Agenda item

Jenny Edwards, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Forum were asked to consider a report on the update on the work delivered by EMTAS since September 2017 in order that they can consider de-delegation for the financial year 2019-20.

The Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) offer a range of services to Gateshead schools and settings to develop their capacity to support the educational achievement of all ethnic minority and Traveller pupils.

The service consists of a staff worker (FTE 0.5) who supports educational outcomes for pupils from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.  Equality and Diversity staff member (FTE0.2) who supports wider issues including community cohesion, monitoring and responding to reported hate crimes.  3 EAL specialist teachers (FTE 2.0) and 2 bilingual/EAL specialist teachers (FTE 2.0).

Primary maintained mainstream schools have access to the Core Service:

·         Assessment of language skills for pupils with EAL

·         Advice, guidance and support for pupils with EAL or from GRT communities

·         Support for the school EAL lead

·         Guidance for whole school EAL audit and development

·         Access to whole school training

·         Access to advice and training on anti-racism, faith cultural and community cohesion and integration

Academies and special schools can buy into these services and primary schools can access additional support through an SLA.

Mainstream maintained primary schools with more than 20% EAL pupils continue to access weekly visits from EMTAS specialist, alongside the EAL lead they agree on how best to support the school in meeting the needs of their pupils.

The role of EMTAS has evolved over the last year, whilst individual pupils continue to be supported as and when appropriate, many more schools and settings are accessing support and guidance at a whole school level. 

·         8 schools have made referrals for 15 individual pupils

·         16 training sessions have been delivered to Teaching Assistants, Teachers and whole staff in 12 settings

·         The EAL audit continues to be updated and used to identify development needs, and a new early-years audit tool had been developed and used with 2 settings

·         There are currently 75 Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) pupils in Gateshead who are known to EMTAS and the worker supports pupils in 6 primary schools as well as providing regular site visits

·         The drop-in session for secondary age pupils who are home educated is held fortnightly at Dryden Centre and is regularly attended by 5 students

·         Three secondary schools and academies have an SLA with EMTAS for weekly visits and two additional secondary settings are accessing the service this academic year.  Students performed well in their Heritage exams in the summer; 12 students sat GCSEs in 5 languages and achieved 4A*, 4 A and 4 B grades

·         6 EAL lead training sessions were delivered over the year, through numbers attending were low.  Staff continue to find it difficult to attend meetings held at the end of, or during the school day

·         Information and resources are regularly uploaded onto the EGHub which all Headteachers and EAL leads have access to

Staff attend the multi-agency Hate Crime meetings and the Fair Access and Pupil Placement Panel meetings.

EMTAS also continue to deliver training and guidance to staff and students at Durham, Northumbria and Newcastle universities and placements for SCITT students.

It is proposed that for EMTAS to continue to provide these services to the schools, children and young people in Gateshead, funding be de-delegated.  The methodology of de-delegation was reviewed for 2018/19 following feedback from primary Headteachers.  It is proposed that the same methodology is used for 2019/20.

RESOLVED -  (i)         that the  work undertaken by EMTAS be noted

                        (ii)        that the de-delegation of funding for EMTAS at the rates of £3.00 for every maintained mainstream primary pupil and £245.00 for each primary maintained EAL pupil were approved