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Virtual School/Equalities Learning
Traveller Gypsy and Roma
DRAFT
Traveller Gypsy Roma Equality
Learning in Cumbria
1. Introduction
This advice gives information for parents and carers of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and those who work with them in schools and Academies.
It is important for schools and academies to understand the culture of children and young people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities as this reduces the risk of underachievement or exclusion of the pupil. The best opportunities are found when parents/carers, schools /Academies and local authorities understand each other and plan and work together in the interest of the child.
The advice explains what the law says and describes some good ideas about school attendance for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils.
For the purposes of this advice only, the term ��Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families�� means:
a) i. Gypsies inc. Romanies, Romanichals, Welsh Gypsies/Kaale, Scottish
Gypsies/Travellers;
ii. Irish Travellers, Minceir;
iii. Roma from Eastern and Central Europe;
iv. Showmen (Fairground people);
v. Circus people;
vi. Boat Travellers/Bargees;
vii. New Travellers or New Age Travellers; and
b) The parent/carer is engaged in a trade or business of such a nature that requires them to travel from place to place.
This advice on school attendance only applies to families who meet the criteria at both a) and b) above.
In this advice the term ��travelling��
means travelling as part of the parents��/carers�� trade or business.
It does not mean travelling as part of a holiday or extended holiday.
2.
What the law says
The law
1
says that parents must ensure that their
compulsory school-age children receive an efficient, full-time education
suitable to their age, ability and needs – either at school or otherwise.
This means that parents/carers have a right to educate their children
by registering and sending them to school (state-funded or independent)
or outside the school system. ��Outside the school system�� could
be by parents/carers teaching children themselves (or someone else doing
so) within their home setting. In this case, there is no legal requirement
for the parent/carer to register with or to notify the local authority.
If the parent/carer decides to home-educate at some point after the
child has been registered at a school, then the school can only remove
the pupil from roll after receiving a letter or email from the parent/carer
confirming that they are removing their child to educate them at home.
The school or academy must also tell their local authority that it has
deleted the pupil from the registers.
3,
Registering a child from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller family at a school
Some Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families now live in houses for at least part of the year. However, the nature of the parents��/carers�� work may mean they travel at other times of the year.
Parents/carers and children from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families have the same rights as any other family, in relation to access to school places. Schools and local authorities should ensure there is no unfairness or discrimination when an application for a school place is made.
All children, including
those from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families, can be on the register
at more than one school. This is known as ��dual registration��.
A ��base school�� is the school that a child from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller family most recently attended during the preceding 18 months, when the family was not travelling. The legislation calls it the ��school of ordinary attendance��.
If a school is the base school for a dual-registered child from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller family, the law says the school cannot remove that child from the register just because they have registered at another school. However, nothing prevents schools other than the base school from doing so if the child is no longer attending. If a school needs specific advice regarding removing a child from its register, it should consult its local authority before taking any action.
Some parents have found their children being removed from the register of the base school while they are away travelling, so there is no place for them when they return. This should not happen and, if parents/carers find that it has, they should contact the Children��s Services admissions department 01228221198 or Children Missing from education officers.
4. Recording attendance
It is important that parents/carers understand that schools/academies and their staff must comply with legislation and follow the advice from the Department for education relating to attendance and absence. The following paragraphs highlight some of the issues that schools and academies should consider when recording attendance and absence.
All schools and academies are required to take an attendance register twice a day, for all of the pupils on their admissions register, at the start of the morning half-day session and during the afternoon.
On any day when a child, including those from Gypsy, Roma or Traveller families, is present in school during registration, the school must record the child as present. If the child is late arriving at school for the session, the school should mark them late before the register closes (L) or late after registration (U).
On any day when a pupil, including those from Gypsy, Roma or Travelling families, is present at another school or educational provision is made for them (whether travelling or not), the school should use the most appropriate of the following codes.
