundingGypsy,RomaandTravellerfamiliesandsuggestsapossibleconnectiontotheracialandsocialstatusofthecommunities.Itsuggeststhatresponsiblegovernmentsshouldestablishreliabledataasafoundationforestablishingpositivepolicyresponsestoidentifiedneed.
AtthetimeoftheinclusionofthesetwoethniccategorieswithintheAnnualSchoolCensus,itwasrecognisedthatvoluntaryethnicself-ascriptionrateswouldbelow,givenanumberofcomplexreasonspertinenttotheseparticularcommunities.TheethnicallydisaggregateddatageneratedbytheAnnualSchoolCensushasrevealedcohortsizesforGypsy,RomaandTravellersofIrishheritagethatappeartobeatoddswithboththedataheldbyLAs’TESSandtheestimatesoftheDCSF.Thesedatasourcesallsuggestthattheactualnumberofchildrenmaybeanythingfrom50percentto70percentlargerthantheofficialascriptioncohortsize.InordertostrengthenthequalityofinformationarisingfromtheAnnualSchoolCensusinrelationtoGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupils,theDCSFhasbeenconcernedtoenhancethelevelofvoluntaryself-ascriptionbythesegroups.FurtherguidanceisgiveninThe inclusion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and young people (DCSF2008).
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8 TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
BoththeoralandwrittenhistoryofGypsy,RomaandTravellerofIrishheritagecommunitiesconfirmtherealityofracistpersecutionanddiscriminationfacedbythesecommunitiesovermanycenturies.Manyparentsarethusconcernednottoexposetheirchildrentothenegativeanddamagingimpactofprejudiceanddiscriminationatschool.Theymakejudgementsinthiscontext,basedontheirowndifficultexperiencesofschool,andfearthemanifestationofprejudiceintheformofteachers’attitudesandracistbullyingbypeers.Withoutsufficientsupportandtheconfidenceofastrongschoolethosofwelcomeandinclusionatthepointofregistration,amajorityofGypsy,RomaandTravellerparentsaredisinclinedtorecordtheirchildren’sethnicstatusasGypsy,RomaorTravellerofIrishheritage.The‘Whiteother’or‘WhiteBritish’boxesaremuchsaferalternativesforcompletingtheform,whichisfrequentlycompletedinfrontoftheadministrativestaffoftheschool.
LAsandschoolsalsoneedtobeawareoftheparticularcircumstancesofRomaimmigrantfamiliesfromCentralandEasternEurope.(Somefamiliesmaybeasylumseekersorrefugees,butamajoritynowaremigrantworkerswhoarelegitimatisedwithintheUKasmigrantlabourbytheTreatyofAccessionoftheEuropeanUnion2003.)MostofthesefamilieshavecometotheUKtoescapebothpovertyandracistabuseanddiscriminationintheirhomecountries.Thesefamilieswillbeanxiousaboutdeclaringtheirethnicstatus,asopposedtotheirnationalitystatus,whenintheUK.Manyofthesefamilieswillhavesufferedgrossdiscriminationineducationintheircountryoforigin,whichwillhavefrequentlyresultedintheirchildrenendingupineithersubstandardsegregatedschoolsorspecialschoolsforthosewithlearningdisabilities.Althoughempiricalevidenceisslight,someofthesefamiliesarereportedtobeverypleasedtobeintheUK,withtheopportunitiesthatschoolsappeartooffertheirchildren.TheirappearancedoesnotunleashtheextremeandabusivetreatmentthatmanyRomahavetraditionallyreceivedintheircountriesoforigin.However,fearsexistandmayalsorelatetothefamilies’lackofconfidenceinspeaking,readingandwritinginEnglish.
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9TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievement
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Inadditiontothefactorsabove,asignificantnumberofGypsies,RomaandTravellerswhoresideinhousesmayfeelintimidatedinascribingtotheethnicstatusofGypsyorRomaorTravellerofIrishheritagewhenregisteringtheirchildrenatschool.Theymaybeacutelyawareofthepotentialforsuchadeclarationtoinvokeraciallyprejudicedbehaviour,bothfortheirchildrenintheschoolsettingandfortheirfamilyasawhole,withinthelocalcommunity.Somefamiliesmayalsofeelthatschoolswillraisepotentiallyembarrassingissues,inthemistakenbeliefthatonceGypsiesorTravellerssettleinahousethey,insomestrangeway,shedtheirethnicminoritystatus.Thisill-informedattitudeisprevalentwithinbothschoolsandthepopulationatlarge.
