Who, what and why we are

Gypsy Roma Traveller Achievement Service

The Service has been in existence since 1975 beginning with a single teacher to support the Traveller and Gypsy communities. Over that period of time we have established strong links with the different Traveller communities and the Early Years Centres, Nurseries, Schools and Colleges that provide educational opportunities for these families.

One parent said, “if it wasn’t for [GRTAS] then none of these children would be at school – they’d all be running around [the Traveller site at Cottingley Springs] day after day”.

The Local Authority has also responded proactively to the particular needs of these groups. Currently the team includes a Gypsy Inclusion Support Worker and a Roma Inclusion Support Worker. All team members have well established relations with GRT families.

We give advice and support to the Gypsy Roma Traveller community regarding the education of Traveller's children as well as supporting services to help them better meet the needs of this community. This service can be accessed by filling in a Referral Form. You can download a copy of this form from this site. Print it out, fill it in and return it to us.

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children have the same right to education as all other children in the UK but many children have missed out as there are not enough stopping places for all the families. Even when families have bought their own land in an attempt to settle and access mainstream services they are often refused planning permission and are moved off their own land. This has meant that many children have intermittent access to education depending on where they can get to stop.

The Gypsy Roma Traveller Achievement Service has had great success with children accessing education from Pre-School to Further Education and offers a range of support and advice to the Traveller communities and also all education providers. Last year there were 37 children in Early Years provision, 227 children in Primary schools and 118 in Secondary schools.

James Page and Dr. Gill Whitting wrote in the DCSF Report "Engaging Effectively with BME Parents in Children's and Parental Services":

"There is a large and long-standing Traveller and Gypsy community in Leeds. Since 2004, there has also been a smaller number of Roma families that have migrated to the area from the accession countries in Eastern Europe. Leeds TES staff feel that the Traveller, Gypsy and Roma communities are the most marginalised and maligned of all minority ethnic groups, frequently neglected even in initiatives to help other minority communities. There are critical issues with the low attendance and attainment of Traveller children in schools, and with parents’ low levels of literacy, numeracy and general engagement with public services. From speaking to Traveller parents as part of this research, it was clear that without exception they face explicit and ongoing racism, low expectations for their children and generally felt they held a marginalised ‘outsider’ status.

GRTAS staff felt that:

"More than virtually any other community, it is crucial to develop trust with Travellers and to build ongoing relationships with parents. Outreach work needs to take place in the Traveller sites and homes;

"Working with the community is key: “it’s vital to work in partnership with the community, to be enabling and empowering, and not to impose on them or only offer services that don’t fit with their needs”; and

"Staff training is important to improve cultural awareness and help services to be more welcoming of Travellers and their lifestyle."

You can download the whole report here

How we are Organised

The GRTAS is organised into three teams:

Early years – supporting access to pre-school and reception provision, monitoring attendance and progress and encouraging the development of good home-school links. TES staff work alongside other early years providers and identified a gap in local Sure Start provision, with no Traveller, Gypsy or Roma children having engaged with the service in three years after it was set up. In response, the TES worked in partnership with Sure Start to create the Traveller Sure Start Initiative. Through this there are now four full-time outreach visitors to work with Traveller children aged 0-3 and their parents or carers. A mobile nursery also provides a stepping stone between the home and early years settings, providing appropriate learning experiences on Traveller sites and camps.
Access – outreach is brought to the community, with a teacher and support worker using a mobile classroom to meet families new to the area and to ensure that all families can express their needs for educational and other services. The access team also helps with induction for children entering
school and support for those young people that have disengaged from school.
Attainment – Leeds TES provides advice and support to schools to increase the attainment of Traveller children. INSET has been delivered to roughly half of all Leeds schools, with plans to engage with all remaining schools.

The TES also works with the community to raise parents’ confidence. Staff reported that some families are vulnerable and in danger, with low life chances. As a result, they felt it was important to raise parental aspirations and to ensure that services are brought directly to the Traveller, Gypsy and Roma communities. TES staff know the communities and are in frequent communication so they can proactively address any issues.

Parents are aware that they are welcome to call the GRTAS with any issues they might come across.

More widely, the GRTAS works in partnership with several other services and groups. This includes feeding into a Traveller Health Partnership in the area, addressing health and accommodation needs, as well as working with the library service to support its staff when taking a mobile library out to the Traveller, Gypsy and Roma communities.

Our publications

In 2000, alongside members of the Traveller and Gypsy communities, compiled a book entitled Gypsies and Travellers in Their Own Words, which is a collection of pictures and stories from individuals and families in the community.

Collecting and publishing such personal information from the Traveller communities is, according to GRTAS staff, extremely rare, reflecting the level of trust in the service. It is also felt to be an important resource in helping other professionals working with Travellers to understand the culture and engage with the
community.

DVD cover More recently, in 2006, the TES produced a learning resource for schools entitled Open Roads, Open Minds which includes a DVD and a series of accompanying learning materials based on Travellers’ storytelling which can be used at school.

This helps to celebrate Traveller culture among children, but also helps Traveller parents to feel that they are welcome and their way of life is respected in school.

Also read about

In Their Own Words

Gypsies and Travellers in their own words compiled by the Gypsy Roma Traveller Achievement Service is a fantastic read, and gives amazing insights into the lives and times of Travellers in this country.

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