EMTAS Services to Schools

• English as an additional Language (EAL) Support for New Arrivals
• Support for Asylum Seeker Children
• Support for Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) Children
• Monitoring of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) in Schools
• Training

English as an Additional Language (EAL) Support for New Arrivals

• Initial bilingual assessment of pupils' language needs
• Teaching support and learning strategies to access the National Curriculum
• Access to an interpreter for assessment/liaison/admission purposes
• Monitoring of pupils' progress through biannual or end of support reports
• Advice and access to appropriate resources and materials
• Promote home-school links to encourage parental involvement
• Promote and share good practice

Support for Asylum Seeker Children

• Home visit by home-school link worker and interpreter to explain the education system and complete admission/free school meal forms
• Welcome pack for parents and children regarding schooling
• Placement of children in school within 2 weeks of arrival
• Home-school link worker present at the school admission interview
• Access to an interpreter for the admission interview
• Teaching support and learning strategies to access the curriculum
• Advice and access to appropriate curriculum resources and materials
• Monitoring of pupils progress through end of support reports 
• Training for teachers and support staff on meeting the needs of asylum seeker and refugee children
• Published 'Guidelines for Supporting New Arrivals and Refugee Pupils in Sheffield Schools'.

Support for Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) Children

• Contact families of GRT children arriving in the city to assess their needs
• Arrange with schools to place new pupils within a week of first contact
• Provide learning support for GRT pupils who have missed a lot of schooling
• Produce resources which reflect a positive image of GRT lives
• Liaise with schools, parents, learning mentors, Access and Inclusion and agencies to keep up attendance
• Liaise with a wide range of agencies to obtain the best outcomes for GRT children - these include Educational Psychologists, Health Services, Police and GRT sites management
• Attend regular local and national meetings for GRT teachers to keep informed of issues

Monitoring of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) in Schools

• A named link teacher adviser for each school in receipt of EMAG funding
• Regular monitoring visits to all schools with EMAG funding
• Agree and set attainment targets with all schools who are in receipt of EMAG funding
• Monitor and evaluate the effective use of EMAG in schools
• Provide an agreed formula for the allocation of the EMAG
• Work with individual schools on specific issues to raise the achievement of minority ethnic pupils
• Target specific underachieving minority ethnic groups to improve their performance
• Collect, collate, analyse and disseminate minority ethnic achievement data
• Reports to schools to support the development of best practice
• Co-ordinate Children Services Authority (CSA) services and initiatives to support minority ethnic pupils
• Advice and support to schools on the development and implementation of policies to improve levels of attendance

Training

• Provide training for staff in schools for raising the attainment of minority ethnic and traveller children
• Provide advice and support to schools in dealing with community cohesion, diversity and equality
• Provide policy and best practice guidance in areas such as racial harassment, teaching and learning, and work supporting refugee and GRT children
• Provide professional development opportunities for all staff
• Liaise with literacy and numeracy consultants to provide EAL training

Contact Details