Itisrecognisedthatforasignificantnumberoffamiliestheactualterminologyofthetwocategoriesas‘GypsyorRoma’and‘TravellerofIrishheritage’may,infact,beadisincentivetoself-ascribe.Forexample,forthosefamilieswheretheparentsareofmixedheritage,thereisnoappropriateboxtotick.TheDCSFhasthusrecentlychangedtheterminologyrelatingtotheethniccategorisationforthesetwoethnic-minoritygroups.Thisisintendedtoencouragemoreparentstofeelsufficientlyconfidenttoascribewithgreateraccuracy.Thenewcategoriesare‘Gypsy’,‘Roma’and‘Traveller’,withthelasttermenablingfurtherspecificationofheritagebyincludingasub-categorytick-boxof‘Irish’or‘Scottish’.
SchoolsneedtobeawarethattheyhaveadutytocreatecircumstancesconducivetoGypsy,RomaandTravellersofIrishheritagefeelingsufficientlyconfidentinthemtoascribetheirchildrenvoluntarilywithintheiraccuratecategorydetermination.ThisispartoftheirgeneraldutiesundertheRaceRelations(Amendment)Act2000,topromoteequalopportunityandgoodracerelations.
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10 TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
RaisingattainmentUsingdataappropriatelyisacrucialfirststepinidentifyingandtacklingtheunderperformanceofGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupils.Schoolsmustensurethatpupil-trackingmechanisms,targetsettingandaccesstoappropriateinterventionstrategiesareinplaceforthesepupils.Thisisakeychallengeforschoolswithastablecommunity–evenmoresoforschoolswithmobilepopulations.Theuseofnationallyagreedandself-ascribedethnicitycategoriesenablesschoolstocollect,recordandanalyseGypsy,RomaandTravellerdata.Suchdatabecomesmostrobustwhenitcontainsinformationaboutthemajorityofpupilsinanyethnicitycategory.Hencetheneedtomaximisetheaccurateascriptionofpupilswithinethnicitycategories.
TheeducationalachievementforGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilsisrecordedasbeingconsistentlylow.Schoolsneedtobeawareofthesenationaltrends,thishistoryofunderachievementandtoanalysetheirschooldatainthiscontext.However,giventhecurrentinaccuratelevelsofascription,schoolsneedtouseallGypsy,RomaandTravellerdatawithcaution.AsstatedintheEthnicityandEducationreport(DfES2005):
BothGypsy/Travellergroupshaveextremelylowattainment.Althoughitisestimatedthatmanychildrenarenotrecordedintheannualschoolcensus,arenotpresentduringKeyStageassessmentsand/ordonotcontinueineducationupuntilKeyStage4,forthosewhohavearecordedresult,attainmentislow.
Thislowattainmenthaspersisted,asisshownbelow.
Numbers of pupils achieving at least level 4 in English andmathematics by the end of Key Stage 2
80
70
60 All
30
40
50 Gypsy/Roma
TravellerIrish
Caribbean
Pakistani
20 W/BCarribbean
10
02005 2006 2007
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TheNationalStrategies 11Movingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievement
Booklet1:Introduction
Numbers of pupils achieving at least five grades A*–C, including English andmathematics, by theend of Key Stage 4
KS4 5A*–C including English and mathematics
60
50 All
Gypsy/Roma40TravellerIrish
30Caribbean
20 Pakistani
W/BCarribbean10
0
The2008thresholddata,shownbelow,revealssomeworryingoutcomesinrelationtotheattainmentandprogressofGypsy,RomaandTravellerofIrishheritagepupilsatallkeystages.
Early Years Foundation Stage
Nationally,49.5percentofGypsyorRomachildrenand52percentofTravellerchildrenofIrishheritagegroupsareinthebottom20percentoftheEarlyYearsFoundationStageProfile.Inrelationtotheirpopulationthisisanover-representation.Inrelationtospecificscalesthereareconsiderablegapswhenlookingatthosegroupsthatachievea’goodlevelofdevelopment’:thatis,achieving78pointsormoreacrossall13scales,including6+inallfourCommunication,languageandliteracydevelopmentscalesand6+inallthreePersonal,socialandemotionaldevelopmentscales.
2005 2006 2007 2008
Early Years Foundation Stage
Goodlevelofdevelopment Gapwithallpupils
TravellerofIrishheritage 19% 30%
GypsyorRoma 16% 33%
Allchildren 49%
However,thegapscanbeevenwiderwithinspecificscales(2008data),forexampleincalculatingandreading.
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12 TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
Key Stage 1
ThesegapswidenbytheendofKeyStage1.
