Improving educational outcomes for children and young people from travelling cultures: guidance

Section 2. Leadership and Management

How good is our leadership and approach to improvement for the education of Traveller children and young people?

This section aligns with existing policy and guidance to illustrate where leaders and managers can improve outcomes for Travellers. It is recognised that those working most closely with Traveller families have the greatest opportunity to build and sustain relationships, and therefore much of this guidance is directed to schools.

Where appropriate, reference is made to the Leadership and Management Quality Indicators (QIs), How Good is Our School 4 (HGIOS4). This section is organised around the following headings and sub-headings:

• Local authority strategic leadership and management
• Leadership and management in schools
• Leading improvements in schools
• Self-evaluation for self-improvement – using intelligence and data to measure impact on learners
• Leadership of learning and staff development
• Management of resources to promote equity

Local authority strategic leadership and management

By adopting an ethos, culture and values which demonstrate a strong commitment to inclusion and diversity, a local authority will provide a good grounding for supporting Travellers in schools. To meet their legal duties under the Equality Act 2010, and in line with their public sector equality duty (PSED), local authorities should assess and review, and if necessary revise, all policies and practices which will impact, directly or indirectly, on the education of Traveller children and young people^[12].

Local authority policies, guidance and systems for which Traveller needs should be considered include:

• Attendance
• Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC), including Named Person arrangements where these have been put in place
• Parental involvement in the life and work of their child's school, and parental engagement in their child's education and learning
• Support services such as home/link workers
• Curriculum, assessment and improvement activities
• Inclusion
• Additional support for learning, including EAL (English as an additional language) services
• Relationships and positive behaviour, including anti-bullying, attendance and exclusions
• Nurturing approaches
• School admissions/ enrolment/ placements
• Early learning and childcare provision
• Home education
• Community learning and development/ family learning
• Children Missing from Education (CME)
• Translator arrangements
• Digital Learning
• SEEMiS (School management information system)
• Planning and reporting on the duty to reduce pupils' inequalities of educational outcomes as a result of socio-economic disadvantage under the Education (Scotland) Act 2016
• Children's services plans
• Equality and diversity

It may be necessary to involve a range of partners in developing education and related policies that will support Travellers, particularly where families have no history of engaging with schools. Effective leadership and partnership working is likely to involve: health, social work and housing services; community groups; community learning and development teams; the third sector; and Traveller Education Network (TENET)^[13] partners. The more diverse and broad the partners, the greater the chance that the voice of Traveller children and their parents will be brought to the discussion.

Also, education authorities are encouraged to work together at a strategic level to address topics of regional significance relating to Traveller education. For example, by sharing intelligence on Traveller mobility patterns and working together, local authorities may be able to better plan for pupil moves, for example by allocating reserved places in advance where appropriate.

Practice Insight

A local authority with a large number of European Roma families in one local area, established a strategy group led by a member of directorate and including: a Quality Improvement Officer; headteachers of all local schools; Head of EAL Service; and appropriate representatives of other services. The strategy group is a forum for raising local issues relevant to these families, and members work together to find local solutions. For example, the group has developed a local procedure to ensure school placement does not pose a barrier to families enrolling their children in school.

As part of the cycle of planning and review, SEEMiS (School management information system) data can be used by local authorities to drive improvements. For example, where data indicates that few Travellers who attend primary school transition to secondary school, local authorities are encouraged to work with the local secondary schools to explore patterns of transition and plan for improvements. It is important that each local authority has, and shares with schools, appropriate procedures for using SEEMiS to record data for Traveller pupils, despite the challenges that mobility can pose for the system.

The use of an evidence base to drive improvements is particularly relevant in light of the requirements of Education (Scotland) Act 2016 where education authorities must have due regard to the need to reduce pupils' inequalities of educational outcomes as a result of socio-economic disadvantage and a duty to report progress. The associated National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan supports this work.

Finally, but very importantly, local authorities need to consider, strategically, how they manage resources to support the improvement of educational outcomes for Travellers. Decisions around allocation of resources, including staff, to support projects or schools to improve equity should to be evidence based, systematically monitored and regularly reviewed by the local authority to ensure that Travellers are not disadvantaged. Resources for professional learning and continuing professional development for local authority and school staff, in particular senior management teams, will be a consideration here.

Leadership and management in schools

A school's leadership team, and particularly the headteacher, has a fundamental role in raising and improving the achievement and attainment of children and young people from travelling cultures as well as raising the expectations and aspirations of parents and families from these communities. They should seek to understand, and then take action to mitigate, circumstances which might negatively impact a Traveller's learning.

