ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how inclusive practitioners' own settings are with regard to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) culture and heritage, regardless of whether a GRT child attends the setting. It describes reflexivity regarding practitioners' own personal values and beliefs and a consideration of inclusive practice with regard to GRT culture and heritage. 'Inclusion' tends to be the term that educationalists in the UK prefer to use because it implies adjustments to policies and practice to take account of community needs and aspirations. An inclusive approach to practice must be one where difference is considered both normal and wanted, as opposed to re-shaping children or being unresponsive to their individualism. The view that education is a tool for empowering Gypsies and Travellers and facilitating an inclusive approach in schools is argued by Richardson and Ryder (2012), who suggest that the constant bullying, racism and clash of cultures can be viewed as an agent for assimilation.