Readinglevel 2+
Writinglevel 2+
Mathematicslevel 2+
Readinglevel 2+
Writinglevel 2+
Mathematicslevel 2+
Gapwithallpupils
Travellerof Irishheritage
32% 28% 52% 52% 52% 38%
Gypsy orRoma
37% 34% 57% 47% 46% 33%
All pupils 84% 80% 90%
Key Stage 2
WidegapspersistatKeyStage2.
English level 4+ Mathematicslevel 4+
English level 4+ Mathematics level4+
Gapwithallpupils
Traveller of Irishheritage
33% 30% 48% 48%
Gypsy or Roma 40% 39% 41% 39%
All pupils 81% 78%
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Key Stage 4
Any 5 A*–C 5 A*–C grades Any 5 A*–C 5 A*–C gradespass (G+ grades at at GCSE, pass (G+ grades at GCSE,grades) GCSE including grades) at at GCSE includingat GCSE English and GCSE English and
mathematics mathematics
Gapwithallpupils
Traveller 71.6% 17.4% 7.3% 26.6% 46.1% 40.5%of Irishheritage
Gypsy orRoma
84.8% 15.7% 6.8% 13.4% 47.8% 41.0%
All pupils 98.2% 63.5% 47.8%
Furtherattainmentdataisalsonowavailabletoindicatewherepupilsaremakingtheexpectedratesofprogressbetweenkeystages.FortheprogressionratesbetweenKeyStages1and2,andbetweenKeyStages2and4,analysisoftheavailabledatashowslowratesofprogressforGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupils.
Two levels of progress at Key Stages 1 2 (2007 data)
English Mathematics English Mathematics
Gapwithallpupils
Gypsy, Roma andTraveller
66.3% 54.5% 17.3% 38.4%
All pupils 83.6% 75.9%
3+ levels of progress Key Stages 2–4 (2007 data)
English Mathematics English Mathematics
Gapwithallpupils
Gypsy, Roma andTraveller
23.0% 15.5% 38% 38.4%
All pupils 61.0% 53.9%
ForGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilsthisisanespeciallyworryingtrendasthedatainevitablyrepresentstheachievementratesoftheleastmobilepupils.Inordertofeatureinthisdataanalysis,bydefinition,pupilshavetohaverelativelystableattendanceataparticularschool.However,despitetherelativestabilityforthisgroup,theirachievementratesarestillsignificantlylowerthanthoseoftheirpeers.
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14 TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
UsingthespecificcategoriesofGypsyorRomaandTravellerofIrishheritage,identifiedthroughtheAnnualSchoolsCensus,theDCSFisabletoidentifytrendsandgapsrelatingtoanumberofeducationallysignificantfactors,suchasratesofachievementandattendance,identificationofspecialeducationalneeds(SEN)andratesofexclusion.Thisdatamonitoringenablesthecrossreferenceofotherfactorsthatcontributetounderachievement,suchaseligibilityforFreeSchoolMeals(FSM)amongthesecommunities.InthisregarditissignificanttonotethatthesepovertyindictorsareonlymarginalcontributorstotheunderachievementofGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupils;thecausesoftheirunderachievementliebeyondthesefactors.
RAISEonlineprovidesacommonsetofanalysesforschools,LAs,inspectorsandschoolimprovementpartners.
Individualschoolshaveonlineaccesstothedataontheirwebsite.Thisprovidesinteractiveanalysisofschoolandpupilperformancedata,whichschoolscanusetoimprovelearningandteaching.ThewebsiteoffersthefacilitytogenerateanalysesandreportscoveringtheattainmentandprogressofpupilsinKeyStages1,2and4,withinteractivefeaturesallowingexplorationofhypothesesaboutpupils’performance.
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Keyfeaturesinclude:
• contextualinformationabouttheschool,includingcomparisonstoschoolsnationally;
• thepercentageachievinglevel4+inEnglishandmathematicsatKeyStage2;
• thepercentageofpupilsattainingfiveA*–CpassesatGCSE,includingEnglishandmathematics;
• priorandcurrentattainmentandprogressdata:theproportionofpupilsmakingtwolevelsofprogressbetweenKeyStage1andKeyStage2inEnglishandmathematics,theproportionmakingatleastthreelevelsofprogressbetweenKeyStage2andKeyStage4inEnglishandmathematics;
• contextualvalue-addeddata;
• attendancedata;
• question-levelanalysis,allowingschoolstoinvestigatetheperformanceofpupilsinspecificcurricularareas;
• targetsetting,supportingschoolsintheprocessofmonitoring,challengingandsupportingpupils’performance;
• adata-managementfacility,providingtheabilitytoimportandeditpupil-leveldataandcreateschool-definedfieldsandteachinggroups,forexampleinterventiongroups,giftedandtalentedregister,pupilexclusions,rewardsandsanctions.
