Inclusion of Gypsy Roma and Travellers.
April 2008
Department for Children Schools and Families.
As Andrew Adonis the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools and Learners wrote in September 2007:
“Working towards and achieving good practice in the education of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and young people is the responsibility of everyone within the education system – the DCSF, local authorities, schools, teachers, governors, Travel ler Education Support Services, parents and pupils”.
http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF-00063-2008&
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Racist Bullying, 2006
The DfES information on Racist Bullying which can be accessed through the following link; http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/behaviour/tacklingbullying
/racistbullying/introduction
Follow the link to :
Forms of prejudice and intolerance
“Anti-Traveller prejudice” it was pointed out that prejudice towards Gypsy and Traveller people continues to be “respectable” in many quarters and that it is a significant factor affecting the lives and life-chances of children and young people who are targeted by it. A further negative consequence is that the task of winning the trust of children and young people of Gypsy and Traveller backgrounds is rendered even more difficult and sensitive.
It was pointed out, with regard to cultural racism, that sections of the print media frequently create, and then exacerbate, moral panics amongst their readers. This makes rational discussion and deliberation all but impossible, not only in the media themselves but also in wider society, including schools.
It was recommended at the consultative conferences that, in recording racist incidents, there should be distinct and separate categories for those affecting people of Muslim heritage, Gypsies and Travellers, and refugees”.
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Ethnic Identity, Ofsted, 2006
FAQs from DfES website; http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/faqs/763517/#33
This outlines the use of Gypsy Roma, rather than Gypsy in ethnic monitoring, how Gypsies are identified and monitored at school.
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National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England 2005 SFR 09/2006
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000640/SFR09_2006.pdf
Travellers mentioned page 2 and page 6;
Page 2
Minority ethnic groups with lower achievement than the national average
Gypsy/Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils perform considerably below the national average at all Key Stages and at GCSE and equivalent. However, it should be noted that very small numbers of pupils were recorded in these two categories.
- For example, at Key Stage 2, just over a quarter of Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils and around a third of Gypsy/Roma pupils achieved the expected level in KS2 English and Maths compared to at least three quarters of all pupils on average (Table 5).
The attainment of these groups has improved since 2004 in some subjects and Key Stages but declined in others. For example:
- Higher percentages of Gypsy/Roma pupils achieved the expected level at every subject in KS2 in 2005 compared to 2004. The increases for this group were the highest of any ethnic group.
- The percentage of Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils achieving the expected level in each subject at Key Stage three has declined since 2004.
Page 6
The main differences between the old and new sets of codes are the introduction of the following ethnic categories: four Mixed heritage categories (White and Black Caribbean; White and Black African; White and Asian; Any other mixed background); Traveller of Irish Heritage; Gypsy/Roma.
Pupils in the Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma ethnic groups are known to be underrepresented in the Annual School Census and also have a high proportion of absence during the tests/exams. Additionally, numbers appear to decline with each Key Stage (only a third of the number of Gypsy/Roma pupils are recorded at GCSE and equivalent compared to Key Stage 1; and less than a half of Travellers of Irish Heritage are recorded at GCSE and equivalent compared to Key Stage 1). Thus, attainment by these groups is distorted. Pupils in these groups are also disproportionately identified as presenting with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
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Race equality in education: Good practice in schools and local education authorities, Ofsted. Nov. 2005
This survey report illustrates good practice in work on race equality and education in schools and local authorities in England.
The survey found that effective incorporation of matters on race and diversity into the curriculum can contribute to teaching and learning and support pupils’ attainment. It also noted that effective guidance and strong leadership on handling race-related incidents in schools contributed to better racial harmony within such schools. The survey also commented that effective use of attainment data and other material contributed to raising the attainment of minority ethnic groups.
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Ethnicity and Education: The Evidence on Minority Ethnic Pupils January 2005
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/links_and_publications
Minority Ethnic Pupils aged 5-16 Across primary and secondary schools some 11,600 pupils were recorded as Travellers of Irish Heritage or Gypsy/Roma in 2006, compared to 10,330 in 2004 – a 12% increase in numbers.
This compares to a 1.4% decrease in the total number of pupils in primary and secondary schools. However, as noted in the previous topic paper, figures for these two minority ethnic groups are likely to be unreliable and Ofsted have estimated much higher numbers of these pupils in schools than are officially recorded.
