One tree, but many leaves
Above: Elton Primary School's mural gives a new window onto school life. 3 in 20 of the school's pupils are from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families
ELTON Primary School, near Chester, has 181 pupils on roll, 15% of whom are from the Gypsy Roma Traveller community living in and around the village. The school was recently re-accredited with the nationally recognized Inclusion Quality Mark.
Elton Primary worked with local artist Jim Fleming, who designed a lively, colourful mural near the main entrance to the school. The mural embraces the many faces of the local community, including Boat-dwellers and Travellers.
Mrs Victoria Carr has been the Headteacher at Elton Primary School since January 2013. “To demonstrate the importance of recognizing and celebrating every individual in our diverse community we decided upon a visual depiction of inclusion; the fundamental ethos of Elton Primary School,” says Mrs Carr.
Above: Elton's new mural also shows the history of life on the canals
“The children were thrilled to watch the mural taking shape and, along with staff, were able to contribute a handprint on the tree of life section. The visual depiction of ‘one tree but many leaves’ celebrates every individual in a way that words would never fully express.”
“Staff attend regular Gypsy, Roma, Traveller forums”
The school’s staff and governors have received cultural awareness training and there are three members of staff dedicated to supporting our Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families on a day-to-day basis. They attend regular GRT forums run by the Local Authority’s Traveller Services, sharing best practice with other schools and gaining skills to support the various complex, additional needs of these families.
Above: a detail of the canal scene from the mural
Mrs Carr says: “we promote awareness and celebrate GRT culture in school through specialist resources and through whole school assemblies. All pupils also recently took part in the Traveller Services GRT History Month Art Competition. Indeed, we are very proud to have two children who were awarded runner-up prizes for their entries in this competition!”
“Trust and understanding between staff and parents”
“We have been thrilled that some GRT pupils are now being allowed by their parents to go on school trips and even on residentials. This helps to highlight a huge step forward in the trust and understanding we have worked hard to establish between school staff and GRT parents.” The school arranges regular parent panels to engage with parents and hear their views and ideas and these are also now attended by some of the GRT parents whose input is invaluable.”
18% increase in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller attendance since 2011
Elton Primary School has regular support from the local Education Welfare Officer to focus on improving GRT attendance and has seen an 18% increase in attendance of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children since 2011. The school is also able to offer all families a variety of additional services through a close partnership with an onsite Children’s Centre.
Above: Headteacher Victoria Carr with local artist Jim Fleming, who designed the new mural
“We are looking forward to offering adult education opportunities to all our parents and hope to engage our GRT parents in onsite literacy and numeracy programmes” says Mrs Carr. “We shall continue to strive towards even greater achievements both here in school and in the wider community.”