8th June 20058th June 2005

Angela GibsonSpecialist Advisory Teaching Service

Ethnic Minority Achievement

Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers are recognised as racialgroups in England and Wales. They are protected under the RaceRelations Act 1976 and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act2000. 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 notrecognised as ethnic groups as defined by law, recentguidance from the Commission for Racial Equality

The Law

(CRE) suggests that test cases could bring otherTraveller groups within the definition of an ethnic group

Traveller GroupsA number of groups are covered by the term Traveller. It isimportant to remember that they all have their own distincthistories, cultures and beliefs. There are also many differing legaldefinitions of Gypsies and TravellersGypsy TravellersIrish TravellersScottish TravellersScottish TravellersWelsh GypsiesRomaOccupational Travellers (Fairground families, Show People orCircus families)New TravellersBargees

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•1994 – Criminal Justice Act –increased powers to seize vehicles and repealed ‘68 Act and removes Treasury funding•1996 - Education Act Section 14 places a duty on the LEA to provide a school place for all pupils.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 theUK vary from 90,000 to 350,000. It is likely that even this is anunderestimate• It is estimated that there are 15,000 Irish Travellers in Britain• The Gypsy and Traveller population is approx. 0.6% of the total UKpopulation. This is larger than the Bangladeshi populationpopulation. This is larger than the Bangladeshi population• It is estimated there are 50,000 Gypsy and Traveller children aged0-16. Lower than average school attendance and attainment, andhigh rates of exclusion from school remain real concerns• There are 116 Traveller pupil on roll of Cumbrian schools. Severalmore are Home Educated.• There are likely to be less than 12 Gypsy students in further orhigher 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• This may partly be due to poor access to healthcare, environmentalhardship and social exclusion

Gypsy & Traveller Sites

• It is estimated that there are up to 200,000 Gypsies and Travellersin settled accommodation• There are only 320 Local Authority sites providing 5000 pitches. 8out 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 beenblocked 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 1000-2000permanent pitches and 2000-2500 transit pitches by 2007 just tokeep up with the current Gypsy and Traveller population• 90% of Gypsy and Traveller planning applications refusedcompared to just 20% from the settled community

Some Local Initiatives

• Cumbria LEA – Specialist Advisory Teaching Service, EthnicMinority Achievement• Cumbria LEA - Minority Ethnic and Traveller Achievement Plan2002-2007• 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 TravellerUnauthorised 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 inbehaviour, and the types of human needs and desires of peoplefrom the Travelling communities, are believed by most policeand local authority officers, to be the same as those of thesettled 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 andXenophobia 1991)

“I think they [Gypsies and Travellers] are a hidden minority. Theyare a minority who are socially excluded from almost all aspects ofmainstream life and for whom the majority of the British public onlyhave contact through hostile media reports and unauthorisedencampments and have very little real contact”(Dr Murdoch, Travellers’ Advice Team)

‘Gypsy Traveller pupils are the groupmost at risk in the education system’(Ofsted 1999)

probably greater than for any other minority ethnic group’ (Ofsted 1999)

Traveller Achievement‘Gypsy Traveller pupils aremost at risk in the EducationSystem’.Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils’ (Ofsted 1999)

All children and youngpeople should be able toachieve their potential,what ever their ethnic andcultural background andwhichever school theyattend.Stephen Twigg MP

‘Traveller pupils are still thegroup most at risk in theeducation system. They arethe one minority ethnicgroup which is too often‘out of sight and out ofmind’.Provision and Support for Traveller Pupils

The DfES is committed toensuring that there is realStephen Twigg MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of state for Schools July 2003‘The degree of hostility

towards Gypsies’ and otherTravellers’ children, if theydo enter school, is quiteremarkable even when setalongside the racismencountered by childrenfrom other ethnic minoritygroups’.

The Swann Report, Education for All 1975

‘There is currently nonational reporting of dataon Gypsy and Travellerchildren that wouldenable nationalmonitoring of theirexperiences and of theirachievements’.

Consultation on Guidance for Schools on Ethnic Monitoring’ DfES November 2000

Provision and Support for Traveller Pupils Ofsted Nov 2003 ensuring that there is real

equality of opportunity and thehighest possible standards forall pupils in all schools. Toensure that this happens,Gypsy Traveller pupils must beseen as an integral part of allschools and LEAs policies andprogrammes, not just an ‘afterthought’ or ‘add-on’Aiming High;Raising the Achievement ofGypsy Traveller Pupils DfES 2003