Code B – the child is present at an educational activity under the jurisdiction of a school, The activity must take place during the school session in question, be approved by the school, be supervised by someone approved by the school and take place off the school��s premises, for these codes to be used. Schools should ensure that they have arrangements in place whereby they can gather and record accurate information about individual pupils�� attendance and absence, using the correct codes from schools and providers.
Registration Code B
|
Brief Description |
Educated off site (NOT Dual registration) |
| Statistical Meaning | Approved Educational Activity |
| Legal Meaning | Attending approved educational activity |
| Physical Meaning | Out for whole session |
| DCSF Definition | Where a registered pupil on roll is currently being educated off-site at a supervised activity approved by the school. |
| Relevant Regulation | 6 (4) |
| Brief Description | Other authorised circumstances (not covered by another appropriate code/description) |
| Statistical Meaning | Authorised Absence |
| Legal Meaning | Absent |
| Physical Meaning | Out for whole session |
| DCSF Definition | Special occasions at the discretion of the school |
Code D – the pupil is present at another
school at which they are registered.
Changes in the use of D code came
into force on September 2011 and now states that the D code is NOT
counted in the census data as an attendance. Each school will only record
the attendance and absences for the sessions the pupil attends at their
school; each school will use code D to record all of the sessions the
pupil is due to attend at the other school.
Code J – the pupil is present at an interview with a prospective employer, Connexions or other educational establishment (not part-time employment outside school hours).
Code P – the pupil is present at approved sporting activity
Code V – the pupil is present at an educational visit or trip.
Code W – the pupil is present at work experience (not work-based training)
Code Y- unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances Changes in data collection means from September 2011 this will be collected on the school census for statistical purposes to record sessions that pupils are unable to attend because of;
Code T- On days when a pupil from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller family is known to be out of area, due to the family travelling, and is not in educational provision, then the school can use the letter code T to record the absence. Parents/ carers should make sure they let the school know in advance when they are going to be travelling, and when they expect to return, so that attendance and absence are recorded accurately.
On days when pupils, including those from Gypsy, Roma or Traveller families, are absent for other reasons (whether travelling or not), schools should use the appropriate code to record that absence. If the reason for a pupil��s absence is not known it must be recorded as unauthorised absence.
Schools, academies and local authorities should regularly monitor the use of the T code to ensure it is being used appropriately and not in cases where another code should be used. Schools should also consider if it is appropriate to use the T code (i.e. authorizing the absence) if the pupil has failed to record a minimum of 200 sessions�� attendance at any school during the previous rolling 12-month period
| Brief Description | Traveller absence |
| Statistical Meaning | Authorised Absence |
| Legal Meaning | Absent |
| Physical Meaning | Out for whole session |
| DFE Definition | Traveller child when the family is travelling |
.More information about Pupil registration
is available on the DFE website
5. School attendance law in relation
to children from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families.
The law recognises that Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families may have an additional reason to keep their children from school, which is different from non-Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families. This is that children are of ��no fixed abode�� (see paragraphs 17 and 18) and their parent(s) are engaged in a trade or business that requires them to travel from place to place and therefore prevents them attending school. Nevertheless, each child must attend school as regularly as that trade or business permits, and children over six years old have to attend at least 200 sessions in each rolling 12-month period.
This law does not automatically reduce the number of days that children from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families are expected to attend school; schools and local authorities should seek to secure these pupils�� regular attendance at 380 sessions each school year.
The law makes no reference to a physical dwelling. So, a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller family that lives in a house, but travels in the course of their trade or business, can be classed as of no fixed abode. Local authorities are therefore strongly advised to seek legal guidance from their chief legal officer before taking action in any specific case.
Local authorities can still issue school attendance orders to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families in exactly the same way as they do to any other family.
Schools academies and local authorities should use the full range of interventions and parental responsibility support measures with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families, in the same way as they would for any other family. The use of legal interventions with parents, including seeking an education supervision order for a child, may be appropriate if that child has high levels of unauthorised absence.
Close liaison with
the Equality Learning Officer for Traveller Gypsy and Roma- Lesley Asbridge Lesley.asbridge@cumbria.gov.uk is advised when the Academy or school is considering
any action to improve attendance.