A key aspect in engaging travelling communities in education is recognising the value of diversity and ensuring that equality and social justice are addressed in all aspects of the school's work. To effectively lead improvements in Traveller education, school leaders need to create the conditions in their school for change, ensure that their aspirations are well understood by all involved, and lead the school to continually improve. School senior management teams should recognise and support leadership at all levels within their school community.

Schools and ELC settings should not assume that they have no Traveller children or young people on their roll or in their catchment area. Authority education colleagues who belong to the Traveller Education Network (TENET) and housing colleagues are likely to be aware of Travellers in the local community. Subject to information sharing protocols, Health or other partners may also be able to advise.

From time to time, school leaders may need advice, information and support from colleagues in relation to specific matters. Annex B provides a summary of resources and support available.

Leading improvements in schools

The media frequently represents Traveller lifestyles negatively and, as a result, some travelling families can feel that they are wrongly branded with media-generated stereotypical behaviours such as crime, low hygiene and care standards, and even child neglect. Some Travellers can view any direct involvement by services – and this may sometimes include education services – as an unwelcome intrusion into their private lives. The following section sets out ways in which school leaders can work to build relationships with Travellers which are based on trust.

An inclusive school ethos

'We are committed to ensuring that we achieve the highest possible standards and success for all learners…..Our vision evolves through ongoing reflection and debate across the school and community……These are shaped by our clear understanding of the social, economic and cultural context in which children, young people and their families live alongside our awareness of current policy and practice. Through effective leadership at all levels, our community works together to turn the shared vision into a sustainable reality.'

From Section 1.3, Leadership of change – Developing a shared vision, values and aims relevant to the school and its community, How Good is Our School 4 (HGIOS4).^[14]

Improvement must start with 'developing a shared vision, values and aims relevant to the school and its community'^[15]. With strong leadership and vision, schools can create a positive, inclusive culture and ethos which creates a safe and welcoming place for all Traveller children to learn, develop and thrive. Improvement plans should clearly support an inclusive experience for children and young people from Traveller communities.

Practice Insight

For one inner city secondary school in Glasgow, supporting the Travelling and Showpeople community over an extended period of time has seen them build positive relationships with these families. This is considered a significant factor in raising the achievement and attainment of the young people and led to an increase in the number of young people from this community moving into further and higher education. The school has developed a variety of approaches and support which include:

• extra support for the children and young people when they return from a period of travel to enable them to catch up with their course work
• ensuring access to the curriculum during periods of travel by providing work to the family when they are traveling
• using a range of technologies to provide and assess work and maintain a connection with the school and the teachers

In addition, the young people and their families who benefited from intensive literacy support provided by the school in previous years are now able to support the learning of the next generation of children and grandchildren.

At the heart of an inclusive school ethos is an understanding of children's rights. This is fundamental in the organisational context and for any professional working with children and young people. School leaders will want to consider how they promote and support children's rights within school and within the curriculum, particularly in relation to global citizenship (see also the Curriculum subsection in the Learning Provision Section). The practical tool the Common Core of values and practices focuses upon establishing respectful and meaningful relationships between children and those supporting them, and can be helpful in developing effective relationships with Traveller communities.

Policies and policy development

The school's policies and procedures bring the vision, values and aims alive. By developing policies which recognise and address the concerns of different Traveller groups and the particular barriers to inclusion they may face, schools will demonstrate that school leaders are serious about the aims they have set. Schools should involve Traveller pupils and their parents in developing policies and should adapt approaches to pupil participation and parental involvement and engagement to meet the particular, and varying, needs of Traveller families. See the Pupil participation subsection, below, and the Learning Provision section, particularly the subsection Involving Traveller families in learning, for guidance on engaging with Traveller families.

Some policies may be particularly relevant. For example, research shows^[16] that, for Gypsy/Traveller children and young people, concerns about safety and previous experience of discriminatory behaviour, including parents' experiences, are negative factors which may lead to low levels of enrolment and poor attendance, and may affect transitions. Concerns about bullying are particularly acute for secondary schools. In schools, Gypsy/Traveller families are likely to therefore benefit from the reassurance of a clearly developed anti-bullying policy whichstrongly promotes equality, makes clear that all forms of discrimination are challenged, and sets out what actions to take, including who to approach, should bullying happen. The national anti-bullying service respectme can provide support to schools to review, formulate, implement and evaluate anti-bullying policies, and can also provide training. In early learning and childcare settings, a developmentally appropriate approach to relationships will be more fitting.

