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Aiming High: Partnerships between schools and TESS in raising the achievement of Gypsy Traveller pupils
Any school, anywhere, may have Gypsy Traveller pupils on roll. The main responsibility for the achievement of Gypsy Travellers lies with schools. The role of Advisory Teachers from the local TESS is to help schools include Gypsy Traveller pupils and to promote their achievement and engagement in the opportunities provided by the school.
Advisory Teachers provide advice and support to both schools and families. In some cases they may mediate between the family and the school, but the main aim is for them to establish a direct relationship of trust. The level and type of support given by the Advisory Teacher should be the minimum necessary to allow the school to enable each child to reach their potential.
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Foundation Stage
The most effective way to promote the achievement of Gypsy Traveller children is to ensure they are able to gain early access to education during the Foundation Stage. Wherever possible, Advisory Teachers visit families shortly after a child's third birthday to encourage them to take up places in Foundation Stage settings. It is at this stage that engagement with families can be most successful. Families with a well-established relationship with a school and the local community may enrol their pre-school children without the involvement of the TESS.
The Foundation Stage curriculum offers children a broad range of experiences and activities designed to support both cognitive and affective aspects of learning, including the social and organisational skills they will need in school. Most Gypsy Traveller children will settle into Foundation Stage settings easily, but in some cases there may be a significant difference between parental expectations and those of the school. Younger children will usually learn about the expectations of the school or setting from older siblings, but children of younger parents living in isolation from extended family support may be more challenging. Schools need to recognise that such children need clearly identified learning objectives with sufficient scaffolds to allow them to achieve the objective. The Advisory Teacher might support schools in establishing appropriate objectives and encouraging parental support.
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The Foundation Stage curriculum guidance exemplifies the progress a child is likely to make through the 'stepping stones' within each of the six areas of learning, towards the Early Learning Goals. It is important to be aware also of the Birth to three matters framework, as the younger children may still be at a stage where their needs are more appropriately addressed within this context.
The Foundation Stage Profile (FSP), which underpins the ongoing statutory assessment process in the second year of the Foundation Stage, will support both practitioners and Advisory Teachers in building high expectations and monitoring the progress of Gypsy Traveller children. When final assessments are made in the summer term, reference will be made to the child's prior language and learning opportunities and the Advisory Teacher may be able to provide additional contextual information to support this.
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It should also be noted that all points (with the exception of points 4-8 on the three scales for communication, language and literacy) can, and should wherever possible, be assessed in first language.
The profile should also be shared with parents, not least to highlight areas of achievement and to identify ways in which these areas can be used to scaffold others identified for development. The profile defines the knowledge and skills which a child would be expected to have acquired by the end of key stage 1 and as such it is a valuable tool for engaging Gypsy Traveller parents in an understanding of the expectations they should have of their children and the progress they have made so far.
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Many schools will confidently use the profile in this way with Gypsy Traveller families without necessarily referring to the Advisory Teacher. However, the involvement of the Advisory Teacher is important to the process of gaining an overview of the child's educational experiences should they unexpectedly move to another school setting or encounter unforeseen difficulties in the current setting.
In the example below, which uses May 2004 data, it is possible to identify the pupils needing additional support and the areas in which they need the support. The profile itself and contextual information, which the Advisory Teacher can provide, will help the process of identifying appropriate interventions for use in Year 1.
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| |
Romanian Roma boy |
Polska Roma boy |
Romanian Roma girl |
Polska Roma boy |
Romanian Roma girl |
| Date of Birth |
21/10/98 |
09/03/99 |
17/04/99 |
08/06/99 |
22/08/99 |
| Date of entry to Foundation Stage |
22/11/03 |
10/09/03 |
22/01/04 |
08/09/02 |
13/10/03 |
| Dispositions and attitudes
| 3 |
6 |
3 |
7 |
2 |
| Social development |
3 |
3 |
3 |
8 |
3 |
| Emotional development |
3 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
| Language for communication and thinking |
1 |
5 |
2 |
8 |
2 |
| Linking sounds and letters |
1 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
| Reading |
1 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
| Writing |
1 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
| Numbers as labels and for counting |
2 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
| Calculating |
1 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
| Shape, space and measures |
1 |
5 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
| Knowledge and understanding of the world |
1 |
6 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
| Physical development |
5 |
6 |
3 |
8 |
6 |
| Creative development |
2 |
8 |
2 |
8 |
2 |
| FSP total |
25 |
60 |
20 |
83 |
23 |
Note: 2004 data were published on an experimental basis.
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