Training the Teachers
New to working with
Gypsy Travellers?
Educational statistics
& quotes
Gov. Policies/Reports
Good Practice
Educational resources/
reports
Books
Media Articles
G&TLRC Youth
Conference
Books
Gypsy
and Traveller Books for Young People
Books about Gyspy and Traveller
Young People
CD Roms can be found on here
Resources & reports can be found here
If you have any suggestions for books to be featured on this page, drop
us an email
Friends Families and Traveller's: Tess the Traveller Stories
My Home, a series of story books
My Home story books are now available to download for free, on the FFT website, produced by Educational Advice for Travellers (E.A.T).
My Home: I Live in a Trailer: PDF version to print. View on-line
My Home: I live in a Showman's Wagon: PDF Version to print. View on-line.
My Home: I live in a Tipi: PDF Version to print. View on-line.My Home: I live in a Truck: PDF Version to print. View On-line.
Downloadable stories from the Kent County Council website:
1. One in a Million
2. Looking Back on My Gypsy Childhood, ' Early Days'.
3. In the Life of a Romany Gypsy
4. The Life and Story of May Orchard by Dorothy Orchard
5. Moving with the Times
6. Moving Stories
Gypsy and Traveller Books for Young People
Remembering Who I Am, by Janet Betsy McAllister
"Remembering Who I Am is a set of moving poems by Janet Betsy McAllister, a young Gypsy woman from Stirling. The poems' focus is on the travelling community in which she grew up.
A series of evocative photographs accompany the poems
£3.00 and available from Janet-Betsy McAllister, c/o Michelle Lloyd, 2/F Prospect House,
5 Thistle Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DF
Tel: 0131 527 8200
m.lloyd@savethechildren.org.uk
Ghosts of Ward Town
Written by Anthea Wormington, illustrated by Jenny Buchanan
This book has been written to introduce a Traveller perspective into the classroom.
A new girl comes to school. The other children welcome her by telling her ghost stories about the new town she lives in.
It is recommended for use in the National Literacy Strategy, Key Stage 2, for years 3 and 4. Included in the book are suggestions for text level work.
Download this book by chapter:
Ward Town (pdf 646 kb)
The Haunted House (pdf 493 kb)
The School (pdf 313 kb)
The Railway Station and Teachers' Notes (pdf 464 kb)
Ideas for lesson plans and cross curriculum usage can be found here:
Lesson Plans (pdf 31 kb)
Cross Curriculum Usage (pdf 20 kb) The materials are available to UK schools and Treaveller Education Services at the following prices:
Big Book - A3 size - £20.00 plus postage and packing.
A4 size - £2.50 (or £10 for 5) plus postage and packing.
A2 Poster "Ward Town" - £2 plus postage and packing.
Sold subject to availability. Plus postage and packing. Price correct at time of writing.
The Travelling People
Produced by Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets Traveller Education Support Services.
An information book written about "The Travelling People" of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which may answer a few of the many questions that teachers and non-Traveller pupils often ask. The book has been written for use in the National Literacy Strategy in Key Stages 2 and 3.
Andrew is currently developing a Key Stage 2 NLS Activity Pack to be used in the primary classroom with "The Travelling People". for use in the National Literacy Strategy. It introduces children to a variety of ways of communicating information and addresses text, sentence and word level objectives. It is suitable for Key Stages 2 and 3.
Download this book by chapter:The Travelling People (pdf 300 kb)
Ideas for cross curriculum usage can be found here: Cross Curriculum Usage
Time Line (pdf 122 kb)
Traveller or Gypsy (pdf 116 kb)
Fact File (pdf 251 kb)
Customs and Traditions (pdf 488 kb)
Glossary and Bibliography (pdf 269 kb)These materials are available to UK schools and Traveller Education Services at the following prices:
The Travelling People, Key Stage 2 National Literacy Activity Pack
Produced by Newham and Waltham Forest Traveller Education Support Services (with contributions from literacy consultants and classroom teachers).