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WiderissuesimpactingonGypsy,RomaandTravellercommunities
Accommodation andmobilityDespiteanearlierreferencetothenomadicheritageofmanywithintheGypsy,RomaandTravellercommunities,thecurrentissueismoreoneofsettlementthanatotallynomadiclifestyle.WithintheUKitisestimatedthatthereareabout80,000GypsyandTravellerchildren,withintheagegroup0to16,whoaresemi-nomadic,althoughmanyliveformostoftheyearonsites,eitherprivateorpublic.Itisestimatedthatanythinguptohalfamillionmembersofthesecommunitiesarelivinginfixedratherthanmobilehomes.Itisalsoknown,however,thatmanyfamiliesperiodicallyswitchbetweenasettledlifeandanomadicone,dependingonmanydifferentcircumstancesoffamilyandeconomiclifeatanyparticulartime.
Publicsitesareprovidedandmaintainedbylocalauthoritiesnationally;mostofthesesiteshavebeenestablishedinresponsetothe1968CaravanSitesandControlofDevelopmentAct,whichplacedadutyonLAstomakeadequatesiteprovisionforGypsiesandTravellers.Privatesitesareownedandrunbyprivateindividuals,althoughmostprivatesitesaredevelopedessentiallytoservetheneedsofaparticularGypsyorTravellerextendedfamilygroup.
Despitethesedualsources,itisofficiallyrecognisedthatthereisalackofauthorisedsitesavailableforaboutafifthofthefamilieswhorequireprovision.Asaconsequence,manyofthesefamiliesareforcedtolocatetheirmobilehomesonunauthorisedsites.Thisplacesthechildreninsituationsofconsiderableriskintermsof‘stayingsafeandbeinghealthy’,andreducesanyrealistichopeofroutineaccesstolocalschools.
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TheGovernmentistakingstepstoincreasethenumberofsitesavailable,althoughitislikelytobemanyyearsbeforesufficientpitchesareinplace.WithinthePlanningAct2004,LAswererequiredforthefirsttimetoincludethesiteaccommodationneedsofGypsyandTravellerfamiliesintheir‘HousingNeedsAssessments’.ThisprocesshasledtoeachLAbeinginformedofthenumberofsitepitchesthatitmustmakeavailableforGypsyandTravellercommunities,inrelationtotheidentificationofsuitablelanduponwhichsitesmaybelocatedeitherbypublicauthoritiesortheprivatemarket.Onmanyoccasions,theEuropeanCourtofHumanRightshasruledthatGypsiesandTravellershavearighttotheirnomadicheritageandlifestyleandforthistoberecognisedandrespectedbycentralgovernmentsandLAs.Itisthusimportantforschoolsalsotoacknowledgetheseissues.
ManyGypsy,RomaandTravellerfamiliesliveinsubstandardaccommodationwheretheutilityinfrastructureisweakornon-existent.Thelackofadequatesanitaryandwashingarrangementscanbeaserioushindrancetofamilieswishingtogettheiryoungchildrentoschooleveryday.Thissituationisfrequentlyexacerbatedbyarelativelyhighincidenceofenvironmentallyaggravatedchildhealthproblemsandinfections.Whentheearlychildhoodeducationprovisionislocatedsomedistancefromtheirhome,someGypsy,RomaandTravellerfamiliesmaybeseriouslydisadvantagedbecauseofalackofrealisticaccesstoprivateorpublictransportfacilities.
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Parent and community supportSchoolsandtheireducationalpartnersneedtobeconsciousofanumberofpotentialconstraintsonparentsofGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildreninplayingafullroleintheeducationoftheirchildren.Manyparentshaveunhappymemoriesoftheirownschoolexperiencesand,becauseoftheendemicprejudicetheircommunityreceivesinsocietyatlarge,manymayalsohesitatetovisittheschoolstheirchildrenattend.
ItisalsoreportedthatGypsy,RomaandTravellerparentsareverysensitivetothefeelingsoftheirchildren,whoaresometimesexposedtosituationsinwhichtheymayexperienceandsuffersocialrejectionandunhappiness.Farfromthisbeinganimplicitstatementofalackofparentalconcern,itismorelikelytobetrayanastuteawarenessonthepartofparentstothepotentiallydamagingimpactofracistabuseandtheresultantdevaluingofindividualandculturalidentity.
TheevidencealsosuggeststhatmanyRomaandTravellerparentsviewtheeducationofyoungchildrenastheresponsibilityoftheextendedfamilyandcommunityratherthan‘threatening’formalinstitutions.SomefamiliesmaythusclaimthattheextendedRomafamilyisquitecapableofprovidingadequatesocialisationandinformaleducation,whichprovidesfamilyandcommunitycohesion,coherenceandsecurity(seeFranksandUreche,2007).