Page10
High proportions of Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy Roma pupils are eligible for free school meals. For example, two thirds of Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils are eligible for free school meals in primary compared to 18% of all pupils.
Page 16
The proportion of Gypsy/Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils who have met or are working beyond the Early Learning Goals is below average across all of the scales, and is, on average, between 20-30 percentage points lower than the average for all pupils. The percentage of pupils meeting this threshold is especially low in the Communication, Language and Literacy learning area. The proportion of pupils in the Traveller of Irish Heritage group who have met or are working beyond the Early Learning Goals is lower in 2005 than it was in 2004 and the gap between this group and the average for all pupils has widened in all except one of the scales (see Figure 21). In contrast, the attainment of the Gypsy/Roma group has largely improved since 2004, and this has resulted in a narrowing of the attainment gap for this group on all but one of the scales. However, these results should be treated with caution due to the small number of pupils in each of these groups.
Page 34
Gypsy/Roma and Traveller pupils have extremely low attainment. Moreover, we estimate that many children from these groups are not recorded in the Annual School Census, are not present during Key Stage assessments, and/or do not continue in education up until Key Stage 4.
Page 39
Gypsy/Roma, Traveller of Irish Heritage and White & Black Caribbean pupils continue to perform less well than similar White British pupils during secondary school.
Page 43
Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma pupils also have lower value added scores than White British pupils across primary and secondary, and therefore make less progress than White British pupils with similar prior attainment, across all the Key Stages.
Page 45
After the transition to secondary school, between Key Stages 2 to 4 all of these groups except the two Traveller groups and the White & Black Caribbean group go on to make more progress than White British pupils with similar characteristics and levels of prior attainment.
Page 47
White British pupils identified in the low attaining group at Key Stage 1 in 2000 had a 30% chance of moving out of it 4 years later at KS2. In comparison Gypsy/Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils in the low attaining group at KS1 only had just over a 10% chance of moving out of it 4 years later (11% and 13% respectively).
Page 48
A quarter of White British who were low attainers at Key Stages 2 and 3 were able to move out of the low attaining group at KS4 compared to around 10% of Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma pupils.
Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma pupils who were not low attainers at Key Stage 1 had the greatest chance of moving into the low attaining group at Key Stage 2 (33% and 29% respectively) compared to White British, Indian and Chinese pupils who had less than a 10% chance of becoming low attainers.
Page 49
The percentage of pupils achieving 5+A*-C including English and Maths at GCSE and equivalent in 2005 is shown in Table 8 in section 3.1 and in Figure 28 (alongside the equivalent figures for 2004). The percentage of pupils gaining 5+A*-C including English and Maths has increased from 2004-2005 for every ethnic group, with the exception of the Traveller of Irish Heritage group.
Page 57
The percentage of boys and girls achieving 5+A*-C at GCSE has increased since 2003 for all ethnic groups apart from the two Traveller groups, as Figure 35 shows.
Page 65
Apart from the Gypsy/Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage groups, White British FSM boys are the lowest attaining group of FSM boys in every year, followed by Black Other and Black Caribbean FSM boys.
With the exception of the two Traveller groups, the lowest performing group of FSM girls is the White British group, followed by the White & Black Caribbean group.
Page 67
The Gypsy/Roma, Traveller of Irish Heritage and White & Black Caribbean pupils make less progress than similar White British pupils across all phases of education.
White British FSM pupils are less likely to achieve 5+A*-C at GCSE than FSM pupils from other ethnic groups (with the exception of the two traveller groups).
Page 69
In 2002/03, permanent exclusion:
-Rates among Gypsy/Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils were around four times the rate for all pupils – Page 87
-The highest rates of fixed period of exclusions are for 5 groups: Gypsy/Roma, Traveller of Irish Heritage, Black Caribbean, Mixed heritage White & Black Caribbean and Black Other pupils – Page 89
- The permanent and fixed period exclusion rates for Gypsy/Roma, Traveller of Irish Heritage, pupils are a lot higher than the average for all pupils, and have increased since 2002/03.
