We have a duty to prepare Gypsy and Traveller children for the world of tomorrow

Chelsea McDonagh writes about how an inspiring head teacher gave her the tools and the self-belief to succeed in education and work.

When I left school at 16, I didn’t know what I wanted to be or what I wanted to do, but going to college felt like a better option than sitting at home all day.  These days more Gypsy and Traveller girls are going to college or university, pursuing careers or building their own businesses, but back then it felt like I was in the minority.

As part of my college course, I needed to undertake a work placement and so I returned to my old secondary school. I didn’t have many connections and so it felt like a safe option.

Sister Anne Marie Niblock, who was in charge of Notre Dame Roman Catholic Girls’ School, was the kind of head teacher whose mere mention would often send students running in the opposite direction. I never quite understood that reaction, although my shirt tails would find themselves being tucked in, my run slowed to a walk, and my eyes tried to look less mischievous when I bumped into her in the school corridors. My propensity for finding trouble and arguing the point with my teachers meant that I was more familiar than most with the spot in front of her large oval desk. Sister Anne Marie was firm but fair, and in the court of law that was her office, I was always met with her belief that I was greater than my moments. And trust me, there were many moments.

I was a month shy of eighteen when I sat down with my old head teacher having been summoned to her office during my work experience placement. Heading up those stairs I had the same anxiety that I had when trouble sent me there as a student, but as I sat across from Sister this time round, I knew that the dynamic has shifted. There were a few things that I remember from that conversation, things that have stuck with me as I’ve made my way at through my career, but I always remember her personal commitment that any Traveller girl who went to her school stayed, regardless of whether or not they decided to use their education.

Even then, I knew that it was an unusual commitment. Admirable and bold, but unusual in an educational environment where many teachers and senior leaders do not have the same belief and high aspirations for their Gypsy and Traveller students. At a time when I was trying to figure out whether I could go to university, that conversation and her agreement to that work placement, filled me with a confidence I didn’t quite yet have.

Now that I am working as a consultant with head teachers and senior leaders on the challenges facing Gypsy and Traveller students, I realise how lucky I was back then. So many of these teachers now applaud my success but fail to understand that had I been stood in front of them all those years ago, I might not have got this far. I wouldn’t be able to advise them, to provide them with some of the solutions if I hadn’t been met as a student with grace and understanding, and a head teacher who refused to exclude me.

Back then I used to think that it was sheer luck that I hadn’t been temporarily or even permanently excluded, and when I look at the exclusion rates for Gypsy and Traveller students, it’s even more of a miracle. But there aren’t really any miracles in my story, just a head teacher who believed that I had potential and who knew that it was far better for me to be in school than out. Catching up with Sister Anne Marie regularly in recent years has allowed me to understand how intentional her decisions were, and how much impact they have had on me. Every time I mentor a young person at a difficult stage in their journey, I do so believing that they can be more than their moments with the right support. Every time I meet a teacher or senior leader who is critical, I do so knowing that they can be better, they can do more and can grow in understanding – just as I have.

The success I have experienced in university and in the workplace are as a result of the values of my culture and heritage, not in spite of it. The things that got me into trouble at school, actually became assets when I got to university. I wasn’t indoctrinated by the system and instead loved learning for learnings sake. I ignored the reading list and read what I wanted, I skipped boring lectures and went to the ones I wanted to attend, and I challenged ideas and pushed forward my own. The way we talk as Travellers gives us great social skills and confidence that allows you to network and build connections easily. Growing up in a culture where you aren’t afraid to pull people up and believe in fair play means you are better equipped to challenge power structures and advocate for more junior colleagues. Living as Travellers in spite of the state that tries to control and curtail your freedoms gives you confidence to push back against challenges and to ultimately believe that a different way is possible. Any time that I have walked away from a job I have done so knowing that I have a supportive family structure that would never let me fall.

Gypsy and Traveller children are facing a changing world, and it’s no doubt that the world we are growing up in is different to the one that our parents and grandparents grew up in. We have a duty to prepare Gypsy and Traveller children for the world of tomorrow, not knowing what that might look like but equipping them with the tools to navigate whatever comes their way regardless. Education and qualifications make that road easier to navigate; it is better to have options and tools and not need them, than to not have them at all.

I am emboldened by Sister Anne Marie every day – if she could do it, then why can’t other teachers and senior school leaders? If I could do it, then why can’t you?

By Chelsea McDonagh

(Photograph: Sister Anne Marie Niblock, Sister of Notre Dame de Namur (centre) with Chelsea McDonagh (2nd from right) and friends. Courtesy of Chelsea McDonagh)