6, Children not receiving a suitable education.
All local authorities
have a named person who is responsible for ensuring that the authority
maintains a register of children not receiving suitable education. For
the safety of all children, every authority has to take all reasonable
steps to find out what has happened to those children included on this register.
It is therefore extremely important that local authorities use the register
for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, as it does for any other child.
The register of children not receiving suitable education must be maintained
accurately. Schools and local authorities must comply with the legislation
and statutory guidance about children not receiving suitable education, and on child registration,
especially at times when they are removing any child from their register.
Traveller, Gypsy and Roma children who
move from the area without letting schools/Academies know are at significant
risk of being Children Missing from education. Schools and Academies
should follow the statutory guidance about deregistering a child and
contact the children missing from education officer for the appropriate
area;
Carlisle area
Isobel graham
Cumbria Children services
Access to Education
First Floor
East wing Capita Building
Park house
Carlisle;
Isobel.graham@cumbria.gov.uk
01228 221430
East and South Lakeland
Laura Fitzgerald
Access to education CME officer
Children��s Service
Busher Walk
County Offices
Kendal
LA9 4RQ
laura.fitzgerald@cumbria.gov.uk
Tel: 01539 713457
Furness
Paula West
Access to education CME officer
Children��s Services
Nan Tait
Abbey Road
Barrow in Furness
LA14 1LG
paula.west@cumbria.gov.uk
Tel: 01229 407418
Janice O`Neil
Children��s Services
Blencathra House,
PO box 110
Whitehaven.
Cumbria,
CA28 0BN
janice.oneil@cumbria.gov.uk
Tel: 01946 505558
8
Good practice
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families can sometimes need specialist help to ensure their children get the most out of their education. In Cumbria we have an Equality Learning Officer who has responsibility to advise schools and parents on how children can access and engage in the education system or otherwise.
Schools should consider how ICT can or could support and enable children to continue their education while travelling.
When travelling, a parent/carer has the right to enrol their child at another school. Schools may need to consider how they can support children who enrol in this way, with particular reference to issues such as school uniform, in order that their actions and requirements are not seen as discriminatory.
Schools admitting children from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families, while the families are travelling, should encourage the parents to provide the details of the base school, so that they can work together with that school to provide as much continuity as possible, and in order that these children��s absence and attendance are recorded accurately at the base school. Maintaining accurate records will prevent unnecessary action being taken against parents.
Schools should ask parents of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children to give as much advance notice as possible of dates when they will be away travelling. This will help the school to work with parents/carers to plan ongoing education, and will ensure that the children��s attendance and absence are recorded accurately. With advance notice, schools will have time to seek additional support, if needed, from the Equality learning Officer supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families.
When analysing absence data, schools may wish to consider the effect of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children��s attendance and absence. Schools cannot remove these children��s data; Schools may wish to use the data analysis when discussing attendance with the governing body, General Advisor from the local authority officers or Ofsted. Advice on coding and strategies for improving school attendance are available from the Inclusion officers:
Carlisle and Eden
Sue.Gabi@cumbria.gov.uk
West and south
Stephanie.mulhall@cumbria.gov.uk
West and South
Nicola braund-smith@cumbria.gov.uk
10 Virtual schools/Equality
Learning support
Training support and advice is available
to schools and academies from the Virtual schools/equality and learning
team by contacting Lesley Asbridge at Lesley.asbridge@cumbria.gov.uk
Schools and academies in Cumbria can
obtain advice and support from the Virtual Schools/ Equalities Learning
team to insure their schools are complying with the Equality Act 2010
to set equality objectives for Traveller, Gypsy and Roma children within
their schools as require before April 2012.
Contact
Lesley Asbridge
Equality Learning Officer Traveller Gypsy Roma
Virtual Schools and Learning
The Park house Building
Kingmoor Business Park
Carlisle
Ca5 4SJ
01228 221186
Lesley.asbridge@cumbria.gov.uk
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