Page 91
Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma pupils are over-represented among many categories of SEN, including Moderate, and Severe Learning Difficulties, and BESD. The literature suggests a number of factors ranging from those associated with school such as negative teacher attitudes, racism and bullying, and a curriculum perceived as lacking relevance, to factors associated with Traveller cultures, such as high mobility, poor attendance and early drop out from school. However, the research base on this group is limited and therefore these conclusions are indicative only.
Page 94
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The Education of Gypsy Traveller Learners: A survey of provision made by schools and local authorities to meet the needs of Gypsy Traveller learners, Wales, 2005
Read the PDF document at:http://www.estyn.gov.uk/publications/Remit_8_04_05_Education_Gypsy_
Main Findings:
- Many LEAs provide support to schools through a Traveller Education Service. The quality of this support is mostly good and in some cases very good.
- Gypsy Traveller learners generally have poor attendance rates and very few Gypsy Traveller learners attend a secondary school.
- Most of the teaching of Gypsy Traveller learners is of good quality, particularly in primary schools.
- The Welsh Assembly Government allocates funds to LEAs and schools based on learner numbers and historical allocation, without sufficient emphasis on the needs of learners.
- The figures used to allocate funds to LEAs do not always accurately reflect the number of Gypsy Traveller learners within the LEA.
- Many Gypsy Traveller learners have low levels of basic skills and often few social skills.
- Many schools and LEAs do not have policies in place to address the specific needs of Gypsy Traveller learners.
- Very few schools have identified opportunities within the curriculum to promote the positive aspects of Gypsy Traveller culture.
- LEAs and schools generally lack awareness of good practice and strategies to support Gypsy Traveller learners.
- Few Gypsy Traveller learners complete homework.
Recommendations:
LEAs and schools should:
- find ways to improve attendance and increase the numbers of Gypsy Traveller children attending secondary schools;
- ensure that they have policies that address the specific needs of Gypsy Traveller learners; and
- ensure that the curriculum promotes the positive aspects of Gypsy Traveller culture.
The Welsh Assembly Government should:
- should collaborate with local authorities to identify and put in place appropriate arrangements to enable staff, with responsibilities for Gypsy Traveller learners, to discuss common issues and share best practice; and
- should ensure that data collected is accurate and consistent and consider ways in which funding can be allocated so that it places a greater emphasis on the needs of learners.
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“Youth Matters” DfES Green Paper 2005
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/ Youth%20mattters%20pdf.pdf
Page 13 of Youth Matters DfES Green Paper acknowledges;
49. There are significant differences in educational attainment across different ethnic groups. Some groups, including Chinese, Indian and Irish pupils, are consistently above the national average at all ages, while others, including Black- African, Black-Caribbean, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Gypsy Roma pupils and Travellers of Irish heritage, are consistently below the national average.
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Ethnicity & Education: The Evidence on Minority Ethnic Pupils
DfES Research Topic Paper (RTP01-05) published January 2005.
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RTP01-05.pdf
This Research Paper includes evidence about Gypsy/Roma and Travellers of Irish Heritage pupils.
- It acknowledges; The figures for the two Traveller groups, Gypsy/Roma and Travellers of Irish Heritage, are probably the least reliable. (page 3)
- Over half of pupils recorded as Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma are eligible for free school meals compared to 16 percent of all pupils. This is the highest of any ethnic group. (page 6)
- The Foundation Stage Profile consists of Early Learning Goals; the lowest performing are Travellers of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma children.
- Both Gypsy/Traveller groups have extremely low attainment. Although it is estimated that many children from these groups are not recorded in the Annual School Census, are not present during key stage assessments and/or do not continue in education up till Key Stage 4, for those that have a recorded result, attainment is very low:
* At Key Stage 1, 28 percent of Travellers of Irish Heritage and 42 percent of Gypsy/Roma pupils achieved Level 2 or above in Reading compared to 84 percent of all pupils.
