Theme: Gypy, Roma, Traveller
Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month at Minsterworth Primary School
Minsterworth is a small, rural Primary school. Around 20% of the school roll consists of Traveller pupils. The month began with the Key Stage 2 teacher using the resource 'Life on the Verge' to introduce the topic. This led to all pupils designing individual entries for the GRT History Month Poster Competition. The class teacher was very struck by the enthusiasm the Traveller pupils showed when discussing their culture and lifestyles, and how the rest of the class responded with real interest. It was also an opportunity to put to rest some misconceptions!
This was followed up by a whole school assembly on the theme of 'Who are the Travellers?' The assembly was led by a member of the Traveller Education Team and she was ably assisted by all the Traveller pupils in school. The children were very excited to be doing an assembly "all about us!" A number of parents were also able to attend and offer their own contributions. The younger children showed pictures that they had drawn and talked about them and the older pupils showed Traveller artefacts that had been borrowed from the John Moore Countryside Museum, including some beautiful pieces of Crown Derby china. One child gave a very entertaining account of her visit to Stow Fair.
The school was able to keep the artefacts on display for a week and the staff and children used them as a basis for further written and creative work. The Head Teacher, Angie Richie, felt the experience had been a success for the whole school and hopes to further involve the parents in subsequent years.
Anna Webster
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