What are the needs of Traveller pupils?

• To be made welcome and to feel safe and secure
• To have someone to turn to
• To make friends
• To catch up on missed work
• To follow the National Curriculum
• To have lifestyle and culture accepted

How can the school meet the needs of Traveller pupils?

• School induction process for new pupils – explain rules and expectations clearly
• ‘Buddy’ for first days in school
• Peer support through ‘Study budy’ scheme
• Inclusion in mainstream lessons – teaching strategies and differentiated work
• Involve the Traveller Education Team

Some suggestions for the first early days in school

• Encourage pupils to participate in all activities
• Don’t assume SEN because of gaps in learning
• Contact the Traveller Education Team
• Integrate pupils as quickly as possible
• Establish good relationships with parents

Recognizing the additional needs of Traveller pupils

Pupils may have additional needs because:

• They may not be familiar with school expectations and routines
• Have had frequent changes of school/ no schooling
• Have gaps in learning
• May only stay for a short while
• Cultural differences
• Some parents may not have been to school and : phone contact may be better than letters
• Experienced racism/discrimination in or out of school

Meeting the additional needs of Traveller pupils

The school can mee the additional needs of Travellers through:

• Information, resources and INSET from READS
• Finding out about culture, and implementing, for example:
• School trips
• School uniform: changing for PE
• PHSE
• Celebrating festivals and cultural diversity
• Strategies for inclusion of non-literate pupils / access and training in ICT
• Multiagency approach to identifying and meeting additional needs of pupils

Traveller Education Team support to schools

• Direct teaching support
• Advice to mainstream staff in schools
• Training and INSET
• Resources – a wide range of resources are available to Gloucestershire schools