Respect for All, the Scottish Government's National Approach to Anti‑Bullying for Scotland's Children and Young People, now has a greater focus on prejudice-based bullying. The updated (2017) guidance is clear that organisations must monitor bullying incidents. It sets out what information school recording systems must include, such as any underlying prejudice or protected characteristics, to help organisations identify recurring patterns and encourage early intervention. Supplementary guidance on recording and monitoring of bullying incidents in schools, to be read in conjunction with Respect for All, was published in 2018 and the school management information system, SEEMiS, updated.

"Travellers have a great sense of justice and have high expectations around respect for others."

Primary School Teacher

Given the impact of interrupted learning and extended absence from school due to travel, policies and approaches to enrolment, transition and attendance may impact Traveller children disproportionately. Scottish Government guidance Included, Engaged and Involved – Part 1: Attendance in Scottish Schools (2007) provides specific guidance on managing authorised absence for Traveller children and wider guidance on promoting good attendance (note that the guidance is due to be updated in winter 2018). STEP provides advice about keeping in touch with children and young people and their families during periods of mobility, including advice on supporting learning during these periods to enable continued learning and engagement. (See also the Learning Provision subsection on Transitions.)

Similarly, given the relatively high proportion of Gypsy/Travellers excluded from schools, and the negative impact of exclusion on educational outcomes, for some Travellers policies around positive behaviour and exclusion will also be important. The national guidance Developing a positive whole-school ethos and culture: relationships, learning and behaviour (2018) encourages the development and implementation of school policies which promote positive relationships and behaviour through whole school approaches. Also, the revised guidance Included Engaged and Involved Part 2: a positive approach to preventing and managing school exclusions (2017) guides schools to consider contributing factors, including protected characteristics, when making decisions related to exclusion. For example, that guidance is clear that staff should reflect on the triggers which may have led a Traveller young person to act in a challenging way and then put in place a plan of strategies to support positive behaviour.

Considering the needs of a range of Travellers during development and review of policies and approaches provides a significant opportunity to impact positively on the education of Traveller children and young people. Leaders should also routinely measure the impact that their policies have on their Travellers' learning experiences. (See also subsection Self-evaluation for self-improvement.)

"Our nurture programmes have been age and stage appropriate and really supported our boy Travellers who often feel they can't discuss their feelings. It has contributed to their positive feelings about school."

Primary Headteacher

Pupil participation

School leaders should ensure effective arrangements for the promotion of children's voice or pupil participation in all aspects of the life and work of the school. Traveller children should be supported to understand what their participation rights are and why it is important that they are listened to and have their views taken seriously. By supporting pupil participation, school leaders will be realising a right under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) for children to have their voices heard in decisions that affect them. By providing Traveller children and young people with real opportunities to share and discuss their individual and collective life experiences, schools will be better placed to support them, through school-wide policies and, in terms of personalised learning and providing for additional support needs, as individuals. Leaders will also learn how Traveller pupils and their families can contribute to the school community.

How Good is Our Early Learning and Childcare and How Good is Our School 4 enable reflection on learner participation. The Children and Young People's Commissioner for Scotland (CYPCS) 7 Golden Rules for Participation will be useful to those working with Travellers as they help the children and young people tell adults about things that are important to them.

Getting it right for every child

Getting it right for every child is the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of children and young people by offering, if needed, the right help at the right time from the right people. Getting it right for every child requires services to work together and in partnership with children, young people and their parent(s) to support children and young people's wellbeing.

Under the Getting it right for every child approach, making available a clear point of contact or 'Named Person' ensures that there is someone identified who can help children and young people get the support they need, if and when they want it. They are also a clear point of contact for parents should they wish to seek advice or if they wish to discuss a concern about the wellbeing of their child.

Named Persons are also a point of contact for other services if they have concerns about a child's or young person's wellbeing. Working in partnership with children and young people and parents, this helps to ensure services can provide more effective support by being better coordinated. Generally the responsibility for providing a Named Person service lies with the NHS board before the child starts primary school, and the local authority or the independent school which they attend once the child is of school age.

It is recognised that Traveller children often have a non-standard use of the universal services of health and education, and in some cases can experience difficulty accessing services. For this reason, local authorities may need to give particular consideration to arrangements to make a Named Person available to Traveller children while they are living in their area. These arrangements should be responsive to the needs of children and families where ever they are in Scotland, and sensitive to cultural diversity and difference. Specific considerations may apply in respect of Traveller children, depending on the nature of their engagement with services and their pattern of residence and travel.

