Although Traveller children should attend school on the same basis as all other children, the law recognises the special position of Traveller families. Travellers cannot be convicted for offences in relation to non-attendance of their children at school if:
- they can show that the nature of their business requires them to travel from place to place;
- their children aged six and over have attended school for at least two-hundred sessions in the past 12 months.
Travelling parents still have a duty to ensure their children are receiving suitable education when not at school. They can make arrangements for 'home schooling' if they wish.
For more information contact, ACERT - Advisory Council for the Education of Romany and other Travellers. Tel: 01279 418666
- Extracted from youthinformation.com, The NYA's online information toolkit for young people. For more information, visit the site at www.youthinformation.com.