Fearsandanxietiesofbothpupilsandparentsextendintoareassuchas:
• theperceivedrelevanceofthesecondary-schoolcurriculum;
• thepointlessnessofworkinghardatschoolandthenbeingunabletopenetratetheanticipatedprejudiceanddiscriminationinthelabourmarket;
• theerosionofculturalvalues,whichareseenasanessentialpartofcommunityidentity.
Thesefearscanalsoactasahindrancetoadmissiontoschoolinthefirstplace.
Practicalissues,suchastheisolationofmanyoftheirencampments,meanthatsomeGypsy,RomaandTravellercommunitieshavehadverylimitedopportunitiestoexperienceactiveinvolvementwithpublicservicesandcommunityparticipationandareoftenunder-represented.Forexample,nationally,thereareveryfewGypsy,RomaorTravellerparentsactingasschoolgovernors.Schoolsshouldencourageco-optionofmembersofthesecommunitiestoensurewidercommunityrepresentationandatangiblecontributiontogoodracerelationsandcommunitycohesion.
ForsomeRomamigrantfamilies,thelackofappropriatechildandfamilydocumentation,forexamplebirthcertificatesandpersonalidentitypapers,maystillbeafactorunderminingaccess,particularlytoearlychildhoodeducation.Manyfamiliesfindtheburdenofbureaucracyinaforeignlanguagetoocomplextodealwith,orcannotaffordtheassociatedcostsofschoolattendancesuchastransport,meals,clothingandextracurricularactivities.ThesharpriseinthelevelsofRomaunemployment,resultingfromthechangetomarketeconomiesinCentralandEasternEurope,isseenasakeyfactorinthereductionofnumbersofRomapupilsparticipatinginearlychildhoodeducationinmanyofthesecountries;hence,whenthechildrencometotheUKtheymayhavemissedtheessentialEarlyYearseducationalexperiences.
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culturePolicymakersandpractitionersneedtobeawareoftheculturalcapitalwithinGypsy,RomaandTravellercommunitiesthatcanbetappedtoprovidemuchenrichmenttoeducationalprovisionatalllevels.ThesestrengthsshouldbenotedsothatanyprejudicialviewsheldbypolicymakersandpractitionerstowardsGypsy,RomaandTravellercultureandsocialisationprocessesarecounteredandchallenged.
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AstrengthoftheGypsy,RomaandTravellerextendedfamilyisthatitprovidesaverysecurecontextforearlychilddevelopmentandsubsequentadulthappinessandwell-being.Fromanearlyage,childrenaretreatedwithrespectfromadultsand,withinthesecuresocialenvironment,theyareabletoabsorboralhistoryandGypsy,RomaandTravellerfolklore.
Thesecommunitieshavearichlinguisticandculturalheritage.ManyGypsy,RomaandTravellerchildrenarebilingualormultilingual;researchsuggeststhatthishaspositiveadvantagesovermonolingualismintermsofpotentialintellectualdevelopment.Itisreportedinrecentresearchfindingsthat,becauseofthelinguisticandculturalstrengthswithintheGypsy,RomaandTravellerfamiliesandcommunity,mostchildrenfromanearlyagecannarrateastoryandunderstandriddles,teasingandjokes,onthebasisofanexpandinglexiconandanabilitytoformulatecomplexsentences(seeKyuchukov2007).Thisculturalcapitalneedstobeacknowledged.
TheresponsetoschoolofTravellingpupilsiscruciallyinfluencedbythetravellingchildren’sawarenessoftheleveloftheiracceptancebyteachersandotherpupils.WherethepresenceofTravellingchildrenisopenlyacknowledged,andwhereaccurateandpositiveimagesofthedifferentnomadiccommunitiesarefeaturedwithinboththeresourcesoftheschoolandthecurriculum,thentheresponseislivelyandthereisanopennesstolearning.
Education of Travelling children(Ofsted1996)
TheprinciplevehiclebywhichschoolscandeliveraninclusiveandresponsivecurriculumisthroughQualityFirstteaching.Theoverarchingteachingandlearningofferthatisavailabletoallpupilsmustreflectnotonlythecommunitiespresentinaparticularschool,butalsotwenty-firstcenturymulti-racialandmulti-culturalsociety.
