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In response to your feedback, we have published a new EAL guidance booklet This contains a wealth of information from supporting a new starter to information on how to access our support.
We have also launched clinics for maintained schools and early years settings attached to maintained schools. These clinics mean you receive dedicated guidance and advice around a child or on your school's wider approach to EAL. |
Exeter Respect Festival 2023 is the city’s annual celebration of diversity. The festival will return to Exeter’s Belmont Park marking the 26 year anniversary of the first Respect Festival in Exeter in 1997 that brought communities together to celebrate their differences and commonalities.
Why is Traveller education so important?
Children from travelling communities are more likely to be excluded, have poor attendance, and achieve lower grades than their peers.
- Only around 4% of children will go on to further education, compared to over 40% of their peers.
- Over 61% of traveller children will leave school by year 11.
- 41% of these children left school due to bullying and 67% report feeling bullied by their teachers for their culture.
- 72% of Traveller families have high aspirations for their children.
(Traveller Movement, Barriers in Education, 2020)
What are the experiences of Traveller children in education?
70% of Travellers experienced discrimination within an education setting. This can be broken down into the following areas: conduct of teachers, perpetuating stereotypes, overlooking bullying and racism, bullying by other pupils/students and hiding ethnicity and poor school engagement with parents
What are the views of Traveller children?
“Many kids used to verbally abuse me over being a Gypsy”
“Schools don’t take bullying of Traveller children seriously”
“Yes, the children get called Gy*o and the teachers will not record it as a race hate incident”
“Couldn’t sleep over at my friend’s house because her mother said Gypsy children would steal”
(The Last Acceptable form of racism – Traveller Movement 2017)
How can schools can promote positive experiences for Traveller children?
Without positive action, teachers’ and pupil’s lack of knowledge and understanding of Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Showman cultures will ensure the children from these communities continue to feel excluded and isolated at school.
- Celebrate Traveller history month, in June, with a whole school approach.
- Ensure that Travellers are included in the school's inclusion strategy.
- Identify a ‘key worker’ to be a GRTS ambassador so that families can have more positive communication experiences.
- Incorporate Traveller friendly resources in the curriculum.
- Ensure anti-racism and equality policies address the learning gap and experiences of bullying that Travellers face.
- Review curriculums, identifying topics that cover sex, consent, mental health and drugs. Creating a strategy to alert Traveller parents prior to this content being delivered.
We are able to support schools during Traveller history month by delivering assemblies and providing learning resources.
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To celebrate Traveller history month we are running an art competition.
We would like children to create a piece of art inspired by Gabi Jimenez, who is an award wining contemporary artist.
Our website has further details on the competition criteria, deadline and prizes.
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Fully funded GRTS awareness training for Early Career Teachers will provide a better understanding of the barriers which effect Traveller families in accessing education and have an improved awareness of how to engage effectively with these communities. |
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Working with professional interpreters is crucial to ensure accuracy and impartiality. Schools should always arrange a professional interpreter if there is any uncertainty about parents’ ability to communicate in English.
You can request interpreter support through us by completing the EAL bilingual support and interpreter booking form.
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Tips on using an interpreter:
- It is important to give us as much notice as possible when you request an interpreter.
- Consider arranging a quiet room/space to minimise background noises.
- The seating arrangements are important. Ensure that the interpreter can maintain eye contact with you and the parents.
- Before the meeting, ensure you discuss any specialist vocabulary that will be used during the meeting with the interpreter.
- Ensure that the interpreter is met and briefed on the nature and purpose of the meeting as well as being introduced to the parents and having their role properly explained.
- When communicating with the parent through an interpreter, look directly at them when you speak, not at the interpreter.
- Use simple, non-technical language or acronyms unless required for medical or legal purposes.
- Speak in the first person “I” and let the interpreter be your voice.
- Don’t say too much in one go. Say a couple of sentences, then stop.
- Ask questions to check that the parents understanding.
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We have delivered over 1400hrs of bilingual support to Ukrainian children, as well as 35hrs of training to school staff.
For this current academic year all schools, including academies and independent schools, can access funded bilingual support for Ukrainian refugees. There is still time to receive this support, including interpreter support for meetings, so please complete a referral form.
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Ukrainian voices
EMTAS would like to create a small booklet containing Ukrainian children's fond memories. This can be an event, a celebration, or a memory that is dear to them. They should focus on one short story and they can complete this in Ukrainian and/or English. They can also include a drawing to go along with their story or perhaps they want to work in groups and complete different parts of the task. You can submit the story and artwork here and please ensure you receive consent from the parent/guardian and child.
 Mental Health Awareness Week, now in its 23rd year, runs from 15-21 May and is hosted by the charity, Mental health foundation.
This year, the theme is ‘anxiety’. Across the UK, people are encouraged to get involved by sharing their experience of anxiety and the things that can help with the hashtag #ToHelpMyAnxiety. As part of the campaign, the Mental Health Foundation will be publishing guidance on how we can manage and improve feelings of anxiety and prevent them from developing into a more serious mental health problem.
You can find amazing resources for children and staff, all in once place in the Mental health foundations Anxiety booklet
Inset day webinars
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We have devised training opportunities that fall on key school inset training days.
These are hour-long webinars, that are being delivered to schools throughout staff training days, as a whole school approach to improving staff's awareness of:
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- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Supporting EAL writers
- Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Showmen
- Bullying, prejudice and racism incidents
- Closing the EAL word gap
- Improving EAL support
These are fully funded for maintained schools and early year settings (attached to maintained schools) in Devon, excluding Plymouth. For academies, independent, special and out of area schools, and other early years providers, these are being delivered at a significantly reduced cost to you.
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