The pack should be used alongside, "The Travelling People" pack and was developed to raise awareness of the distinctive cultures and lifestyles of the Travelling People, whilst also being a valuable curriculum resource. It includes a Literacy Plan for use during the KS2 Literacy Hour - specifically Year 5 Term 2, focusing on the non-chronological report writing genre. The pack sets out a two-week block of work, covering all the elements of the Literacy Hour.
In addition, there are supplementary photocopiable activities that compelement the Literacy Plan. These supplementary materials are adaptable for use in other year groups, and some may be developed for cross-curricular use, homework and extension activities.
Download the content of this pack here:
Circle EAL
Diamond EAL
KS2 Literacy Plan
Star EAL Activity
Travelling People Book
Supplementary Activity
Big Book - £25.00 each.
Literacy Pack - £16.00 each (or £20.00 each with a copy of the small book).
Small books for group reading at £4.00 each.
Sold subject to availability. Plus postage and packing. Price correct at time of writing.
Moving Pasts
Written by Tracie Giles and Estera Kotowicz and edited by Anthea Wormington
'Moving Pasts' contains two autobiographical accounts, one by an English Romany and the other by a Polish Roma. It has been written as an information book and is designed for use in the National Literacy Strategy, Year 6, Term 1. The book contains a 'Weekly Literacy Hour Plan' for the teachers' use.
Download this book here. Ideas for curriculum usage can be found here.
These materials are available to UK schools and Traveller Education Services at the following prices:
Moving Pasts - £5.00 each. Plus postage and packing.
Sold subject to availablity. Price correct at time of writing.
"Young Gypsies"
Essex and Southend Traveller Education Service
Written by two young people living in Basildon, Sherrie and Charlene Price. It is in their own words, and written with the suppport of their school and the TES.
It is intended for schools, but also great for anyone who wants to try to understand Sherrie and Charlene's outlook on life and their family culture. It as much emphasises the similarities between young people as well as acknowledging and respecting differences. The pages are also full of full colour photos so it is really attractive to look at as well as being a good read.
Telephone 01376 340 360 for ordering details.
There is a soft back version for £8 and a hardback for £13.
The Speak Out project explores the issue of Racist Bullying of Travellers in school and gives advice on combatting it.
The Speak Out project CD contains interviews with young Travellers, telling of their experiences of racist bullying.
This CD can be obtained from;Margaret Wood
Team for Traveller Education
CPDC, Foster Road
Trumpington, Cambridge, CB2 2NL
01223 508700
Email: margaret.wood@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
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.
Pre-school/Toddler
4 planned
Key Stage 1: ages 5 to 8
Houses and Homes (£3.10)
Key Stage 1 and 2: ages 5 to 11
When Little Monsters Come to Call (£2.05)
Finches (£3.75)
Dogs (in preparation)
Holiday Bus (in preparation)
Key Stage 2: ages 8 to 12
How Rabbits Arrived in England (£3.10)
The Christening (£3.10)
Wagons (in preparation)
Travel (in preparation)
Boxing (in preparation)
Old Crafts (in preparation)
The Rainbow Has No End (in preparation)
3 Mullo stories (in preparation)
Gypsy Horses (in preparation)
Red-Eye Ghost (in preparation)
The Appleby Ghost (in preparation)
Key Stages 2 and 3: ages 10 to 14
Hell and Damp Nation (£5.40)
Shipping and handling costs per book are:
USA/Canada: £0.75
Europe: £0.40
Elsewhere: £1.00
So far, six titles are available, but by the end of the year this is likely to be doubled; and there are over 20 in the pipeline. The Group intends producing over 100 different titles long-term. To buy the books, or obtain more information, contact:
Robert Dawson
188 Alfreton Road
Blackwell, Alfreton
Derbyshire DE55 5JH
U.K.
email: bob@robertdawson.fsnet.co.uk
Hotchiwitchi is a new range of picture books, DVDs and CDROMs developed specially for children to help them understand aspects of other kids lives. The books are entirely photographic with simple bold descriptive statements on glossy pages for durability and ease of use.
Picture Books for under five's
Stowe Fair - £3.50
12 Glossy pages with spring binding. Tells the story of a visit to Stowe Fair in vivid photos. There are no words in this book but plenty to talk about.
