The educational experiences of the Traveller community and impact of Traveller-focused initiatives: a qualitative study.

Research shows that UK Travellers¹ struggle to combine traditional values with mainstream education, leading to many dropping out of school before gaining qualifications. While there is an appetite for continuing home-schooling, Traveller parents struggle with this. Lincolnshire Traveller Initiative (LTI) offers Traveller children a structured home-schooling method that is sensitive to their cultural needs. Through 31 qualitative interviews with Traveller parents and children who have engaged with LTI, we explore their educational experiences prior to LTI, and the impact that such initiatives have on their educational outlooks. We found that while all the children struggled with mainstream schooling, the educational model offered by LTI - a model which was supported by LTI's collaborative partners - helped Travellers to obtain qualifications and explore the possibility of developing their career paths or attending higher education. This paper has implications for educational practitioners hoping to engage with the Traveller community in the future. Firstly, it underlines the importance of building a trusted connection with the community, as relationships and cultural sensitivity are key. Secondly, it highlights the necessity of offering flexible and adaptable lessons that provide the knowledge necessary for obtaining key qualifications, while still supporting and providing the skills deemed essential in the Traveller community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]