Sidney Stringer Academy

Our Journey with the Roma Community

Believe Achieve Succeed

The story 5 years ago…

• The perception of a typical Roma student:

• Poor levels of attendance• High levels of internal truancy• Often late to school• Many incidences of leaving school site• Poor behaviour• Involved in ‘anti-social’ behaviour – smoking etc• Disengaged in lessons, and the principles of education in general• Isolated, reluctant to mix with other pupils/ethnic groups

Or to be more blunt…

• Lazy• Can’t be bothered• Rude• Don’t care• Why won’t they mix with everyone else?• No wonder they get picked on!!• They can speak English – do they HAVE to speak to

each other in Czech/Slovak/Romanian ALL the time..?!?!

The story 5 years ago…

• The perception of a typical Roma parent:

• Condoned their child’s truancy• Didn’t care about their child’s attendance• Not bothered by threats of legal action• Not bothered about their child’s progress in school• Not willing to become involved in the ‘life’ of the

school – parents evenings, events etc

Or to be more blunt..

• Lazy• Don’t get out of bed in the morning• Don’t care about their children• Certainly don’t care about school• Probably jobless• Families hanging round in big groups outside their

houses till all hours of the morning…• Scrounging for benefits• Probably crime lords!

The truth 5 years ago

• All these perceptions were nonsense!• Sidney Stringer School was not being

imaginative enough in our efforts to engage the community

• Where celebratory events were planned and communicated, attendance was good

• We were telling not listening!

What we changed…

• The employment of 1 classroom teacher (Czech/Slovak speaker), and 2 classroom based translators (one Czech/Slovak speaker, another Romanian speaker)

• Develop an off-site forum with only 2 aims:• To listen to concerns• To provide lunch and a drink• No reference to behaviour, truancy, progress

What happened?

• Parental attendance to these events was high• Myself, 2 translators would just chat, have a

drink and a sandwich.• Main concerns from the parents were that we

hadn’t been listening• We agreed.• We said it would change (evidence being

translators present)

What happened then..?

• A ‘plan’ for engagement EVOLVED• The meetings would provide certificates for good attendance;

House Heads would be asked to nominate names for good work / achievement, certificates for these would be given out.

• We would provide translated material relevant to up and coming events – reports, parents evenings, flyers for future meetings.

• Everything would be positive!!

Continued…

• We planned termly celebration assemblies for our Roma pupils with parents invited

• We undertook termly visits to main primary feeder school to visit y5 and y6 roma pupils; 1st term pupils, 2nd term pupils and parents; 3rd term pupils and parents here

• We advertised after school English classes for our Roma parents

Recently…

• Attendance at our termly parents meetings began to dwindle…we didn’t know why…

• We asked the few who still came along what the reason for this was…

• The response was generally summarised with ‘parents are happy with their children’s progress in school, is there really a need to come along?’

Continued…• Attendance at NATT conferences• Special guest speakers from Roma background have come to the

school, contacts via networks, conferences• Roma week built into pastoral and tutor programme• Specific monitoring of the A2L and progress of Roma pupils,

supported with individual half termly mentoring of Y7 pupils by a member of the Senior Team

• Visits for Roma pupils; Manchester University, Coventry University, Baverstock Academy Birmingham

• Translated homework booklets for Year 7 Roma pupils. Promotion of homework club attendance; badges, pens, lunches with staff all act as rewards

Where we are now• Roma internal truancy much reduced• Roma attendance increased (91.4%) – monitored daily, meetings

weekly, actions agreed.• Roma persistent absence down (9)• Greatly improved punctuality• Greatly increased parental engagement for parents evenings etc• 5 y11 Roma pupils attended the y11 prom – first time ever!• Progress in most year groups in core subjects ahead of school

average (11 out of 15)• The academy now occupy a position of trust with the Roma

Community, earned over a number of years. Whilst we still listen, we are also able to Tell.

Where we are now

• Do we need special Roma celebration assemblies? (Quote from a year 10 Roma girl: ‘Do I have to go? I don’t want to miss Science’)

• Do we need guest speakers? (Quote from a Year 9 Roma boy: ‘Sir, we get the message, can we get on with it please?’)

• Tough love is getting tougher! (My words to a Roma parent: ‘You claim you care – many here don’t believe you do! Show it and prove us wrong’) NB Only use this approach after a number of years, and after a position of trust has been established! You might say this to a spouse of 5 years…you wouldn’t say it to someone on a first date!!

What we still need to improve…

• Low level behaviour of a minority of Roma boys – maintaining high expectations – tough love!

• Attitude to Learning of Roma pupils, based on effort, punctuality to lessons, behaviour and homework still significantly behind the rest of the school

• When we drill down, the main issue is Homework!!! (Ideas anyone?? Help!! Homework police..? Home visits for every y6 coming up asking when and where they will do there hwk?? Update: In July 2015 we did this!!)

General guidance

• Don’t say it cant be done because of…• Eg pupils acting as translators…do it!• Don’t be PC! There are issues, address them and

challenge them• Don’t think you need a ‘vision’, ‘strategy’…think of

one idea, and do it…then another, and do that as well…before you know it, hey presto, a strategy!

• Ignore anyone who says it won’t work – they may be right, but you have to find out!

General Guidance

• Be prepared for setbacks (bluntly, failures!)• Be prepared for personal demoralisation and

your own resorting to negative stereotypes!• Remember for every bad Roma, there are

many more good ones – as for every other group in society!!