Itisimportanttorecognise,however,thattheethosthatattemptstoincludeallchildren,familiesandcommunitieswithinaframeworkofequaleducationalopportunitiesmustincludemarginalgroupswho,toofrequently,remainthevictimsofdiscriminationandsocialexclusion.Thisrequiresanhonestappraisalofprofessionalintegrity,knowledgeandskills,whichthepublicationofthesematerialsisintendedtosupportanddevelop.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Communities and cultural contextGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupilsdonotconstituteonehomogenousgroup.Inthepastfourdecadestheterm‘Traveller’hasbeenusedtodescribeawidevarietyofculturalandethnicgroupsthateitherare,orhavebeen,traditionallyassociatedwithanomadiclifestyle.Thetermthenbecameusefulshorthandforarangeofdifferentgroups,includingGypsy,Roma,TravellersofIrishheritage,fairgroundfamiliesorshowpeople,circusfamilies,NewTravellersandbargeesorcanal-boatfamilies.However,itscontinueduseasagenerictermmaybeconsideredtobeunhelpfulandpotentiallydiscriminatory,asitdoesnotrecognisespecificethniccharacteristics.
Theterm‘Traveller’startedtobeadoptedinthe1960stoavoidtheuseofderogatoryreferencessuchas‘gypsies’and‘tinkers’.Theuseofthegenerictermforalloftheseotherwiseheterogeneousgroupswasmoreforthebenefitofofficialdomthantoobligeanyexpressedwishesforself-ascriptionwithinthedifferentcommunitiesthemselves.Giventhelegalterminologysurroundingtheminorityethnicstatusofthetwomaingroups,‘Gypsy/Roma’and‘TravellersofIrishheritage’,andtheneedtobeinclusive,itwouldseemnowthatthemostappropriateterminologytodescribethegroupscollectivelywouldbe‘Gypsy,RomaandTraveller’.Thismanagestoincorporaterespectforfeltandperceivedculturaldifferenceswiththeneedformanageablesemanticterminology.ThisapproachhasbeenadoptedbytheDCSF.
Previously,lower-caseletterswerecommonlyusedfortermssuchas‘Gypsy’and‘Traveller’.Therehasbeenalongbattletoensurethatthecorrectspelling,togetherwithcapitalletters,iscommonpractice.TheOxfordEnglishDictionarynowusesthespelling‘Gypsy’(not‘Gipsy’),andalsoinitialcapitallettersfor‘Gypsy’and‘Traveller’.Itshouldbenoted,however,thatsomepresscontinuetopractiseandthereforereinforceculturalandethnicdisrespect.
GypsiesWithinthisgrouptherearealargenumberofdifferentascribedorself-ascribedterms.Theseincludenon-derogatorywordssuchas‘Gypsies’,‘Romany’,‘RomanyGypsies’,‘Travellers’,‘TraditionalTravellers’,‘Romanichals’,‘RomanichalGypsies’,‘ScottishTravellersorGypsies’,‘Nawkens’,‘WelshGypsiesorTravellers’,‘Kale’and‘Roma’.AlthoughtheCouncilofEuropehasacceptedthattheterms‘Roma’and‘Traveller’aregenerallyacceptableincollectivelydescribingallEuropeanGypsies(andTravellers),therearemanydifferentgroupsthatmayhavegeographicalorterritorialassociationsandareascribedandorself-ascribedas,forexample,‘VlachRom’,‘Rom’,‘Kalderash’,‘Manouche’,‘Sinte’,‘Tattare’,‘Kaale’,‘Cale’,‘Lavari’,‘Ursari’,‘Boyhas’and‘Luri’.
MillionsofGypsyorRomapeoplespeaktheRomanilanguage,makingitoneoftheprincipalminoritylanguagesofEurope.RomaniisanIndiclanguage,closelyrelatedtomodernHindi,whichdevelopedintheEuropeandiasporaundertheinfluenceofanumberofotherlanguages,mostnotablyByzantineGreek.ThereareoverahundreddialectsofRomaniand,althoughinthepasttherehavebeeneffortstodenythelegitimacyofRomaniasalanguage,withsomescholarsclassifyingitasaformofjargon,thereisnowbroadconsensusamonglinguistsastothewealthandunityoftheRomanilanguage.TheRomanispokenbyEnglishGypsiesisknownaspogadijib(brokentongue)andanumberofTESSreportthatitisspokenasafirstlanguagewithinsomeGypsyfamilies.ThemajorityofCentralandEasternEuropeanRomaspeakRomani.
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21TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievement
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RomaTheterm‘Roma’,althoughcoveringalargenumberofdifferentgroups,relatesbacktotheRomtribe,whowerethemaingrouptotravelthroughEuropefromtheIndiansubcontinentinaroundthetenthcentury.
