AROUND 2,000 Roma children are thought to be attending schools in the district following increased migration from Eastern Europe.

Bradford Council is in the process of developing a ‘new arrivals strategy’ to deal with the large number of families moving to the district and the issue was discussed by councillors this week.

A report into “managing the demand of new communities” – which refers to people from Central and Eastern Europe and refugee communities – has just been released by the council.

It says the number of Eastern European families with children registered at schools in the district has risen from just under 100 in 2004 to 3,060 in July this year.

Of these, a large number are from the Roma background, mainly from Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The report says: “These new communities add to Bradford’s diversity, bringing with them new rich cultural heritages and languages. This presents new challenges for schools, as the majority are new to English.

“This, coupled with little or no experience in formal education, can make it difficult for social and educational integration and present additional challenges for schools."

Among new communities, attendance rates at school are as low as 75 per cent. The report says because recent migrants are unable to claim benefits if they cannot find work, they often “live in poverty, with the consequent impact on children and their education”.

Coun Ralph Berry, executive member for children’s services at the council, said: “We have to make sure there is a clear engagement with these communities on issues like attendance and what is expected, and we need to be able to provide appropriate support.

“In Bradford district,we are used to working with children from different backgrounds.

"We have a lot of work still to do and the whole point of this report is to find out what needs to be done. We have to make sure that every child is protected and the resources are there to do this despite any pressures.”