1. The Scottish Government opened a consultation on guidance aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people from travelling cultures on 21 February 2017. The consultation sought the views of stakeholders who support Traveller families with children, particularly: local/education authorities; teachers and other school staff; those who work with Travellers in the community such as in a health and social care context; those who can support transitions from school, including further and higher education institutions and community learning and development organisations; and Traveller representatives, such as third sector organisations. Views from Travellers themselves were also welcomed. https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/support-and-wellbeing/improving-educational-outcomes-for-children/
2. The purpose of the document Improving educational outcomes for children and young people from travelling cultures is to provide guidance to schools, including early learning and childcare settings, and local authorities about how they can support children and young people from travelling cultures and their families to engage in school education. The guidance covers all Travellers, including Gypsy/Travellers, Roma and Showpeople. It aims to support greater understanding of the issues affecting learning and learning outcomes of Travellers in Scotland and to raise awareness of the learning barriers experienced. It provides guidance on education authority and school practices to support improved outcomes at school and beyond within the context of delivering equity and excellence for all.
3. We sought views on whether the guidance as drafted was likely to meet its aim and to understand how we could improve the draft. The consultation documents asked 20 questions on the structure and content of the draft guidance and invited general comments around improving the document.