AsmallnumberofRomafamiliesmigratedtoandthroughtheUKfromdifferentpartsofEuropeinthepost-waryearsupuntilthelate1980s.However,withthecollapseofcommunisminthestatesofCentralandEasternEurope,manymoreRomafamiliesmigratedtotheUK,seekingasylum.Thiswasgrantedtoaminoritywhilethemajoritysuffereddeportation.However,muchlargernumbersofRomawereabletomigratetotheUKfollowingtheaccessiontotheEuropeanUnion(EU)oftheeightnewcountriesinMay2004.OtherRomahavecometotheUKsincethesubsequentaccessionofRomaniaandBulgariatotheEUinJanuary2007.
Travellers of Irish heritageArangeofterminologyisalsousedinrelationtoTravellerswithanIrishheritage.Theseareeitherascribedorself-ascribedtoinclude‘Minceir’,‘Travellers’,‘TravellingPeople’and‘TravellersofIrishheritage’.TravellersofIrishheritagespeaktheirownlanguage,knownas‘Gammon’orsometimesreferredtoas‘Cant’,whichisalanguagewithmanyRomaniloanwords,butnotthoughttobeadialectofRomaniitself.
Other Traveller communitiesThesecommunitiesinclude:
• showpeopleandfairgroundfamilies;
• circusfamilies(Notethatfamilieswitharangeofnationalandethnicbackgroundsarefrequentlyincludedwithinthesamecircus,sopupilsinschoolmaybelearningEnglishasanadditionallanguage.);
• NewTravellers(New-AgeTraveller,New-AgeGypsies);
• familiesandpeoplelivingonboats(bargee,canal-boatandboatfamilies).
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22 TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
Appendix 2: DCSF initiatives to raise the attainmentof Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupilsTheDCSFhastakenaseriesofactionswithintheNarrowingtheGapsDivisiontoinitiatearangeofstrategiestargetingvulnerablegroups,includingGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupils.
Gypsy, Roma andTraveller Achievement ProgrammeTheNationalStrategies,Gypsy,RomaandTravellerAchievementProgrammewaslaunchedinSeptember2006,with12LAsand45schoolsandsettings.In2007theprogrammewasextended,withtheadditionof10moreLAsand40moreschools.
TheaimsoftheprogrammeweretopilotmethodologyandpedagogyaimedatimprovingoutcomesforGypsy,RomaandTravellerpupils,andtodisseminateexistingandemerginggoodpracticefromtheseandotherLAsthroughconferencesandpublicationssuchastheseguidancebooklets.
Gypsy RomaTraveller History Month (GRTHM)TheinauguralGRTHMwaslaunchedinJune2008andwasaimedatschools.ThemonthprovidedanopportunitytocelebratetheachievementsofalltheTravellingcommunities,especiallythroughthearts.Theaimwastopromotecurriculuminclusionandcommunitycohesion.
TheDCSFhasbeenproactiveinencouragingeducationalpublishersandLAstopublishmaterialsthataremoreinclusiveofthehistory,cultureandlanguagesofGypsy,RomaandTravellercommunities,intheinterestsofaffirmingculturalidentityandimprovingthequalityandaccuracyofknowledgeforallchildrenwithinthecurriculum.
In2009theNationalAssociationofTeachersofTravellersandotherprofessionals(NATT+)wasawardedDCSFfundingtocoordinateGRTHMactivities.
ResearchTheDCSF’sresearchprogrammeislinkedtotwoprojectswithafocusonGypsy,RomaandTravellerissues:
a. alongitudinalstudy,‘ImprovingtheOutcomesofGypsy,RomaandTravellerPupils’,whichencompassesaliteraturereviewandanin-depthanalysisofschools’andpupils’experiences;
b. amappingexerciseofCentralandEasternEuropeanRomasettlementinEngland,togetherwithananalysisoftheiraccesstopublicservices.