Play School - £3.50
There's lots to talk about when we go to our play school on the traveller site where we live.
Find Hotchiwitchi - £3.50
Hotchiwitchi is Romany for Hedgehog. children will love looking at the photos of Traveller life and seeing if they can spot our Hotchiwitchi. Coming soon - August 2005
Horses and Wagons - £3.50
Lots of glossy photos of horses and wagons from Stow fair and Gypsy and Traveller sites. Coming soon - september 2005
Johnny and his Horses Pack - £10.00
10 minute DVD Video. Plus printable worksheets and clipart as an included resource on the DVD. The programme shows traveller boy Johnny riding and looking after his horses.
Coming soon - August 2005
Stowe Fair Pack - £10.00
10 minute DVD Video. Plus printable worksheets and clipart as an included resource on the DVD. The programme shows a day at Stowe Gypsy Fair. Coming soon - August 2005
Find Hotchiwitchi CDROM - £10.00
A simple but fun interactive CDROM for PC only. Under 5s will love trying to find Hotchiwitchi and at the same time learning all about travellers lives. Includes printable worksheets and clipart. Coming soon - August 2005
for more information email wildcall - info@wildcall.co.uk
Shaun's Wellies. £6.95 (A4). Norfolk Traveller Education Service, Traveller's Resource Base, Turner Road, Norwich, NR2 4HB (01603) 766133. Picture book with captions and flaps.
Where's my Teddy?
· A book for young children set in and around a Gypsy Traveller trailer.
· Teaching positional language and celebrating diversity.
· Full colour photographs.
· 180mm x 125mm
· 16 easy-to-clean pages.
· £5.50 (including p&p - UK ONLY)Activity Pack to accompany the book, 40 photocopiable worksheets, number cards, resources for display and a lotto game. £20(including p+p - UK ONLY).
Contact:
EMTAS (Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service, Durham)
Tel: 01740 656998
or email freda.fielding@durham.gov.uk
'My Little Box of Books and Activity Pack'
The box of four books; set within the homes of Durham & Darlington Gypsies and Travellers.The books cover four themes; what the child can do, colour, number and shape. Their purpose is to support language development, to develop good practice regarding parents sharing books with their young children and to promote race equality.
£20 (including p+p - UK ONLY)Activity Pack: A fully photocopiable activity pack for the foundation stage to accompany 'My Little Box of Books';, including worksheets, games and resources for display. £25 (including p+p - UK ONLY)
Contact:
EMTAS (Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service. Durham)
Tel: 01740 656998 or email: freda.fielding@durham.gov.uk
I am a Traveller by Patrick McDonagh. Telling the story of Patrick, an Irish Traveller in London. Haringey Traveller Education, The Lodge, Church Lane, Tottenham, London, N17 8BX.
The Broken Broomstick by Karen Taylor. £5. Traveller Education Service, The Professional Centre, Woodford Lodge, Woodford Lane West, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 4EH, (01606) 557328. Rhyming couplets, cartoon type illustrations.
Traveller Alphabet. £5. Traveller Education Service, The Professional Centre, Woodford Lodge, Woodford Lane West, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 4EH, (01606) 557328. English and Romany words. Illustrated with children's drawings.
Kushti-bet. £1. Humberside Traveller Education Service, Education Centre, Coronation Road North, Hull, HU5 5RL. Alphabet book.
Just Like You by Eileen Harron. £3. Haringey Traveller Education, The Lodge, Church Lane, Tottenham, London, N17 8BX. Photographs of children and captions.
Designing a space to live in No 1: Making a Bender. £15 for 6 copies. Devon Consortium Traveller Education Service, DCC Education, Arts and Libraries Directorate, Southern Division Office, Redworth House, Ashburton Road, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5JZ
The Diddakoi by Rumer Godden. £3.99 Macmillan/Pan. For children and young adults.
Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. Story of a boy and his father with Gypsy heritage. Available from all good bookshops.
Horse Healer: Eclipse (and other stories in the horse healer series) by Judy Waite. £3.99 Scholastic Children's books, Commonwealth House, 1-19 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1NU
My Second Best Friend by Geraldine Kaye. £4.99. Scholastic Children's books, Commonwealth House, 1-19 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1NU. Story about Traveller child in school and the local community.
