THE ISSUES IN WORKING
TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
Dr. Kate D’Arcy
Overview
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Background
My own research into Gypsy and other Traveller
families’ use of and reasons for home education
Findings and recommendations
Questions for discussion in workshop
My study
1) Awareness of issues and barriers in school for Gypsies
and other Travellers
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Racism
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Bullying
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Discrimination
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Negative teacher attitudes
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Inconsistent or Inadequate support
2) Observations about different Traveller families choosing
home education and issues related to this uptake
Aims of Research
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To establish an enquiry to understand more about
Travellers’ experiences and perceptions of Elective
Home Education (EHE).
To illuminate an area of education that lies within a
relatively young field of research and has a notable
gap regarding Travellers.
To enable Travellers’ currently unreported situations to
be realised, and that this may lead to a greater
understanding of the specific and general educational
needs and wishes of Traveller communities.
Qualitative methodology
Interviewed 11 Traveller families in 1 Local Authority in England
 9 Gypsy/Roma
 2 Showmen
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2 professionals responsible for EHE in the particular county
under study.
I chose to assert the voices of all Travellers, rather than those of
professionals. I use story telling and counter- stories to assert
these voices and illuminate ongoing racism and discrimination in
educational spaces – Findings are published in my book
Research Questions
1.
2.
3.
What are Gypsies and other Travellers’
experiences and perceptions of home education ?
Why do Travellers choose home education ?
Are there emerging issues of inequality concerning
Gypsies and Traveller families’ use of EHE ?
These are addressed in turn
Educational options open to and used
by Traveller families
Mainstream
School
Registered
as providing
EHE
Family pays for
tutor
Family tutors
child
Not registered in
any education
Informally
based family
learning
11 Families
Tutor
(7)
Family
(4)
EHE practice
‘Basics’: Reading, Writing, Maths and Computers
Average – 2 hrs per week. ‘Home-work’ tasks were set by all
tutors for between sessions. The length of time these lasted
varied and depended on the tutor and the age and ability
of the child.
 Families used academic books for Reading and Writing,
Maths and Science. Other activities based on daily life e.g.
Children used computers for writing about a bike ride they
had gone on that day.
 Some families did the same thing each day to get in a
routine, others did something different every day. One
family kept a diary of everything to show the EHE advisor.
EHE practices
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Alongside these ‘basics’ – cooking, needlework, caring
for horses, dogs and other animals, helping out with the
family business
Reflects a vocational, yet gendered model of
education.
Monitoring visits were 1 x per year, all families
appreciated these. Some wanted more frequently and
more regular advice and guidance, especially at the
start.
Why do Gypsies and Travellers chose
home education?
“Ronnie was being bullied and the school locked him in
a room by himself. Davey got anxiety at secondary
school and that is why I pulled him out ...”
“I was being bullied and I was unhappy at school, I did
not like it. I did not have any friends at the school ...”
“They did not seem to bother much with him. He hated
going...”
Reasons........
“My son went to secondary school and had a terrible
experience, yes...because he’s a Traveller. He got
picked on , even by the teachers. I was not prepared
for Rosanne to go through that. We had the same
when we went to school, my brother and sisters
so..........”
“Safer to keep her at home”
Problems in School
“Its the bullying , they say it does not happen but it do
happen…”
“That is a big worry with Traveller children...bullying, he
had a bit of bullying and he would not entertain it”
“The class were all looking at a certain page, the
teacher said …‘not you, you look at the picture book,
you can’t read or write’”
Inequality
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Reasons for uptake of EHE illuminated inequality in
schools
Families were compelled to take up EHE because of
issues in school...
Yet dominant discourse suggests that reasons are
related to Travellers’ mobility !
Reasons for EHE : Push and Pull factors
The reasons Traveller families took up home education were
complex and multi-faceted. I summarises and checked these
with families:
Push : problems in school (mainly secondary):
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Bullying
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Discrimination (by teachers/ children)
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Traveller children not being safe
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Being seen / treated differently by teachers
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Traveller children learning things that are not in keeping with their
culture
Pull : Safety of EHE
‘Cultural Difference’
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I found that in the literature , including government
reports on Travellers and EHE there was an
overreliance on cultural factors to explain away the
difficulties in school and reasons for home educating
(mobility & non-interest)
The discourse of Travellers’ cultural difference
perpetuates these communities as undeserving which
impacts significantly on educational policy, practice
and children’s opportunities .
Racism and Discrimination in School = EHE
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It is important not to under-estimate the detrimental
effect of cultural difference in education
Dominant and often inaccurate discourses mean that
school may not even ask Traveller parents why they
withdraw their children from school. Issues of racism
are hidden from view…
It has been suggested that EHE is convenient for
schools and families alike - Yet this is not just or
equitable
EHE : Intersections of Inequality
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Current home education systems are vague and
cannot ensure that all children receive a suitable
education
Because EHE is solely reliant on families financial
and cultural capital EHE can perpetuate inequality
The most vulnerable (who experience intersections of
inequality because of their race, ethnicity, gender,
class and additional learning needs), their education
is compromised, through no fault of their own
Access to Education IS desired
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Parents wanted their children to attend school but
barriers they faced their meant it was not a realistic
possibility
All families were doing their best with the resources
they had available
Challenges the concept that Gypsy and other
Traveller families are not committed or interested in
their children’s education
Correlations to other research
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EHE is also chosen by other ‘vulnerable groups’ who
are Othered or stereotypically identified as
different :
Children with a statement of Special Educational
Need
Gifted and Talented children because of schools
inability to cope with their so-called ‘unusual’
children (Winstanley, 2009)
Take up of EHE in county under study
Professionals confirmed particular high take up by:
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Traveller families
Parents of children with Special Educational Needs
Gifted families with Gifted and Talented children
Parents of children who are bullied
School-refusers
Reasons were problems in school
Indicators of educational inequality ...
‘BY DEFAULT’
those who feel compelled to elect for EHE rather than
making a positive decision to do so (Badman, 2009)
WELFARE
Reasons: Discrimination & racist bullying ( 8 /11),
unhappy child, lack of social and academic support,
positive identity development, cultural dissonance…..
Points for consideration.....
Despite rhetoric of equal opportunities
educational structures and pedagogy reproduce
inequality and Travellers’ social exclusion
Intersections of inequality; class, gender,
social capital, poverty & race
EHE –the fact that it serves as a ‘SAFE SPACE’
which is convenient for school & families alike
The Yo- Yo effect ?
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If families want to access education (evidence is that
they do ) ..when they arrive and are faced with
experiences that reflect their fears - children
withdrawn again..............
In this context...
How can we make schools safer places to be ?
How can we ensure that families don’t take up EHE ‘by
default’?
How can Travellers’ educational needs be better
considered in policy making and practice for school
and EHE alike?