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ReferencesCouncilofEurope(2005),Teaching Kit, for Roma, Sinti and Traveller children at preschool level,CouncilofEurope,Brussels
DCSF(2006),Excellence and Enjoyment: learning and teaching for bilingual children in the primary years,professionaldevelopmentmaterials,DCSFref.0013-2006PCK-EN
DCSF(2007),Guidance on the duty to promote community cohesion,DCSF,London,DCSFref.00598-2007DOM-EN
DCSF(2007),New Arrivals Excellence Programme,DCSF,Nottingham,DCSFref.00650-2007BKT-EN
DCSF(2008),Raising the achievement of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils,DVD-ROM,DCSFref.00102-2008DVD-EN
DCSF(2008),The Inclusion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children and Young People, DCSF,Nottingham,DCSFref.00063-2008DOM-EN
DecadeWatch(2007),Roma Activists Assess the Progress of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2006,p.80
Derrington,C.andKendall,S.(2004),Gypsy Traveller Students in Secondary Schools: Culture, Identity and Achievement,StokeonTrent,TrenthamBooks,ISBN1858563208
Derrington,C.(2004),Gypsy Traveller Students in Secondary Schools: Culture, Identity and Achievement, NFER,London,TrenthamBooks,ISBN101858563208
DESCircular1/81EducationAct1980:AdmissiontoSchools,Appeals,PublicationofInformationandSchoolAttendanceOrders
DES(1985),Education for All,theReportoftheCommitteeofInquiryintotheEducationofChildrenfromEthnicMinorityGroups(TheSwannreport),London,HMSO
DfES(2002),Access and engagement: Teaching pupils for whom English is an additional language,DfESref.0609/2002(English);0251/2002(mathematics);0610/2002(science);0611/2002(ICT)
DfES(2003),Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Gypsy Traveller Pupils,DfES,Nottingham,DfESref.0443/2003
DfES(2006),Ethnicity and Education, DfESref.0208-2006DOM-EN
Equal access to quality education for Roma,Volume1,p.490,TheOpenSocietyInstitute,Budapest,2007
EuropeanCommission(2004),The Situation of Roma in an Enlarged European Union,TheEuropeanCommission–DGEmploymentandSocialAffairs,Brussels
EuropeanCouncilDirective2000/43/ECof29June2000‘Implementingtheprincipleofequaltreatmentbetweenpersonsirrespectiveofracialorethnicorigin’
Franks,M.andUreche,H.(2007),This is Who We Are,ChurchofEnglandChildren’sSociety,London
Kyuchukov,H.(2007),inEducation of Roma Children in Europe,publicationoftheExpertMeeting,Paris2007,UNESCO,CouncilofEurope
Matras,Y.(2002),Romani: A Linguistic Introduction,CambridgeUniversityPress,2002
Ofsted(1996),The Education of Travelling Children, Ofsted,London,ref.HMR/12/96/NS
Ofsted(1999),Raising the attainment of minority ethnic pupils – School and LEA responses,Ofsted,London,ref.HMI170
Ofsted(2003),Provision and support for Traveller pupils, OfstedLondon,ref.HMI455
Reiss,C.(1975),The Education of Travelling Children,TheSchoolsCouncilResearchStudies,Macmillan,London
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24 TheNationalStrategiesMovingforwardtogether:RaisingGypsy,RomaandTravellerachievementBooklet1:Introduction
Rekosh,E.andSleeper,M.(eds).(2004),Separate and Unequal – Combating Discrimination Against Roma in Education, Public Interest Law Initiative,Budapest
TreatyofAccession,theActofAccessionandFinalActofAccession,Brussels2003
UNICEF(2007),Breaking the Cycle of Exclusion – Roma Children in South East Europe,UNICEF2007
Further readingDanaher,P.A.,Combes,P.andKiddle,C.(2007),Teaching Traveller Children: Maximising Learning Outcomes,StokeonTrent:TrenthamBooks
Hancock,I.(2002),We are the Romani people,UniversityofHertfordshirePress
Levinson,M.P.andSparkes,A.C.(2006),Conflicting value-systems: Gypsy females and the home–school interface,ResearchPapersinEducation
Levinson,M.P.(2008),Not just Content, but Style: Gypsy Children traversing boundaries,ResearchinComparativeandInternationalEducation,Volume3Number3
Marks,K.(2004),Traveller Education: Changing Times, Changing Technologies,StokeonTrent:TrenthamBooks
O’Hanlon,C.andHolmes,P.(2004), The Education of Gypsy and Traveller Children: Towards Inclusion and Educational Achievement,StokeonTrent:TrenthamBooks
SavetheChildren(2006),Working Towards Inclusive Practice: Gypsy/Roma and Traveller Cultural Awareness Training and Activities for Early Years Settings,SavetheChildrenwww.savethechildren.org.uk
Tyler,C.(ed)(2005),Traveller Education: Accounts of Good Practice,StokeonTrent:TrenthamBooks
Wilkin,A.,Derrington,C.andFoster,B.(2009),Improving the Outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Pupils,LiteratureReview,DCSF-RR077
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AcknowledgementsInpreparingthisguidancewehavebenefitedfromthehelpandadviceofcolleaguesfrommanylocalauthorities.Weshouldparticularlyliketothankthosecolleaguesthatformedpartofthewritinggroup,helpingtoshapethecontentsandthestructureofthematerials.SpecialthanksgotoArthurIvattsforhisvaluablecontribution.
©Crowncopyright2009 00660-2009BKT-EN
Audience: LA strategy, EMA and TES managers and consultants, primary and secondary headteachers and teachers Date of issue: 08-2009 Ref: 00660-2009BKT-EN
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