Hampshire Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS)

Traveller Advisory Service

Guidance for schools admitting Traveller pupils Download Acrobat Reader to view this PDF 625kb

You can refer a pupil to the service by using a Traveller pupil referral form (on right)  or phoning 01256 330195. To preserve confidentiality and data protection please do not e-mail the form back.

The Hampshire Traveller Advisory Service is located within Hampshire Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) .

The aims of the service include:

  • fully integrating Travellers' children into the mainstream education system
  • monitoring the attendance and attainment of Traveller pupils
  • ensuring they receive their full entitlement to education
  • promoting knowledge and understanding of Traveller communities in all schools
  • helping to promote HCC's commitment to equality of opportunity.

The service has been set up to meet the education needs of all Traveller children who are travelling in or through Hampshire. i.e.

  • Highly mobile Travellers
  • Travellers living on sites
  • Travellers living in houses for up to two years
  • Circus and fairground Travellers
  • New Travellers
  • Roma

The service objectives are to help ensure Travellers' children's access the full National Curriculum by:

  • helping with the assessment of their educational needs
  • monitoring the effectiveness of provision, with others including school staff, inspectors, social services officers and educational psychologists
  • enabling continuity of educational experience for Travellers' children and to provide support for families
  • giving support to the families
  • supporting schools where Traveller pupils have special needs or behavioural difficulties.

Roles of the staff within the service

Teacher Adviser

A Teacher Adviser supports settings and schools to develop appropriate strategies for the integration of Traveller children.  They will work collaboratively with class/subject teachers in order to provide appropriate teaching strategies, activities and experiences that support Traveller pupils and their learning needs to raise achievement.  Wherever possible they will develop and disseminate appropriate curriculum support materials in collaboration with their mainstream colleagues. Additionally they give professional leadership and advice to school staff in supporting Traveller pupils. This can involve joint curriculum planning, delivery and evaluation, support for whole school policies, participation in planning meetings and in-service training. They will provide up-to-date advice on current National Strategies guidance for supporting Traveller pupils.  

A teacher adviser will advise schools on the organisation and monitoring of Distance Learning for Traveller families.

All teacher advisers collect performance data on targeted Traveller pupils (e.g. NC levels, post 16 leavers' routes, GCSE results), keeping careful records and ensuring that information is regularly shared with mainstream colleagues and incorporated into the school's profiling system. They work too in collaboration with school staff to facilitate liaison between home, school and community. They support the pastoral needs of pupils through consultation with mainstream teachers and in liaison with other involved agencies, and Hampshire EMA Service colleagues where appropriate.

They will where appropriate work with other subject consultants and School Improvement Partners (SIPs) and contribute to county data on Travellers.

Education Advisers

Education Advisers support schools and the family in order to develop appropriate strategies for the integration of Traveller children.  They provide a link between home, school and community and where needed will visit local sites. They support the pastoral needs of pupils through consultation with mainstream teachers and in liaison with other involved agencies, and Hampshire EMTAS colleagues where appropriate.

They will work collaboratively with class/subject teachers in order to provide appropriate teaching strategies, activities and experiences that support Traveller pupils and their learning needs to raise achievement.  Wherever possible they will develop and disseminate appropriate curriculum materials in collaboration with mainstream colleagues.

They will advise schools on the organisation and monitoring of Distance Learning for Traveller families.

They can advise on appropriate Traveller based resources to be used in school and may work with individual pupils for key periods.

Training is available to all staff and other agencies.

Traveller Education Officers (TEO)

Traveller Education Officers provide an educational and social support service to Traveller families, assist, advise and work within legal framework of education and support schools in providing education and care for Traveller children.  They liaise with other agencies to help Traveller children and their families.

Where possible they try to make contact with Traveller families in the area to encourage and promote regular attendance and to respond to the diverse needs and culture within the Travelling community.  They ensure that effective links between home and school are established and maintained so that problems of non-attendance and behaviour can be addressed.  They can advise and train school staff on attendance procedures and recording absence regarding Traveller families

They will work with schools, parents, children and other agencies where children have been or are likely to be excluded from school so that effective support arrangements are made for their continuing education.  They will also work in partnership with families so that they are empowered to access other services and information to improve the welfare of children.

Traveller Education Officers work mainly with mobile Travellers, those on HCC and private sites, unofficial sites and Travellers living in houses for up to two years.  They visit families at home and in other settings (i.e. roadside) to assess needs and decide upon a suitable plan to gain admissions into school and help promote regular school attendance and improved behaviour.

The Traveller Education Officers maintain accurate and confidential case notes, files and minutes of meetings so that decisions are recorded and implemented, taking into account potential client access under data protection legislation.

Locality teams should also be aware of Travellers in their locality and can also contact the Traveller Education Officers for advice and support.  Locality teams should not assume that Travellers are automatically known to the TAS and good communication is vital in order for the best support to be provided.

Traveller Education Officers will also be working and supporting projects within EMTAS.

Teaching Assistant (TTA)

The Traveller Teaching Assistant will work in partnership with the school, class teacher, pupil and parents to support the successfully integration of Traveller pupils.  Predominantly the Teaching Assistant will work with pupils who are new to the school however may also be called in to work with those pupils who are experiencing difficulty in school and may need extra support, pupils who are due to transfer school and pupils who are part of ELAMP (Electronic Learning and Mobility Project).  Most of the teaching assistants' time should be in contact with pupils and parents. Teaching assistants are frequently required to deal with matters of a very sensitive nature in their negotiations with parents, pupils, teachers and local communities. They are expected to handle such situations sensitively and with absolute confidentiality.

Referrals must be made to EMTAS. The Teaching Assistant will assist in the early assessment of Traveller pupils, support the pupil during their induction and any learning needs they may have. They will also recommend and develop Traveller specific resources for use school.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Members of the service offer:

  • In-service training to Head teachers, governors and  all staff in school
  • Ascription/ Racial Equality training
  • Support in developing whole school policies on Intercultural Education
  • Develop specific modules of work on e.g. drama prejudice, homes, history,
  • Fairs etc.
  • Advice and support to promote Gypsy Roma and Traveller History Month (GRTHM)

Resources

Teacher advisers have a small resource base, which includes books and artefacts and are available for loan. Please also see our Resources section for publications by DCSF and links on this page.