Roma students excel in UK schools
PRESS RELEASE: ROMA STUDENTS EXCEL IN UK SCHOOLS
The Roma Education Fund in Budapest is proud to announce the publication of the research report, From Segregation to Inclusion, prepared in cooperation with Equality in the United Kingdom.
http://www.romaeducationfund.hu/sites/default/files/publications/ref_uk_report_nov2011_screen_singlepages.pdf http://www.romaeducationfund.hu/sites/default/files/publications/ref_uk_report_nov2011_screen_singlepages.pdf
In most of Eastern Europe, Roma children are segregated in special schools maintained mostly for the mentally disabled. Although virtually none of these children suffer from any real learning difficulties, these pupils are diagnosed by their school systems as in need of special education. Yet when these same children moved to the United Kingdom with their parents, they are educated in mainstream schools.
Equality, in cooperation with the Roma Education Fund, carried out research in the United Kingdom to find out what impact mainstream schooling had on Roma children who had previously been streamed into special or de facto segregated schools. The findings of this pilot research, From Segregation to Inclusion, show that Roma pupils in the United Kingdom quickly catch up with their non-Roma peers to gain an attainment level comparable with average, a huge achievement in light of the obstacles these children have faced in their home countries in Central Europe
Judit Szira, Director of the Roma Education Fund, said, "We have clear evidence that closing the gap in education outcomes of Roma students and guaranteeing their place in the labor market is achievable - if supported by a broad consensus of government and society, as well as the Roma themselves."
Alan Anstead, Chief Executive of Equality, said "This pilot research will hopefully kickstart the search for a better, more fairer way of educating Roma children in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as provide a resource for schools in the UK who want to learn from other schools in how to best help Roma pupils who enroll."
For more on this ongoing story or to order a copy of the report, please contact REF's communication team,
Tom Bass (tbass@romaeducationfund.org ) and Erzsebet Bader (ebader@romaeducationfund.org)
From Segregation to Inclusion
http://www.romaeducationfund.hu/sites/default/files/publications/ref_uk_report_nov2011_screen_singlepages.pdf http://www.romaeducationfund.hu/sites/default/files/publications/ref_uk_report_nov2011_screen_singlepages.pdf
More about the Roma Education Fund
http://www.romaeducationfund.hu/
More about Equality
http://equality.uk.com