ABSTRACT
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children attend every type of school and early years’ setting throughout the UK. They are all different and individual, but it is recognised officially that, as a group, they are the most ‘at risk’ in the education system in terms of their attendance, engagement and attainment (Ofsted 1999a: 7). National attainment data show that, while attainment levels for most groups of pupils in our schools have improved over the past few years, in the case of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils these levels have actually deteriorated (DCSF 2009b). So who are these children, and why are they underperforming so dramatically in our schools? The government’s education department uses the generic term ‘Gypsy, Roma
and Traveller’ (GRT) to embrace a number of different communities. Some families from these communities no longer travel and have settled permanently in one place; others maintain a nomadic lifestyle and travel almost continuously or on a seasonal basis between different parts of the country. Children from the most highly mobile communities (for example, those who move around frequently because they have no legal place to stay) typically experience a fragmented education which, not surprisingly, has a negative impact on their attendance and attainment at school. They might attend many different schools, each for a short period of time, provided there are places available. Others might spend considerable periods (months or even years) out of school altogether. Children who travel on a seasonal basis due to their parents’ work patterns (for example, Fairground families) are often enrolled at a ‘base’ school all year round, even though they only attend physically during the winter months. Some of these children then continue to receive their education when they are travelling by means of distance-learning materials provided by their base school. However, most Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families these days live per-
manently on authorised sites or in houses, either by choice, or because there is no other legal option available to them. This may surprise you. Some people assume, wrongly, that you can’t be a Traveller if you live in a house.
Furthermore, if the majority of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children now live in housing or on a permanent site, then why should they have the lowest attainment at all Key Stages, and why is the gap getting wider instead of narrower? This chapter aims to help you understand and address the particular needs of
this diverse group of children and young people.