Practice Insight

A primary school invited two Traveller parents and their children to a meeting to contribute to the development of the school's anti-bullying policy. A member of the local secondary school staff (a depute headteacher) also attended. As a result, a section of the policy was dedicated to teachers taking positive action against race-related (specifically Gypsy/Traveller) bullying through whole class sessions. The Traveller parents felt that the school understood their concerns, that they were being listened to and that their contribution was valued. It also engendered positive relations with the secondary school, therefore contributing to the possibility of positive transitions.

Practice Insight

A headteacher's tips for enrolling new Gypsy/Traveller children:

• On the first visit provide a tour of the school led by the school's key contact person for day-to-day contact with Traveller pupils and their families. Introduce the child's teacher and the headteacher if available. This will help the parents and child feel included, part of the school, straightaway.
• Let parents know what documents you need to formally enrol the child – birth certificates etc. – and ask them to let the key contact person know of any problems in supplying the documents. Staff should support families through this process, particularly where the enrolment requires a tailored approach.
• Provide support to parents during enrolment, for example by offering to fill in the form for them if they would like to tell you the information. Do this sensitively. For example, to save embarrassing a parent with limited literacy skills say 'If you just want to tell me the information, I'll fill in the form if you would like'.
• Ask if the Traveller already knows someone in the school community – a parent of a child already at school for example – and consider if their acquaintance can help in some way to support the transition into the school.
• Don't be tempted to visit a Traveller site or a Traveller's home without an invitation. Although this would be done with good intentions, this may be considered intrusive and is potentially counter-productive.

"Success for us has been welcoming the travelling family into our community, making contact from the beginning."

Primary Headteacher

Reflection

• How effective are our processes for involving local families from mobile cultures in the ongoing review of our vision, aims and values, school policies and approaches to communicating with parents?
• Do we consider the needs of children from travelling cultures in our approach to pupil participation and learner voice? Do we provide purposeful, participatory opportunities in all arenas of school life? Do we use participatory approaches to encourage relations that are equitable?
• How effective are the links with other agencies and people (e.g. social work services, local health board, Family Learning Professionals, CLD (Community Learning and Development), Traveller Education Network (TENET)) in engaging and addressing the needs of Traveller communities, including families where children are not at school?
• How well do we seek out and respond positively to potential partnerships which will lead to better outcomes for the children and young people we work with?
• How effectively are incidents relating to racial discrimination acted upon to ensure lessons are learnt and prevent future occurrences?
• Are staff up to date with processes for travelling communities and are our systems regularly reviewed?

Further information

• The report Improving Outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Pupils sets out six constructive conditions which appeared instrumental in impacting positively on education to improve outcomes
• respectme, Scotland's national anti-bullying service
• Respect for all - the National approach to anti-bullying for Scotland's children and young people, SG 2017
• Supplementary guidance on recording and monitoring of bullying incidents
• Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: attendance in Scottish schools
• Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: a positive approach to preventing and managing school exclusions
• Education Scotland Engaging parents and families: A toolkit for practitioners
• Education Scotland Working with the travelling Showmen community
• STEP leaflet Let's talk about bullying

Self-evaluation for self-improvement – using intelligence and data to measure impact on learners

'The most important thing is being able to demonstrate impact in relation to improved outcomes for your learners. To achieve this you must continuously track and monitor children and young people's successes and achievements and use your self‑evaluation to identify where your school is performing well and where it could do better. Weaknesses in these outcomes are usually the result of weaknesses within the learning provision or leadership and management, and often both. Where outcomes are either not improving or deteriorating, you need to take swift action.' HGIOS4, 2015

How Good is Our School 4 (HGIOS4) and How Good is Our Early learning and Childcare (HGIOELC) provide guidance on supporting and developing effective self-evaluation. To understand how to impact the educational outcomes for children and young people in their schools, school leaders need to ensure that self-evaluation, supported by robust analysis of a range of intelligence and data, is the norm and that all staff recognise and actively participate in this approach to continuous improvement. Only by drawing on intelligence will schools be able to answer the questions 'how are we doing' and 'how do we know' which are key to self-improvement and then go on to decide 'what are we going to do now?' The National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan, aimed at achieving excellence and equity in Scottish education, provides schools with new and better information to help identify where improvement is needed.

