Join the launch event for Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen and Boater Pledge for Schools
Schools across England are invited to join an information event on 16 June during GTRSB History Month to learn more about the Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen and Boater (GTRSB) Pledge for Schools, and commit to a more inclusive environment for Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Showmen and Boater pupils.
The Pledge for Schools has been adapted from the GTRSB into Higher Education Pledge after consultation with individuals from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Showmen and Boater communities (graduates, pupils and academic staff).
It is underpinned by key research findings and consideration of widening participation interventions effective in supporting members of the communities into and within HE. The Pledge for Schools was also developed with additional consultation from schools, teaching professionals, academics, and NGOs working with GTRSB families.
Like the GTRSB into Higher Education Pledge, the Pledge for Schools requires schools to make the following commitments to ensure GTRSB pupils can stay resilient and thrive academically and personally:
- Establish a named contact point for GTRSB pupils and potential pupils.
- Clearly identify and publicise the support for GTRSB pupils already in place which engage the key areas of the Pledge:
- Data monitoring of GTRSB pupils and staff numbers;
- Building a supportive and welcoming culture for GTRSB pupils;
- Outreach & engagement to local GTRSB communities
- Inclusion, celebration and commemoration of GTRSB cultures and communities.
- Develop processes to identify GTRSB pupils and monitor their progress, as well as supporting the professional and personal development of staff members who self-identify as members of the communities.
- Ensure that staff and pupils across departments are aware of the support available to GTRSB pupils in the school.
- Commit to ensuring that staff development exists raising awareness of the barriers GTRSB pupils face accessing education, and broadly in society.
Dr Carol Rogers, Senior Lecturer in Education at Buckinghamshire New University, will chair the forthcoming event. “Positive school experiences are fundamental to both children's wellbeing and academic outcomes. The Pledge for Schools aims to celebrate good practice in schools, and support and improve experiences and outcomes for children and their families from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Showmen and Boater communities.”
Emma Nuttall, Advice and Policy Manager at Friends, Families and Travellers added: “The Pledge is a fantastic and simple mechanism by which schools can work towards creating a supportive, celebratory and inclusive environment for Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Showmen and Boater pupils.”
Register for the event here and find out more about the GTRSB Pledge for Schools here.
Speakers include:
Margaret Greenfields, Anglia Ruskin University
Colleen Roper, Future4Fairgrounds
Paula Strachan, Head of St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, Darlington
Liffy Bond, the Anti-bullying Alliance
Rosa Cisneros, Coventry University
Martin Gallagher, Northumbria University
Jassy Powles and her son Jem Purry, Boater community
Sally Barter, Romany Gypsy, GRT Schools Link Officer for the London Borough of Hillingdon
Sadie Barter, Romany Gypsy young person