Traveller education is part of the Diversity Service. The Service works with all Traveller groups including:
- Gypsy Travellers
- Irish Travellers
- Show people (circus and fair Travellers)
- New age Travellers
- Boat dwellers
- Roma/Rom
The Diversity Service works with schools, North Lincolnshire Council's education service and other education providers. They hope to raise standards of achievement for all Traveller pupils living in North Lincolnshire. This includes those settled in houses, on sites or short stay mobile groups.
The Traveller education team within the Diversity Service is moving forward from working with individual or small groups of children, towards empowering schools to manage Traveller children themselves. This is in line with the DfE and National Strategies expectations of local authority services working with Traveller children. With this in mind, we can offer a variety of services to schools:
- Inset about the Traveller culture, not only for schools, which have Travellers but also for the ones who do not have them
- Inset using Persona Dolls, linked to racism and tolerance as well as bringing the culture of Travellers to younger children
- Liaison between school and parents, as the initial contact can be difficult and knowledge of the family can support the school with the first family links
- Links between schools when a child transfers, especially at key stages, so that there is a period of adjustment for the child with a familiar person available
- Lending of Traveller specific resources as well as being able to provide names of sites and places to purchase
- Training for staff so that the school has knowledge of Travellers and is able to manage Travellers within their school
- Support for families and the school in official meetings or when the families feel they need support
- Liaison between outside agencies and the family or school, especially when help is needed with accessing support services.
The Diversity Service can also help with other continuing professional opportunities schools may wish to access and we are there to support the school and families.
Our main area of development is to raise standards, especially for those children who are at the end of the key stages, by working closely with the teacher and the school. Liaison and working closely with all involved is the way forward to raising standards of attainment for Traveller children.
Contact information
Jemima Flintoff
Head of Diversity Service
c/o Learning Development Centre
Enderby Road
Scunthorpe
North Lincolnshire
DN17 2JL
Tel: 01724 297789
Fax: 01724 297795
Email: Jemima.Flintoff@northlincs.gov.uk