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Gypsies and Travellers in Scotland: Frequently Asked Questions about Education

This section is mainly aimed at Teachers and others working in education.

The suggestions below may be helpful for teachers and support staff working with the most mobile pupils who may spend only a short time in your school. Children of fairground families will tend to have more formal arrangements with particular schools and return to these schools each winter.

What might help a new Traveller pupil settle in?
Are there any resources I can use?
How can I find out what work they may already have done?
How can I best help a pupil who may be with the school for only a short period?
What about Travellers who settle down in my area or who live in houses all year round? What do I need to know?
How do I note their attendance?

What might help a new Traveller pupil settle in?

Within your local authority there may be one or more teachers designated to support the education of Traveller pupils. Liaison with this teacher will be very helpful to you in ensuring the new pupil settles in happily.

If there is more than one family member joining the school, consideration should be given to placing the siblings in the same class, if they would find that supportive.

Are there any resources I can use?

There is a small but growing number of resources for direct use by teachers working with pupils from the Traveller communities. STEP maintains a lending library of resources; books, workbooks, activity sheets and videos, often produced in consultation with Travellers – with a particularly good variety of material for use with younger pupils.

STEP also has books and videos which may be useful in helping Traveller parents and their children overcome some of the anxiety they may feel about coming to school.

STEP can suggest and provide some background reading for teachers and other staff who may be working with children from Traveller families for the first time.

How can I find out what work they may already have done?

Ask the child and family. They may be able to show a Hand-Held Record. Some families use this folder successfully to keep a record of the work they do as they move from school to school. If the school feels that they need more detail or if the hand-held record is not available, it is possible to use an Assessment Pack. This is available on loan from STEP and allows the teacher to check numeracy and literacy levels so that appropriate differentiated material can then be provided.

How can I best help a pupil who may be with the school for only a short period?

All pupils work best when they are happy and friendships, however brief, are always important. Assigning a 'buddy' for the new pupil is often worthwhile. Contact with home may be best made by phone rather than in writing, as many older Travellers cannot read and write. This may also alert the school to plans for moving on and allow the teacher to prepare a note of work completed and significant achievements to help the next school.

What about Travellers who settle down in my area or who live in houses all year round? What do I need to know?

Many of the same resources may be useful in working with housed Travellers, where they are happy to make their background known to the school. Continued sensitivity to Traveller cultural heritage will be important for housed Traveller families.

How do I note their attendance?

The Scottish Executive have prepared Guidelines on Absence and Attendance for Scottish schools, which includes specific information for recording details for Gypsy and Traveller pupils SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE CIRCULAR 5/03 – ADDENDUM, located at www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/ac503a-00.asp.