Traveller's homes £3. Multicultural Resource Centre, South Suffolk Professional Development Centre, Pauls Road, Ipswich IP2 0AN. (01473) 584212 Photo pack with notes and suggestions for activities
Romanichal Gypsies, by Thomas Acton and David Gallant. £10.99. Wayland Publishers, 61 Weston Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 1JD (01273) 722561. Information on Gypsy history and culture.
Moving with the times by Goodiy Reilly. £2.95 or £10 for 6 copies. Devon Consortium Traveller Education Service, DCC Education, Arts and Libraries Directorate, Southern Division Office, Redworth House, Ashburton Road, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5JZ Autobiographical accounts of Irish Traveller women.
Looking Back on my Gypsy Childhood by Louise Orchard. £4 Devon Consortium Traveller Education Service, DCC Education, Arts and Libraries Directorate, Southern Division Office, Redworth House, Ashburton Road, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5JZ.
One in a million £7.95 Essex County Council Education Department, Information Services (Publications) PO Box 47, Chelmsford, CM1 1LD
Moving Stories by Southwark Traveller Womens Group. Traveller Education Team c/o Ilderton School, Varcoe Road, London, SE16 3LA. Irish Traveller women write about issues of importance to them. Note passage on birth pp12-13
Gypsy Camera by Tony Boxall. £9.95 Creative Monochrome, 20 St Peters Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 1HD. Family photographs and text
Books about Gyspy and Traveller Young People
Learning is fun (2005)
Early Education for Traveller Children
Produced by the Liverpool Traveller Education Services to inform parents and carers from the Traveller Comunity about the learning opportunities availbale ofr their children within Early Years setting and encourage them to access the provision.
To obtain a copy, please email John Cole, Liverpool Traveller Education Service
Working with Travellers, A practical guide for play, youth and community groups.
National Playbus Association. 46pp. This book outlines the history and culture of the three major Travelling groups (Irish, Roma, New Travellers) and examines practical ways of working with each of the groups.
£10 including P&P from:
Juliet Wilson, Development Officer (Scotland).
National Playbus Association, Norton Park, 57 Albion Road, EDINBURGH, EH7 5QY
Email: julietw@playbus.org.uk
Or order it from the playbus website or amazon.co.uk
Gypsy Traveller Students in Secondary Schools: Culture, Identity and Achievement, by: Chris Derrington and Sally Kendall, published by Trentham BooksThey 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)
A copy of the report: Gypsy Traveller Students in Secondary Schools: Culture, Identity and Achievement, by: Chris Derrington and Sally Kendall, published by Trentham Books, ISBN 1 85856 320 8, £17.99
can be obtained by contacting: 01782 745 567 or visiting the website: http://www.trentham-books.co.uk/ or Amazon.co.uk
Links:
To read a longer summary of the report, visit www.nfer.ac.uk
Educating Gypsy and Traveller pupils
This 16-page pamphlet highlights the key issues associated with the education of children and young people from the Gypsy and Traveller communities - a group described by Ofsted as "the children most at risk in the education system. They are too often 'out of sight and out of mind' ". It describes the different groups making up the Traveller community, the prejudice and discrimination from which they suffer, their view of school education, what schools and local authorities can do and the work of Traveller Education Services.
£5 (discounts for bulk orders)
Click here to download order form
Traveller Education: changing times, changing technologies, by: Ken Marks
Price £10.99 , September 2004
This report is the outcome of the Linksing and Mobility project (E-LAMP) which was sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation and coordinated by the National association of the Teachers of Travellers. Many Circus, Fairground and Gypsy children miss out on schooling opportunities during their travelling seasons. E-LAMP set out to explore the potential of developments in ICT to enhance distance learning provision for these children.The study looked at the role of LEA-based Traveller Education Support Services and schools in supporting these children as well as examining Linksing developments for other children in out-of-school situations, such as children with medical needs and excluded pupils. This exercise suggested growth points for future development but also highlighted important practical and policy issues which will need to be addressed if progress is to be made, particularly within the secondary sector.
