Promoting the Integration of Roma in and
through education in Manchester
Jan Bradburn - Education Development Officer, MCC
Jane Murphy - Education Development Officer, MCC
Jenny Patterson – Team Leader, MCC
The City of Manchester
• MCC central LA within area of Greater Manchester
• History of immigration to the city
• Diversity –
wealth/deprivation/industry/business/arts/universities/media/
sport/new communities
• 23% BME population, half of which in 7 wards
• 4th highest LA in UK on Index of Multiple Deprivation
• Dispersal area for asylum seekers from 1990s
• A8 and A2 citizens since expansion of EU
• Knowledge, experience and expertise working with diverse
communities – schools, LA, universities
Manchester Children’s
Services & Education
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187 languages spoken by children in Manchester’s schools
Increasing numbers of BME and EAL pupils, 51%
1,430 International New Arrivals (INAs) 2010/2011
Of 62,500 total pupils, approx 1000 Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT)
at any one time - Irish Travellers who have lived in Manchester
for several generations and recently arrived Roma from Europe
(who are moving into most deprived areas of the city)
Dispersal area for asylum seekers from 1990s
A8 and A2 citizens since expansion of EU
Gaps in attainment, attendance, drop-out and exclusions
between 29 different categories of ethnic groups
Concerns about GRT pupils – no take-up of Early Years
provision and very few pupils gained expected level by end of
high school
Knowledge, experience and expertise working with diverse
communities – schools, LA, universities
New Roma Communities
• Some arrived in Manchester as asylum seekers in the 1990s,
but most had to return to Europe in or before 2004
• Biggest community from Romania, but also some from Czech
Republic and other Eastern European countries including
Slovakia, Latvia & Lithuania,
• Started to return as EU citizens after Spring 2008
• High numbers (mainly from Romania) living in one area –
availability of cheap private housing and increasing numbers
(mainly from other EU countries) in other areas of the city
• Approx 500 Roma school-age children at any one time, awaiting
places or in 37 schools across the city
• Two schools have each taken in well over 100 Romania Roma
pupils in the last 2 years
• Mobility of the community is a problem for schools and other
services
The Roma Strategy
• Leadership
• Promoting positive working relationships between different
agencies
• Link from operational to strategic
• Partner in new 4 year EU Project led by University of
Manchester
• Data, monitoring
• Led through Single Regeneration Framework Area (SRF)
• Now focus on mainstreaming strategies, rather than separate
funding/teams
Support for Schools &
Children’s Centres
• BHA commissioned for outreach to families and communities
and work with children missing education
• Service User Voice
• Learning Networks
• Resource development
• Training & support for Roma community members to develop
their skills as bilingual assistants and with home school liaison
• Teaching Assistant support for children vulnerable on
Induction/Transition to new schools
• Enrichment Activities and early years outreach
Service User Voice
Pupil/ service user voice
is embedded
into the
Manchester
approach
Service User Voice
School Learning Networks
Approach
Nobody had the answer
Reflective Practice using DCSF constructive conditions
AIMS
Develop knowledge
Respect
Raise awareness
Promote confidence in trialling new strategies/approaches
and taking risks
Encourage debate
Keep updated
Safety
High
and
Expectations
Trust
Flexibility
Access
Flexibility
and
Partnerships
Inclusion
School Learning Networks
Impact
• All schools now have a confident specialist
• All schools are using a range of strategies to settle
children and engage parents
• Many teachers have been empowered to use effective
classroom strategies
• Some schools have well developed writing strategies
which take into account Romani learning styles
• 77% are on a National Curriculum level after one year
(most arrived with no prior schooling)
• Over 50% have improved attendance
(82% have attendance over 80%)
School Improvement
Approaches and Activities
Leadership and Management
-Tracking data for inclusion
-Whole school awareness raising/responsibility
Teaching and Learning
-Classroom strategies identification and sharing
-Inspiring and motivating writing
-Roma Mentors and including the Romani
language in the classroom
Engagement of Parents Carers
and the Wider Community
-Community display
-Pro-active approach to
engagement
-Including in displays and
resource development
Roma Mentors
Developing a ‘job description’
• Support
pupils to engage/stay on task
• Support pupils to understand the rules and routines/ expectation
of school.
• Support staff to understand how the pupil is responding and
what flexible approaches could be used.
• Support school and parents to communicate effectively and
understand expectations.
• Support school staff to build better relationships and more
confidence when speaking to Roma parents. This has enabled
staff to home visit and communicate simple messages over the
phone.
• Support schools and other professionals to understand the
Roma community and develop appropriate provision and
effective resources.
• Act as a role model for children, community and school.
Roma Mentors
Support and learning
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Ensure schools have realistic expectations
Ensure schools work with strengths
Continuous coaching / development of role and skills
Continuous reflection/mutual understanding
Clear timetabling and directions
Support with reports and reading (flexibility of systems)
Share information and ideas/making the most of all types
of opportunities to develop skills of all partners and
improve practice
Roma Mentor
Impact
Role models for
aspirations and
behaviour
Engaging with
parents
Understanding
past experiences
and strengths
“Leo has had a very positive impact “B”. He
gets a bit silly in some of his lessons. Leo just
walks into the room and his behaviour
changes. I think “B” sees him as related to
home so he has been a good bridge between
home and school and supported trust.”
Linda Jane Goldring, Head of Sixth Form The
Manchester Academy
“It has been good for teachers to see how he
interacts with the children to allow reflection
on strategies.”
Hannah Roberts, Ethnic Minority Achievement
Co-ordinator at Crowcroft Park Primary
School
Roma Mentor
Impact
Engaging
with parents
“Vasilie’s support has been invaluable. He
has supported the children and their mother
to understand what goes on in school and
that everything we do is in the best interest
of the children. Without him we could not
have build such a strong partnership
between home and school.”
Christine Porter, Deputy Head Teacher of
Lancasterian Special School
Being a female role model
Engagement of Roma Families with
Early Years Education
• Aims
• Opportunity to access early years provision
• Finding and identifying GRT families (particularly
teenage girls)
• Knowing the families
• Developing Outreach
• Developing Transition to Children’s Centres/school
• LA data and ascription
Engagement of Roma Families with
Early Years Education
• New ways of analysing services to ensure they do not
exclude or prevent engagement
• Joint working has helped us to reflect on what has
worked well and focus on how - Advantages of
Working Together
• What have we learnt so far?
• This is new, this is big, this is complex, this is a real
learning curve
• To deal with challenges
• Joint working will help the consultation process to find
out what the families want – not what we think they need
Engagement
of Roma Families with
Engaging with early years education
Early Years Education
Engagement
of Roma Families with
Engaging with early years education
Early Years Education