Curriculum for Excellence, Assessment, Community and Lifelong learning and the innovative use of Glow and other learning technologies applies to all learners. Supported by Education Scotland, Scotland’s educational developments are opportunities for Scotland’s Travelling communities. Working with TENET colleagues, STEP aims to highlight how best such developments can be accessed for Travelling children and young people not able or willing to regularly attend school. |
My Learning at a Glance and the Initial Rapid Assessment Guide (IRAG) are Scottish resources developed with Travelling families to support Travelling children’s and young people’s smoother transition from one school to another, or from one Traveller Education support team to another.
 The My Learning at a Glance booklet is designed to provide basis information about a child’s learning so that they can be quickly placed in appropriate learning settings. The document, designed to accommodate Curriculum for Excellence, has relevance for any learner experiencing mobility due to family circumstances.
The child should be encourage to bring this document to school where a teacher can add information prior to the child’s travelling onto another school. To help support a child’s continuity in learning, a copy of each pupil’s record at a school should be placed in each pupil’s Personal Pupil Record file.
 The IRAG provides activities to allow a teacher working in a non-school setting to quickly assess a child’s learning needs. In schools, its usual assessment processes can be used.
Teachers are encouraged to use these documents in conjunction with leaflets below to help overcome the negative impact of interruptions to learning. |
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KEEPING IN TOUCH - parental leaflet for
Scotland’s Gypsy/Traveller families (PDF format)
This leaflet is designed to encourage Travelling parents’ engagement with their children’s and young people’s formal education. This parental leaflet explains the importance of keeping in touch with schools for mobile families particularly as Children Missing from Education (CME) initiatives are concerned to know that all children are safe and well and engaged in education. |
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The second edition of the National Guidance, is updated to take account of Curriculum for Excellence (STEP, 2011).
This resource was redrafted by TENET colleagues with support from HMI and Learning and Teaching Scotland, prior to their amalgamation as Education Scotland. Education Scotland is a new national body responsible for supporting quality and improvement in learning and teaching from early years to adult and community learning. |
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(2005)
An HMIE development in its How Good is Our School Self-Evaluation Series |
The handbook below for schools and education authorities describes good practice in child protection in education and when a child goes missing from education.
Scottish Executive Publications, 2005
An associated initiative, Children Missing from Education Scotland (CME Scotland) provides help with searches after local authority searches have not been successful in locating children and young people where there are child protection concerns for the child or young person involved. Every local authority was requested to provide CME Scotland with a named contact person. STEP can provide you with this information should you need it. |
This introductory guide for teachers working with Gypsy/Traveller children is also currently under review. It provides information on how to make links with children and families, and relevant resources and publications. The approach recommended will apply to children from any Travelling background as it is based on good practice for welcoming a newly arrived child to the school.
(2005) |
Stop Bullying Now! A guide for Gypsy and Traveller
children and families
This colourful, child-friendly, pocket-sized guide suggests ways for Travelling pupils and their families to respond to incidents of bullying. Teachers of Gypsy/Traveller children and STEP staff produced the leaflet.
Order FREE from STEP or download the Stop Bullying Now guide for children in PDF format |
respectme, Scotland's Anti-Bullying Service, launched in March 2007 is funded by the Scottish Government. respectme is managed in partnership by SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) and LGBT Youth Scotland. respectme identifies the different kinds of bullying – cyberbullying for example, and offers advice on how to challenge bullying.
Go to its website at http://www.respectme.org.uk/ for a wealth of information about the different organisations set up to support children and young people, parents and anybody working with children and young people. |
Cyberbullying and Internet safety is an emerging concern for teachers, children and parents. Below are links to organizations that can help you tackle these concerns.
CEOP - Child Exploitation Online Protection Agency:
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre is a UK police agency with a difference. It has the teeth of any other police force and works to track offenders wherever they may be. CEOP also delivers free education programmes into schools to help children of all ages stay safe online and is active in sharing best practice techniques with the wider child protection community through a number of training initiatives.
http://www.ceop.gov.uk/
Think You Know:
Find the latest information on the sites you like to visit, mobiles and new technology. Find out what’s good, what’s not and what you can do about it. If you look after young people there’s an area for you too - with resources you can use in the classroom, at home or just to get with it. Most importantly, there’s also a place, which anyone can use to report if they feel uncomfortable or worried about someone they are chatting to online.
http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/
Childnet International- Grid Club:
Childnet International’s mission is to work in partnership with others around the world to help make the Internet a great and safe place for children.
http://www.gridclub.com/ |
Right of child to school education |
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Information for Travelling Families - DVD and Leaflets from STEP
The DVD and leaflets were designed to help Gypsy/Traveller parents’ access information about education, particularly about 'authorised attendance'; on how to keep children safe when at school; and, to introduce Gypsy/Traveller communities to the meanings and implications of the Additional Support for Learning Act (2004) for the education of their children. However, the resources have been well received by educational professionals and local authority officers working with mobile families.
Download the leaflets in PDF format:
View clips from the DVD*:
*These clips are in .mov format - if you cannot view them, you can download Quicktime for free.
For the full DVD, contact STEP (Tel: 0131 651 6444 or Email: step@ed.ac.uk). |
Travellers in Scotland: Frequently Asked Questions about Education |
Inclusion and Equality
(http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/inclusionandequality/)
This section of Learning and Teaching Scotland provides information and resources to support the development of inclusive educational practices. |
Article 12 Scotland
This group now includes Gypsies/Travellers. All resources developed by Save the Children Scotland, which is no longer in operation, were transferred to Article 12 Scotland. Information about resources including peer research, DVDs, posters and other useful information can be found on http://www.time-travellers.org.uk/ Alternatively, contact Lynne Tammi (0) 1674 674086 or email: <lynne@article12.org> |
Authors, Singers and Storytellers A useful contact list of people working with Gypsies and Travellers. |
Scottish Collections
Links to collections of material relating to Gypsy and Traveller cultures |
Positive Images
This section provides a space for Travelling pupils and their teachers, support staff and other professionals working with them to share their positive experiences of education. Its aim is to challenge negative stereotyping of Travellers and education and to promote good practice. If you would like to join in please contact pauline.padfield@ed.ac.uk or telephone 0131 651 6440 for advice and support. |
Contacts for teachers and staff working with Gypsy and Traveller children and families |