* At Key Stage 4, 42 percent of Travellers of Irish Heritage and 23 percent of Gypsy/Roma pupils achieved 5+ A*-C GCSE/GNVQs compared to 51 percent of all pupils.†(page 9)
-Table 2 shows a widening attainment gap for Gypsy/Roma and Travellers of Irish Heritage. (page 12)
- The research acknowledges there is no national data on school attendance by ethnicity. (page 17)
-Travellers of Irish Heritage were the ethnic group most likely to be permanently excluded in 2002/03. Though actual numbers were small, their rate of exclusion was nearly four times that of overall rates. Gypsy Roma were third most likely; 0.01 point below Black Caribbean pupils. (page 19)
- The research shows differences in SEN identification; Traveller groups more likely to have identified SEN Gypsy/Roma, Travellers of Irish Heritage and Pakistani pupils being more likely to be attending a special school (page 21 & 22)
- Travellers of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma pupils are more likely to be over-represented in nearly all SEN types. (page 24)
- The research quotes Parsons et al. who analysed schools compliance with the Race Relations Amendment Act. A number of factors were identified that could help support fulfilment of the schools race equality duties:
* Public commitment through regular review of policies.
* Training for curriculum content for a multi-ethnic society; for classroom management; specifically for governors on their role in relation to minority ethnic issues and exclusions.
* Specific projects such as mentoring, counselling, youth work and preventative initiatives for vulnerable groups.
* Constructive links with minority ethnic community organisations. (page 20)
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Every Child Matters, Green Paper 2003
Although the Green Paper does not mention Gypsy Traveller Young People directly, the effects of the paper are multi-agency and have a direct impact. The subsequent anaylsis of the paper, saw the use of “hard-to-reach” young people, which Gypsy and Traveller Young People are often categorised as (see Every Child Matters: Learning to Listen, 2005 above)
The Paper:
Every Child Matters: Change for Children is a new approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19. The Government’s aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:
* Be healthy
* Stay safe
* Enjoy and achieve
* Make a positive contribution
* Achieve economic well-being
This means that the organisations involved with providing services to children – from hospitals and schools, to police and voluntary groups – will be teaming up in new ways, sharing information and working together, to protect children and young people from harm and help them achieve what they want in life. Children and young people will have far more say about issues that affect them as individuals and collectively.
Over the next few years, every local authority will be working with its partners, through children’s trusts, to find out what works best for children and young people in its area and act on it. They will need to involve children and young people in this process, and when inspectors assess how local areas are doing, they will listen especially to the views of children and young people themselves.
For more visit: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/
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Provision and support for Traveller pupils
Office for Standards in Education, December 2003
Background to the report
Ofsted visited 37 primary schools and ten secondary schools in 11 Local Education Authorities (LEAs) 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.
Concerns
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 LEAs to track the progress and achievement of Traveller pupils is very variable between LEAs (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 LEAs on the subject.
Quotes:
- The average attendance rate for Traveller pupils is around 75%. This figure is well below the national average and is the worst attendance profile of any minority ethnic group.
- There is a growing trend among Traveller Families for secondary age pupils, in particular, to be educated at home. The adequacy, suitability and quality of such provision are very uneven and raise serious concerns.
- The curriculum in many schools provides good opportunities to celebrate and affirm different cultures and life styles. Too often, however, attempts to include those of Traveller communities are purely incidental and often divorced from the mainstream efforts of schools to promote race equality for all pupils. In too many schools, Traveller pupils are an “unseen” minority 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.
Achievements
However, the report also states that Traveller pupils make satisfactory to good progress in the short term, and that most LEA 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 LEA, 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.
This report can be downloaded in full from
www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications
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Inclusive Educational Approaches for Gypsies and Travellers (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 arrangement”.
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
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Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Gypsy Traveller Pupils (2003)
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.
Quotes:
“Any school, anywhere, may have Gypsy Traveller pupils on roll. Raising the achievement of Gypsy Traveller pupils is the responsibility of everyone within the education system and significant measure of the effectiveness of polices to combat educational and social exclusion. Foisted has shown that Gypsy Traveller pupils, mostly Gypsy/Roma or Travellers of Irish Heritage, have the lowest results of any ethnic minority group and are the groups most at risk in the education system”
The research and guidance is due to be updated in 2006.
www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/links_and_publications
For details as to how this guidance is used, visit Gypsy and Traveller Achievement on Department of Education and Skills “The Standards Site” :http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/raising_achievement/
The site also contains an excellent FAQ concerning raising the acheivement of Gypsy and Traveller pupils:http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities/faqs/gandtpupils/