The report contains suggestions and recommendations from the E-Lamp steering group and also includes an interim evaluation of an important new project, E-LAMP2, and a parallel project in Leicestershire. Both projects are exploring the use of laptops with data cards which can link young Traveller learners to the internet and to their schools.
The author Ken Marks is a research Associate within the 'Inclusive Education and Equality Research Centre' which is part of the structure of the Department of Educational Studies at the University of Sheffield. He has been working with the department for the past eight years and has a particular interest in the use of new technologies to support Traveller children. Most of his work has had a European focus, supporting initiatives developed by the European Federation for the Education of the Children of Occupational Travellers (EFECOT) until 2003 when its operational role ceased.
Purchase this report from http://www.trentham-books.co.uk/ or Amazon.co.uk
Traveller Education: accounts of good practice, edited by: Chris Tyler, Price £16.99, February 2005
This is a handbook for all schools that have Traveller pupils. It moves beyond the issues surrounding their low educational attainment and attendance in schools to outline good practice, based on proven success in schools.
Chapters deal with principles of inclusion, meeting the needs of Traveller pupils, tackling access and attendance, supporting mobile pupils. The sectors are each considered: opportunities for early years education, resources at foundation and key stage 1, Literacy for All and other curriculum partnerships at key stage 2, good cross phase practice, overcoming the barriers to secondary students effectively. Other chapters are devoted to housed Travellers and supporting distance learning.
The contributors are Arthur Ivatts; Brian Foster and Hilary Horton; Lucy Beckett; Claire Norris, Carol Ward and Sue Itzinger; Anne Jefford and Kate Stockdale; Kanta Wild-Smith; Lorna Daymond; Margaret Wood; Sue Green and Louise Stokoe; Barbara Blaney; Jim Donovan; Ken Marks; the Bucks METAS. Their professionalism and successful approaches are models for practitioners wanting to enhance the educational attainment of what is still the lowest achieving group in schools. The collection will be invaluable to everyone involved in the education of Traveller children, providers, trainers and workers in related fields.
Purchase this book from http://www.trentham-books.co.uk/ or Amazon.co.uk
Here to Stay: The Gypsies and Travellers of Britain
by Colin Clark & Margaret Greenfields £14.99 (Previously published as /Moving On/ in 1999)
An up-to-date, challenging and insightful look at Gypsies in Britain today.
"Here to Stay" is a completely new edition of the standard introduction for professionals. Part One describes the Gypsies and Travellers as people, their origins and their different groups, Part Two considers government policy and its effect on the Gypsy community, Part Three discusses their place in British society, and Part Four looks at human rights within the European dimension.
ISBN 1-902806-33-6
May 2006
Paperback £14.99 / US$29.95
For more, click here
That's Who I Am
The influx, since the early 1990s, of East European Rroma gypsies into the UK has brought with it a number of issues, both for the Rroma themselves who are often left struggling to survive and for the service providers trying to help them. What is apparent is that there is a gap between perceived knowledge of the Rroma and the often more complex realities.That's Who I Am provides a comprehensive and pragmatic insight into the Romanian Rroma, raising awareness of a wide range of cultural, historical and behavioural issues. It has been written in partnership with young Romanian Rroma, service providers and experts and is aimed at all professionals who have a need for wide ranging information about Rroma culture and lifestyles to inform their practice as well as those people who are interested and willing to face their preconceptions about the Rroma.
That's Who I Am concentrates on a group of young Rroma in north London but its findings are equally relevant to those living in other areas of the UK.
That's Who I Am comprises of an in-depth study report and a short film, which was produced, scripted and edited by a group of Young Romanian Rroma. Both report and film can be found on the CD-Rom enclosed. A summary report opposite offers a brief introduction into the issues surrounding Rroma young people as well as key learning points and recommendations.
That's Who I Am is produced by The Children's Society's Romanian Rroma Children at Risk Project. It is funded by The Railway Children, a charity working for runaway and abandoned children who live in or around the world's railway stations.
Buy it from the Children Society's website or email heather.ureche@childrensscoirty.org.uk
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