Annex C sets out some examples of data and intelligence which are likely to be key to improving outcomes for Traveller children and young people, as well as some reflective questions to help with its analysis. This data and intelligence will be useful for the senior management team, but it is also important that teachers and other staff draw on it. It can inform improvements and help measure the impact of changes.

By way of example, data analysis can be used to support improved attendance. Where data highlights poor attendance which cannot be explained by family mobility, schools should explore the reasons behind the attendance pattern with the pupil and parent. Once the causes are understood, schools can work with the pupil and family to support improved attendance and address any other concerns. Schools should critically review any of their own procedures which may be impacting negatively on attendance levels. Early intervention to address declining attendance is particularly important for older Traveller children and young people who may be at greater risk of disengaging. Effective tracking, monitoring and analysis procedures which are backed up by school leaders and local authority policies will support such work. Schools should ensure they adapt communications about absence to suit Traveller parents who do not speak English, have limited literacy or have other barriers to communication or engagement.

"My attendance isn't very good but I am getting better at it now because I am in a special dance class. They are in the morning so I miss if I am late."

P6 Traveller

Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: Attendance in Scottish Schools provides useful guidance around follow-up on absence.

SEEMiS and record keeping

There is flexibility within SEEMiS (the school management information system) to record periods of travel for Traveller children and young people. Schools need to support administration staff to understand and follow local authority procedures to ensure data is accurate and up-to-date. Travellers need to have confidence in the accuracy of the information held by the school at any time and particularly at the point of transition. This becomes increasingly important when families are highly mobile and opportunities for planned transitions limited. Authorities will need to identify clear systems for sharing information with receiving schools and authorities.

Schools should note that:

• Pupils can be registered on SEEMiS with two schools at the same time. For example, some families arrange for their children to enrol in a 'base school' for part of the year and take authorised 'Extended Leave with Parental Consent' for periods of travel. The children may temporarily enrol in other schools as they travel, and these schools provide attendance and other data to the 'base school'.
• The correct SEEMiS code to use when a pupil is travelling for cultural reasons is code 24, see the Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1 guidance
• If there are child protection/wellbeing concerns for a child or young person who is travelling and their whereabouts are unknown and no communication has been made from the family explaining that they will be travelling for a period, Children Missing from Education (CME) procedures must be followed.

Practice Insight

A primary school headteacher identified an emerging pattern of some Traveller children not attending school on a Friday. The key Traveller contact member of staff established that some families thought it unnecessary to send their children to school on a Friday, as it was a half-day. Revising the week's timetable so that Friday mornings included creative activities which the Traveller children were known to enjoy, led to attendance rates improving significantly.

SEEMiS is used for schools and local authorities to record bullying incidents (see Policies and policy development subsection).

Reflection

• How effective is our communication with families around expectations?
• What range of data and information do we use to understand the social, economic and cultural context of the mobile cultures within our local community?
• How reliable is our evidence of impact on the learning of the pupils?
• How effective are our planning, recording and information transfer processes for children from mobile communities?

Leadership of learning and staff development

"It is important that schools develop a culture of cooperation between teachers, support staff, parents, carers, children and young people and the wider learning community. The strengths and assets of children and young people should be recognised by staff and an ethos of participation and decision making by young people seen as a core part of how the school is managed."

From Recording and monitoring of bullying incidents in schools: supplementary guidance, 2018

It is likely that many teaching and other staff may know little about Travellers and different travelling cultures and may have limited understanding of the barriers they can face in accessing an education, and consequently can lack confidence in engaging with Traveller pupils and their families. Leaders therefore have a responsibility to support all staff to develop their knowledge and understanding and help them recognise and fulfil their own role in improving Travellers' educational experiences. This is obviously important in schools with Traveller children, where staff who engage with Traveller children and their communities should be encouraged to develop their practice in leading learning in this area. It is also important in schools that do not seem to have any Traveller pupils. Improved knowledge and understanding will prepare staff should Travellers enrol (which may happen without notice) and may persuade existing Traveller pupils to volunteer their identity.

Training for staff, including core aspect for probationer teachers and induction and on-going training for non-teaching staff, needs to include awareness-raising around travelling cultures and to examine the challenges that schools and families face in developing positive working relationships. Some of the best learning will come from engaging with children and their families. For example, awareness-raising activities developed with Traveller children can be a positive and interactive way of sharing examples of Traveller cultures with other staff and children in the school, as well as with other schools in the local area. To enable them to support Travellers, teaching staff should be helped to develop their knowledge and understanding of relevant learning and teaching, family engagement in the classroom, managing distance and digital learning, and monitoring and assessment procedures (particularly during periods of mobility). For teachers, such Career-Long Professional Learning (CLPL) is consistent with the Social Justice element of the GTCS Professional Standards and the Professional Values and Personal Commitment core to being a teacher.

