ELAMP

Children of Irish Travellers experience persistent difficulties in mainstream education due to mobile lifestyles and high exclusion rates, with attainment consistently the lowest of all minority ethnic groups in the UK. Paper-based work packs had historically been provided by winter-base schools, and E-LAMP was set up to fill gaps left by government spending cuts affecting educational continuity as Traveller children moved between Local Authorities.

To use ICT to provide enhanced independent and distance learning support for Traveller children, improving their educational outcomes, and later to re-engage secondary-age Traveller pupils who had left school or were on the fringes of schooling, and to extend internet access to non-mobile Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils.

Initial pilots (funded by the Department for Children, Skills and Families and coordinated by NATT+) provided ICT-enhanced distance learning so pupils travelling from their winter base-school could stay in contact with school online and submit assignments. From 2006 the project explored re-engaging secondary-age Traveller pupils who had left, or were on the fringes of, school. In 2008 the scheme was extended to non-mobile Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils who could benefit from internet access to complete schoolwork.

The project is described as having paved the way for the government-funded Home Access project, which provided computers and internet access to school children in low-income families to support their learning.