Joined-up working for education in travelling communities

Slide 1: On the move with Scotland’s Travelling Communities: Supporting learning and teaching; Connecting learners and teachers.

Slide 3: Gypsy and Traveller Communities across the UK • Scottish Travellers - Gypsies/Travellers Scotland’s oldest indigenous ethnic minority • Irish Travellers, Romani or Romanichals from England & South Wales • European Roma Gypsies - 20th & 21st centuries (EAL) • Occupational Travellers; Fair and Show Travellers, circus Travellers • New Travellers • People not belonging to any of above who live in caravans

Slide 5: Where do Travellers live? Where do Travellers live? • Local authority sites, private sites, roadside encampments, yards and houses • Many Traveller families live in houses for all or part of the year, but retain their diverse cultural identities and family-based lifestyles

Slide 7: How many Gypsy and Traveller pupils attend Scottish schools? • National statistics on ethnicity • Unreliable figures due to non- disclosure • Why Traveller families hide their cultural identities?

Slide 9: Gypsies and Travellers barriers to education • Many non-Travellers still view discrimination of Travellers as socially acceptable racism • Shared feature of differentiated histories, cultures and family based life- styles - mobility -experience of interrupted learning • Traveller pupils’ learning needs are as diverse as many mainstream pupil population

Slide 11: Highly mobile children may find it difficult to access a ‘school-based’ education • Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act (2000) – entitlement to ‘a school education’ • National Guidance- Inclusive Education for Gypsies and Travellers (2003) • Additional Support for Learning Act (2004) & Code of Practice (2006) • HMIe’s HGIOS -Taking a closer look at Inclusion and Equality: Meeting the needs of Gypsies and Travellers (2005) • Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000)

Slide 13: Encouraging families to send children & young people to school? Outreach working with families to make and maintain trust between families and: – Designated teachers (also called dedicated) – Site managers – School staff – Colleagues from other agencies offering support Interagency working within a local authority and across local authority boundaries

Slide 14: The long way round – a case study

Slide 16: Good communications are vital! • Designated staff – accompany school staff to home visits – accompany parents to meetings at school • School staff - establish direct communications between Traveller family and school staff - Travellers may not read or understand written communications - including school booklets - Pick up the phone - be a good listener - respect privacy of information - regularly update emergency contacts

Slide 18: Multi-agency working • Clearly identify role • Issues that impact on education • Facilitate access to information and services • Networks of support – local and national • Sharing of information • Transference of trust

Slide 20: Traveller parents’ concerns about schools • Personal experience • Their own lack of literacy • Security of children away from family • Social exclusion, bullying and racism • Different values and expectations • Cultural differences

Slide 22: Enrolment - flexible beginnings Offer help (sensitively) if required with the following: • Which school? • Transport from site • Form filling for uniforms for meals • Attendance and absence (STEP DVD) • Let family know that school staff understand about travelling lifestyles • & that child’s return is welcomed by the school

Slide 24: Curriculum for Excellence • Be aware of and celebrate skills valued by Gypsy and Traveller families • Many pupils within their own communities are well on their way:

Slide 26: successful learners

Slide 28: confident individuals

Slide 30: responsible citizens

Slide 32: effective contributors

Slide 33: Assessment is for Learning - reflecting achievement Would children from non- Traveller communities be able to identify • A lurcher • A Weippert • A screeve • Standard formal testing often inappropriate as culturally irrelevant & insufficiently flexible

Slide 35: Mismatch between learning priorities & skills • Formal literacy/numeracy - shaped by age/stage approaches - clash with Oral cultures • Interrupted learning or learning difficulties? • Ask a pupil “what do you feel you need to learn?” • Children learning formal skills at a later stage may progress quickly - prioritise • Place according to ability rather than level of attainment - RELAX many ways to record success!!!

Slide 37: Inclusive educational approaches Class teachers support? • Colleagues at school • Learning Support • Support Services - designated teacher • Scottish Traveller Education Programme • Traveller Education Network (TENET) • LTScotland - Inclusive education • HMIe

Slide 39: Inclusive educational strategies • Relax and allow a settling in period • Assessment is for Learning - specialist resources e.g. IRAG • Flexible placing & timetabling, regardless of age/stage • Working with others - buddies • explaining the school day, scribing, helping with reading instructions, paired reading, sharing ICT literacy support - just what you would do for all pupils

Slide 41: Children feel included if lifestyles are reflected in class room resources & displays • Resources representing Gypsy and Traveller cultures available for all pupils • Resources to meet differences between age and stage available for all pupils with interrupted learning

Slide 43: Homework - additional support needs? Offer same opportunities as for other pupils, BUT - • Be understanding about non-completion – Family not able to support – May not have resources for homework • Opportunity for school to be creative in use of Additional Support for Learning - good practice - Review homework help for all pupils - Homework club on site?

Slide 45: Alternative provision • Learning in out of school settings • Avoidance of racism – safe environment • Learning seen as relevant • Limited provision – dependant on time provision and resources • Maintain contact – lifelong learning • Access to accreditation?

Slide 47: Distance learning - ICT supported futures • Gypsy and Traveller learners (and others with interrupted learning) • Gypsy & Traveller families • class and designated teachers of Travellers (TENET) • ICT development and support officers • Education Authorities • GLOW services • LTScotland • Scottish Traveller Education Programme • Voluntary Organisations supporting Travellers • Scottish Government

Slide 48: Useful websites www.scottishtravellered.net (STEP’s website providing contacts, networks, publications, papers, cultural information and resources for teachers) www.natt.org Professional organisation of teachers of Travellers sharing good practice, information and resources. www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/02/2808393 2/0 (for statistics)