Category: Education

Changes to the T-code guidance

Spot the difference!

Below are the sections of the guidance relating to how schools should record the absences of children of economically nomadic families. The left-hand column shows the guidance in force until the 19th August 2024, the right-hand one the guidance applying after that date.

Working together to
improve school
attendance

Guidance for maintained schools,
academies, independent schools, and
local authorities
Published: May 2022
Applies from: September 2022
Code T: Traveller absence
  1. A number of different groups are covered by the generic term traveller – Roma, English and Welsh Gypsies, Irish and Scottish Travellers, Showmen (fairground people) and Circus people, Bargees (occupational boat dwellers) and New Travellers.
  2. This code should not be used for general absences by those groups. It must only be used when the pupil’s parent(s) is travelling for occupational purposes and the school has granted a leave of absence following a request from the parent. This code should not be used to record any other types of absence by these groups.
  3. Pupils from these groups whose parent(s) do not travel for occupational purposes are expected to attend school as normal. They are subject to the same rules as other pupils in terms of the requirements to attend school regularly once registered at a school.
  4. Where a pupil has no fixed abode because their parent(s) is engaged in a business or trade that requires them to travel, there is an expectation that the pupil attends at least 200 sessions per year. The pupil must attend school as regularly as the business permits and therefore, if the business or trade permits the pupil to attend for more than 200 sessions per year, they should do so.
  5. To help ensure continuity of education for pupils, when their parent(s) is travelling for occupational purposes, it is expected that the pupil should attend school elsewhere when their parent(s) is travelling and be dual registered at that school and their main school.

Working together
to improve school
attendance

Statutory guidance for maintained
schools, academies, independent
schools and local authorities
Published: 29 February 2024
Applies from: 19 August 2024
Code T: Parent travelling for occupational purposes
  1. The pupil is a mobile child and their parent(s) is travelling in the course of their trade or business and the pupil is travelling with them. A mobile child is a child of compulsory school age who has no fixed abode and whose parent(s) is engaged in a trade or business of such a nature as to require them to travel from place to place.
  2. Schools should not unnecessarily ask for proof that the parent is travelling for occupational purposes, this should only happen when there are genuine and reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the reason for absence given. If there is doubt over the reason given, the school may ask for proof that the family are required to travel for occupational purposes during the period of absence.
  3. To help ensure continuity of education for pupils, when their parent(s) is travelling for occupational purposes in England, it is expected that the pupil should attend a school where their parent(s) is travelling and be dual registered at that school and their main school.
  4. This code is classified for statistical purposes as authorised absence.
  5. Whilst for statistical purposes this is counted as authorised absence, if a pupil’s attendance was to fall below an acceptable level consideration may be given to attendance enforcement.

The law has not changed and ACERT is unclear what the purpose of the change is. This change has not been discussed at the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Stakeholder group.

In 2011 the Coalition Government proposed the repeal of section 444 of the Education Act 1996 which :

protects travelling parents from being found guilty of school
attendance offence if their child is absent from school, in certain
circumstances.

Improving educational outcomes for children of travelling families

ACERT along with many other organisations responded to the consultation arguing that this change would increase the difficulties faced by nomadic families and would not improve attendance. The Government did not go ahead with the repeal so parents can still argue that they are not guilty of an offence provided that they are of no fixed abode when travelling and:

(a) parents are engaged in a trade or business of such a nature as to
require them to travel from place to place, and
(b) the child has attended at a school as a registered pupil as regularly
as the nature of that trade or business permits, and
(c) if the child has attained the age of six, that he or she has made at
least 200 attendances during the period of 12 months ending with the date on which the proceedings were instituted.

Improving educational outcomes for children of travelling families

ACERT doesn’t know if this change in the guidance will make any significant difference to the experiences of families but we would like to hear from those who travel if they are facing new problems as a result.

ACERT Education Network 28/2/24. 

Apologies: Sue Mutter

Attendance: Anne Walker, Jolene Chisholm, Sam Hoban, Heather Bottomley. Esther Stubbs, Gibson, Safeenah, Ian Lake, Ellen Tout, Selina, Narvenka, Joseph McCarron-Shipman (TTM), Jonathan Green, Ngee, TJ Whittaker, Jethro, Rose Wilson, John Wilson, Selina Costello, Dee Cooper.

Introducing the Pledge

Heather Bottomley is dislexia tutor at Leeds Beckett University. A senior member pf the Equality team of GRT heritage had been working to introduce the Pledge, but had left her post and subsequently no further work was done to implement it. Heather would like to revive it and is seeking advice and contacts from the Network. 

Esther Stubbs is at Anglia Ruskin Uni which has implemented the pledge (led by David Smith at ARU and Margaret Greenfields nationally. Selina recommended Wendy Price at Sunderland University. Jethro reported some resistance to the pledge from UAE. Jon Tan is a lecturer at Leeds Beckett.

New Community Development team 

Jolene Chisholm began work in Aug 2023. as a member of the 15 strong team. The County Council have – been doing for ages but not Cambridge City.

She began by emailing 60 professionals and received generally positive responses. Set about organising advice sessions on Education, Finance, NHS, Vaccinations and Drop in clinics without appointments. Screening clinics. Avoiding waiting times. Red Table Talks – raising issues for families in a way they can engage with.. Getting a couple of GPs and possibly making a podcast. Trrip to National Horse Racing museum in GRT History Month. Pediatric First Aid course with 30 participants 

Jolene finds services want to reach out and she acts as a mediator. Margaret explained that the Mayor of Greater Cambridge is a doctor who was very supportive in the past and Mairéad Healy who used to be with TTM is an elected Councillor on Cambridge City Council, where she serves as the Executive Member with responsibility for Health and Wellbeing, Anti-poverty and Equalities; she was one of those who lobbied for the creation of Jolene’s post.

Dee Cooper founder of the Surrey Traveller Womens’ Health Group which runs drop in centre. NHS have asked her make films. Nurses have cultural awareness training.

John Wilson

When John moved to Orpington he found 70% of pupils in the school his children enrolled in were of GRT heritage. The Trav. Ed. Service used school as a hub. John became chair of Governors and raised awareness among school staff and families.

When Bromley Community project folded, NOVAS a small housing association took over the management of two small sites. They developed work across country, including the north of Ireland, where they managed group housing schemes; integrated into other housing projects.

In the late 60s and 70s, the Greater London Council built 47,000 homes on reclaimed marsh land, previously occupied by Travellers. Peabody is coordinating the process of regeneration doubling the capacity by 2050, and improving the quality of exisiting buildings..

There are many settled GRT families in Thamesmead and some keep horses. 4,500 people work for Peabody but only one identifies as GRT, although John knows of 6 or 7. He produces a newsletter with Peabody and in schools. Elder GRTs proud of their role in building Thamesmead. “Memories of the marshes” by Betsy Cooper. Thomas Acton also published a book of photographs and the Gypsy Council was formed in the area. John uses this information to work in Primary Schools and is developing an oral history project.

Roma students co-create environment exhibition

Rosemarie Cisneros co-created an exhibition called IMPORT AND EXPORT with Roma young people in Sheffield.  There were secondary schools involved and is a great example of what is possible when schools support and create space for new ways of thinking about Roma pride and climate justice.

The exhibition was supported by the University of Sheffield’s Centre for Equity and Inclusion and the Romani Cultural & Arts Company as part of the GM6 Programme.

The exhibition includes a screendance work that is part of a trilogy linked to climate justice. The film is called OCEAN: Import & Export.

Rosa would be happy to speak with any schools or individuals to think about ways of reusing the work or expanding on the exhibition.