1. British Council Course Access, Attendance, Achievement: Involving Roma/Gypsy and Traveller Parents in their Childrens Education HELLO AND WELCOME

2. A National Overview in the UK Contents: –What we have done since 1972 –Success Story – Significant Progress –Audit: A more honest picture –Factors aiding policy development –Factors as barriers to change –The bigger picture –The future –Thanks

3. What we have done since 1972 Voluntary NGO activity and advocacy Growing inclusivity of different groups Conflict over policy direction Slow action by Local Education Authorities Development of Roma/Gypsy/Traveller Education Services (TES) Training Active involvement of Central Government since 1985

4. Success Story-Significant Progress? From NGO to government responsibility Specific projects to Mainstreaming National structure of Traveller Education Services Increasing success year by year with access, regular attendance, and rising levels of achievement Innovation in policy, provision and practice A place on most educational agendas

5. Audit: A more honest picture Lack of data and coordinated action Access to schools, education, curriculum Attendance Nomadic and housed Educational books and teaching resources Achievement

6. Ethnic group achievement GCSE 5 at grades A*-C

7. Achievement Data 2003 GCSE Cohort: Proportion Achieving 5+ A*-C grades

8. 2003 GCSE Cohort: Proportion Achieving 5+ A*-C GCSE/Grades for Pupils with PLASC record, by FSM

9. Impact of deprivation/poverty

10. Relative performance by ethnic groups at all ages

11. Factors as barriers to change Centuries of abuse and exclusion as the context Endemic ignorance and racism in the society at large Avoiding political problems by marginalisation by all Lack of awareness and indifference to injustice Poor and inadequate training at all levels Lack of specific reference in policy/practice Lack of national and local data and coordination Silence of power voices which could bring rapid change Racism under cover of PC professionalism Parents accused of a lack of interest The impact of a negative mass media

12. Factors aiding policy development Active political NGO/voluntary sector Influence of Her Majestys Inspectors (outside politics) Making policy responsibility stick – threat of legal action Anti-discrimination/social inclusion laws National commitment to race equality Coordinated and comprehensive actions Professional awareness and commitment to anti racism Agenda inclusion and data collection Sound research Parent power and political action Impatience and winning hearts and minds

13. The Bigger picture Roma/Gypsies Travellers now pan-Europe Explicit international concern (EU/Cof E/UN/OSI/OSCE/World Bank) Seen now as a Human Rights issue Major European issue for next 20 years Increasing Roma community awareness worldwide The vision of enrichment not yet secure

14. The Future The Roma decade (2005 – 2015) Data picture will drive policy development Robust anti-discrimination will drive policy Desegregation of Roma schooling A bigger part played by Roma/Gypsies and Travellers in education at all levels A changed Europe- faced with its own racist self- equipped to embrace gobalism

15. End Thank you for listening Have a good few days