The very nature of Traveller communities - their mobile or semi-mobile lifestyle - makes them an ethnic group that is often overlooked.
The Commission for Racial Equality estimates that there are between 200,000 and 300,000 Roma/Gypsies and Irish Travellers currently living in the UK, but there are no official statistics on the size of the communities.
The various travelling groups include:
* Roma or Gypsies, the largest travelling group, have a long history in the UK, having first arrived around 500 years ago. They now include Gypsies of Scottish, Welsh and Irish heritage. Manchester University is currently carrying out a linguistics project aimed at preserving the endangered language of Romany, spoken by traditional English Gypsies.
* Irish Travellers originated in Ireland and are descendents of itinerant traders from Celtic times and Romany immigrants who arrived in the country at a later date. In the past they were known as 'tinkers' because a large number were tinsmiths and metal workers, but this is now a derogatory term.
Irish Travellers may speak the secret language Shelta, and use a modern language called Gammon which includes some Romany.
* Housed Travellers are Roma/Gypsies and Irish Travellers who have chosen to live in houses rather than caravans, but they retain their identity as Travellers and follow the traditional cultures, language and beliefs.
* Show or Fairground People have a lifestyle that stretches back over the centuries. They move around the country according to their seasonal work during the summer and then may return to winter quarters. Many of their children register with a base school and use distance learning packs when they are away from the school's area.
* Circus People are involved in the circus season, which can last from nine to 11 months, resulting in families staying at a winter base for only a short time. Usually a circus is owned and administered by a single family that hires a range of acts to make up the repertoire for the season. Their first language might not be English.
* New Travellers first emerged in the 1960s and are sometimes called Hippies or New Age Travellers. Many different reasons are given for adopting this lifestyle, from escaping urban squalor or having nowhere to live, to finding employment, or to escape from a materialistic society to a more spiritual and environmentally- friendly lifestyle.
* Other groups include Seasonal Travellers (prevalent in the coastal regions of Lincolnshire), and Bargee or Boat People, but there are now only limited numbers living on the inland waterway network in this country.
Risk of failure Travellers tend to be a young population but a highly marginalised one, with difficulties in accessing health, education and leisure services. Most Travellers have received no formal education and are illiterate. Ofsted estimates that around 12,000 Traveller children are not registered with a school, and the attendance rate for Traveller pupils is about 75 per cent, well below the national average.
In 2004 the DfES identified Roma/ Gypsy and Irish Traveller pupils in England as being the ethnic minority groups most at risk of failure. Some of the reasons for this are:
* lack of understanding regarding their cultural traditions and their life values
* negative attitudes among educators
* low educational expectations
* discriminatory practice
* high levels of prejudice in the community
* insufficient authorised Traveller sites, resulting in evictions and involuntary moving
* fewer 'surplus' places in school for them to access
* difficulties in adhering to strict school uniform policies
* parents' having had negative and hurtful experiences of school
* parents wanting to protect their family values and traditions.
Because of all this, it is important that Traveller families have positive experiences of health and education services from their children's early years.
Positive relationships Most local education authorities in England and Wales now have Traveller Education Services. These tend to be made up of advisory teachers, learning support assistants and early years workers (see case study).
As they build positive relationships with the parents they will talk about the importance of early years education, and accompany parents on visits to local pre-school settings. They also work in partnership with the library service and health professionals to provide additional support to parents.
Another important aspect of their work is raising awareness of Traveller communities among early years and school settings. These settings can recognise and celebrate the membership of a Traveller within their group and have books available that depict positive images of Travellers (see box) and culturally specific materials. NW
Further information
Early years Traveller books
* Rauni and the Rye by Gordon Boswell, published by Lincolnshire TES, tel: 01522 553322 or pat.ingall@lincolnshire.gov.uk
* Shaun's Wellies, ISBN 1899728017, published by Norfolk TES, tel: 01603 766133 or lorna.daymond@norfolk.gov.uk
* Jel Akai Chavies by Kathleen Cunningham. A nursery rhyme book published by Cambridgeshire Race Equality and Diversity Service, tel: 01223 508700 or margaret.wood@ cambridgeshire.gov.uk
* My Trailer by Karen Taylor, ISBN 906760429, published by Cheshire Consortium TES, tel: 01606 814330 or linda.walker@cheshire.gov.uk
* Play School, about a play school on a Traveller site. For details of this book and others to be published in 2006, tel: 0116 2334873 www.hotchiwitchi.co.uk
Staff training pack
* 'Working Towards Inclusive Practice: Gypsy/Roma and Traveller Cultural Awareness Training and Activities for Early Years Settings' - Save the Children Fund www.savethechildren.org.uk
Other contacts
* Department for Education and Skills: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ ethnicminorities/raising_achievement
* National Association of Teachers of Travellers (NATT), tel: 01376 340 360 www.natt.org.uk
* Commission for Racial Equality - Gypsies and Travellers: the facts www.cre.gov.uk/ gdpract/g_and_t_facts.html
* Advisory Council for the Education of Romany and other Travellers (ACERT) www.gypsy-Traveller.org
CASE STUDY: VICKI LLOYD
Vicki Lloyd, Traveller play development worker, based at Beeston Hill Children's Centre, Leeds
'I'm part of a team of four Traveller play development workers employed by Leeds City Council to work with Traveller families living in houses across the city or in trailers on the permanent site at Cottingley and roadside camps. We also work with Roma families who originate from mainly Poland and the Czech Republic.
'The children of Traveller families do not access nursery as easily as other children. This can be due to a number of reasons, including the fact that Traveller families tend to regularly move areas, a lack of understanding of the importance of early years education and the prejudice they can receive from outside of the Traveller community. With this in mind, there are five places at Beeston Hill specifically for Traveller families to access as they wish. We have also established a toy library and regularly visit families in their own homes to offer play sessions for under-threes.
'The play sessions help to encourage parents to play with their children and show them that it is through play that their children learn and develop. We have created a wide range of play packs to support creative, small world, story sacks, sensory, construction, music, physical and heuristic play. Families are able to borrow these packs and exchange them as they wish. Like many nurseries organised into different areas, such as mark-making, construction or story areas, our toy packs contain resources from different areas. For example, we have a zoo pack which contains relevant story and factual books, plastic zoo animals, fake grass, paper and crayons, masks, photographs and toy bricks. The children do have toys of their own, but sometimes these can be limited by a lack of space in their trailers.
'All the children we work with have a profile that follows Birth to Three Matters. Many of the Traveller families are unable to read or write, so these profiles use many photos, backed up by brief written observations. We also provide disposable cameras for parents to record their child's development and add to the profiles, which encourages their involvement.
'We aim to integrate the Traveller community into the wider local society by encouraging families to attend groups attached to the children's centre and Sure Start. We help make them aware of what provision is available.
'The support that we give is making a difference in the early years of the children and also helps support their parents. An important aspect of our job is to help and advise what is often an overlooked and under-represented community. We aim to raise awareness of the vibrant and fascinating culture and history of the various Traveller groups.'