8 th June 2005 8 June 2005 Angela Gibson Specialist Advisory - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

8th June 2005 8 June 2005 Angela Gibson Specialist Advisory Teaching Service Ethnic Minority Achievement

Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers are recognised as racial groups in England and Wales. They are protected under the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act

• 2000. The RRA:

Extends protection against racial discrimination and places a new enforceable general duty on public authorities to have due regard in everything they do and the need to:

The Law

in everything they do and the need to: eliminate unlawful racial discrimination promote equality of opportunity and good race relations promote good race relations between people of different racial groups

Whilst other groups of Travellers are currently not recognised as ethnic groups as defined by law, recent guidance from the Commission for Racial Equality The Law (CRE) suggests that test cases could bring other Traveller groups within the definition of an ethnic group

Traveller Groups

A number of groups are covered by the term Traveller. It is important to remember that they all have their own distinct histories, cultures and beliefs. There are also many differing legal definitions of Gypsies and Travellers Gypsy Travellers Irish Travellers Scottish Travellers Scottish Travellers Welsh Gypsies Roma Occupational Travellers (Fairground families, Show People or Circus families) New Travellers Bargees

A short history …. A short history …. A short history …. A short history ….

• 1505 – First record of Gypsies in

Britain

• 1530 – Law passed which made being

an immigrant ‘‘Egipcion’ punishable by death

• 1596 - 106 Gypsies condemned to

death at one sitting in York

• 1994 – Criminal Justice Act –

increased powers to seize vehicles and repealed ‘68 Act and removes Treasury funding

• 1996 - Education Act Section 14

places a duty on the LEA to provide a school place for all

• pupils. This duty extends to all

death at one sitting in York

• 1783 – First act repealing the above

legislation

• Second World War - 300,000 Gypsies

died in the concentration camps

• 1968 - Caravan Sites Act-duty to

provide-enhanced powers of eviction

• 1989 - Anglo-Romany Gypsies legally

recognised as an ethnic group

• pupils. This duty extends to all

children whether residing permanently or temporarily in the LEA area

• 1996 Education Act Section 444

(1-7) places a parallel duty on all parents to ensure regular attendance at school or to make alternative arrangements.

• 2000 – Irish Travellers legally

recognised as an ethnic group

Facts and Figures

• Estimates of the size of the Gypsy and Traveller population in the

UK vary from 90,000 to 350,000. It is likely that even this is an underestimate

• It is estimated that there are 15,000 Irish Travellers in Britain
• The Gypsy and Traveller population is approx. 0.6% of the total UK
• population. This is larger than the Bangladeshi population
• population. This is larger than the Bangladeshi population
• It is estimated there are 50,000 Gypsy and Traveller children aged

0-16. Lower than average school attendance and attainment, and high rates of exclusion from school remain real concerns

• There are 116 Traveller pupil on roll of Cumbrian schools. Several

more are Home Educated.

• There are likely to be less than 12 Gypsy students in further or

higher education in Britain at any one time

Facts and Figures

• Infant mortality rate is 4 times higher than the national average
• Travellers have a lower life expectancy than the settled population
• Travellers experience poorer health than the settled community
• This may partly be due to poor access to healthcare, environmental

hardship and social exclusion

Gypsy & Traveller Sites

• It is estimated that there are up to 200,000 Gypsies and Travellers

in settled accommodation

• There are only 320 Local Authority sites providing 5000 pitches. 8
• ut of 10 sites have waiting lists
• There are 650 owner-occupied sites proving 1800 pitches
• There are 650 owner-occupied sites proving 1800 pitches
• There are 90 private sites providing 1750 pitches
• It is estimated 90% of traditional stopping places have been

blocked in the last 20 years

Gypsy & Traveller Sites

• There are 2 privately owned authorised Traveller sites in Cumbria.

There are 3 fairground winter base sites.

• Over 3500 Gypsies and Travellers have no legal place to stop

(20% of the Traveller community)

• There are just over 300 transit pitches on Local Authority sites
• There are just over 300 transit pitches on Local Authority sites
• There are no Local Authority sites in Cumbria
• It is estimated that there will need to be between 1000-2000

permanent pitches and 2000-2500 transit pitches by 2007 just to keep up with the current Gypsy and Traveller population

• 90%
• f

Gypsy and Traveller planning applications refused compared to just 20% from the settled community

Some Local Initiatives

• Cumbria LEA – Specialist Advisory Teaching Service, Ethnic

Minority Achievement

• Cumbria LEA - Minority Ethnic and Traveller Achievement Plan

2002-2007

• Cumbria LEA – St. Catherine’s School Outreach Worker (Penrith)
• Cumbria LEA – St. Catherine’s School Outreach Worker (Penrith)
• Joint Agency Protocol for responding to Gypsy and Traveller

Unauthorised camps

• Mini Sure Start – Travellers Pre-School Bus

‘The level of hostility faced by Gypsy Traveller people is probably greater than for any ‘The range of wealth and income, the level of legality in behaviour, and the types of human needs and desires of people from the Travelling communities, are believed by most police and local authority officers, to be the same as those of the settled population’

(Rachel Morris, Traveller Law Research Unit) "The

single most discriminated against ethnic group is the 'Travelling People'".

(European Parliament Committee of Inquiry on Racism and Xenophobia 1991)

“I think they [Gypsies and Travellers] are a hidden minority. They are a minority who are socially excluded from almost all aspects of mainstream life and for whom the majority of the British public only have contact through hostile media reports and unauthorised encampments and have very little real contact”

(Dr Murdoch, Travellers’ Advice Team)

‘Gypsy Traveller pupils are the group most at risk in the education system’

(Ofsted 1999)

probably greater than for any

• ther minority ethnic group’

(Ofsted 1999)

Traveller Achievement

‘Gypsy Traveller pupils are most at risk in the Education System’.

Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils’ (Ofsted 1999)

All children and young people should be able to achieve their potential, what ever their ethnic and cultural background and whichever school they attend.

Stephen Twigg MP

‘Traveller pupils are still the group most at risk in the education system. They are the

• ne

minority ethnic group which is too often ‘out

• f

sight and

• ut
• f

mind’.

Provision and Support for Traveller Pupils

The DfES is committed to ensuring that there is real

Stephen Twigg MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of state for Schools July 2003

‘The degree

• f

hostility towards Gypsies’ and other Travellers’ children, if they do enter school, is quite remarkable even when set alongside the racism encountered by children from

• ther ethnic

minority groups’.

The Swann Report, Education for All 1975

‘There is currently no national reporting of data

• n Gypsy and Traveller

children that would enable national monitoring

• f

their experiences and of their achievements’.

Consultation on Guidance for Schools

• n Ethnic Monitoring’ DfES November

2000 Provision and Support for Traveller Pupils Ofsted Nov 2003

ensuring that there is real equality of opportunity and the highest possible standards for all pupils in all schools. To ensure that this happens, Gypsy Traveller pupils must be seen as an integral part of all schools and LEAs policies and programmes, not just an ‘after thought’ or ‘add-on’

Aiming High;Raising the Achievement

• f

Gypsy Traveller Pupils DfES 2003