Headteachers need to ensure that the leadership of learning and staff development is a continuous process which is reinforced with positive role models. They should aim to: set clear expectations; support staff to develop relevant knowledge and skills; monitor and evaluate the impact of staff development interventions on Traveller pupils' progress and relationships with Traveller communities; and then adapt, repeat or reinforce staff development approaches as necessary. Regularly modelling positive and respectful engagement with Traveller parents, for example in the playground at the start and end of the school day, may be a simple but effective way for a headteacher to demonstrate their expectations of staff.

The need to support non-teaching staff in their understanding of Travellers should not be underestimated. Many Traveller families will get their first impression of a school from the office staff and effective relationships at the front desk can be fundamental to building relationships with parents and Traveller communities. It is essential that, in addition to building their knowledge of travelling cultures, office staff are supported to develop the skills, including interpersonal skills, to engage sensitively and diplomatically with Travellers.

Practice Insight

"Strong community engagement ….through the Engaging with Travellers work…. has included making visits to the sites, engaging with the community and building relationships and using this as a vehicle to identify needs."

Good practice noted by Education Scotland in a secondary school

Reflection

• How well do all staff understand their role and responsibility in supporting Travellers' wellbeing?
• To what extent do we critically engage with research, policy sources and developments in learning and teaching for mobile cultures?

Management of resources to promote equity

School leaders need to promote equity for Travellers through effective resource management. To ensure that resources are targeted to approaches which lead to improved, more equitable outcomes for Travellers, resource decisions should be evidence-based, systematically monitored and regularly reviewed.^[17]

For example, schools may consider investing in learning resources to support Travellers and other children who need additional support. These could be resources to support EAL learners, resources known to help children quickly catch up on their literacy ability or digital resources which help children continue learning during periods of mobility. Before purchase, schools should look for research or other evidence, perhaps from other schools or local authority areas, on the product's effectiveness, or first pilot the product or approach themselves. The impact of different Travellers' lifestyles should also be considered. For example, resources which lack the flexibility to work around a pattern of interrupted education or different levels of English competence are unlikely to provide effective support for some Travellers. It may be critical too that when purchasing learning resources, schools invest in the appropriate associated staff training to ensure that the full benefits of such investment are realised.

Of course, not everything needs to have a financial cost and school leaders should consider how using their existing resources, including premises and staff, effectively and flexibly can support Travellers. For example, identifying a staff member to act as a key point of contact with Travellers can have significant benefits (see also Leadership of learning and staff development subsection). Schools should consider how the challenges faced by Traveller children and young people might impact on how they arrange and use the learning environment. For example, schools without existing nurture spaces should consider the benefits of creating a safe, quiet space for use at times when children are struggling to transition into a new school or just feeling unsafe. Such a space could also be used to support a 'soft start', helping a child prepare themselves for class if they have arrived late and/or in an anxious state.

"The most successful area for us as a school has been the Performance Programme. Talents have been uncovered from singing and acting to dancing. Parents have made the effort to come in and see their child perform out with school hours and this has contributed immensely to the child's self-esteem and parents' experience of school life."

Primary Headteacher

Also, school leaders can get involved in, or draw on the expertise of, Scotland's Traveller Education Network (TENET), a national professional network where ideas around management and resourcing are shared. Many Scottish education authorities encourage their designated Traveller education support staff to join TENET.

Practice Insight

One school has a number of families who travel so they can experience their culture and traditions meaning that they are often away from school between November and February. The school works hard to build positive relationships and good communication with their learners and families prior to, and during this time providing them with learning resources and extra support for catch up when they return. To further develop this support, Pupil Equity Funding will help deliver a new homework club for all children which will particularly support interrupted learners.

Reflection

• How effectively do we use our resources to meet the learning needs of children from travelling cultures and ensure equity?
• How reliable is our evidence of impact on the learning of the pupils?
• Do we need to adjust our learning to meet Travellers' needs, and if so, how?

Further information

Respect for all - the National approach to anti-bullying for Scotland's children and young people, 2017

• Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: attendance in Scottish schools
• Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: a positive approach to preventing and managing school exclusions
• http://www.step.education.ed.ac.uk/tenet/
• http://www.step.education.ed.ac.uk/training-menu/