Key inset day and twilight webinars - new dates added
This year saw the launch of our key inset day webinars, so that our team could provide more CPD to school staff. These sessions have been so successful that we have added further dates, including twilight webinars for next academic year.
We have webinars on the following areas:
- Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Showman (GRTS) Awareness training
- Bullying, prejudice, and racism training
- Closing the EAL word gap
- Supporting EAL writers
- Supporting EAL children in the Early Years
- Improving EAL support
- Equality, diversity and inclusion awareness
These are free to maintained schools and EYS attached to maintained school in Devon (excl Torbay and Plymouth), and are heavily discounted for all other settings.
GRTS and the RSE curriculum
Background
The level of concern experienced by some Traveller parents/carers about RSE can result in them choosing to keep their child(ren) home from school on those days when RSE is taught or to withdraw them from education completely to Electively Home Educate (EHE). It is therefore important that schools take proactive steps to work with families in a sensitive way around the issues that can arise.
Good practice in schools
- Speak with the Traveller parents before sex and relationship lessons are delivered, so that parents are aware of the content.
- Deliver content to girls and boys separately.
- Deliver RSE lessons to Traveller parents/carers first so they are confident about the content and the delivery and can make an informed decision about whether or not to allow their child to participate.
- Where possible get female members of staff to speak to Traveller Mums about the content.
A set of books have been produced by specialist advisory teachers with the help of members of Hampshire’s GRTS communities to support the KS2 relationship and sex education curriculum.
The books follow Jesse and Mary-Kate as they find out how to keep themselves safe as they grow up within their community and online. They find out who their safe adults are and when they might need to talk to them. They learn which parts of their bodies should be kept private and what the medical words for those parts are.
Whilst the books are aimed at children and families from GTRSB communities, they are suitable for children from all walks of life.
We have a couple of copies which can be loaned, please contact ellen.tout@devon.gov.uk
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Do you have children from a GRTS background who would benefit from discussing their future aspirations and be inspired to stay in education?
Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller children are more likely to be not accessing education, in employment, or training at 16 years of age. One in five Traveller children felt they had to leave school due to bullying and two thirds of those surveyed felt they experience bullying from their teachers (Traveller Movement, 2020). Forty-one percent of Traveller children wanted to stay in school for longer but were taken out because of bullying, family reasons, or because of a lack of support from their school (SEN) (Traveller Movement ,2020). Gypsies and Travellers are ten times less likely to go to university than their peers (Kings College, 2017)
Aimed at KS2 and KS3, this fully funded 1 hour workshop will help children think about how they can use their skills in the future and encourage them to continue with their education:
- What are our future opportunities?
- How can we overcome barriers to our future opportunities?
- Inspirational people and the barriers they overcame.
- What skills we might need for our future.
- How to prepare for the future.
- Routes into careers.
Subject to availability and the workshop must include at least one child from the Traveller communities.
Please contact Ellen.Tout@devon.gov.uk to arrange your workshop.
“We must stand firm against rising intolerance and build a future of dignity, security, justice & human rights for all."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world's most ground breaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 and sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world.
The 2023 theme is dignity, freedom, and justice for all
Read more here: Human Rights Day | United Nations
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Since the evacuation of families from Afghanistan in August 2021, our team has been leading on education of Afghan refugee children. Over the last two years, we have supported 100+ newly arrived Afghan refugee children and their families with school admissions, educational visits, inductions, EAL training, HL GCSE exams, EAL/Home Language Assessments, advisory consultations, transitions and English language teaching.
Many children who were accommodated in the bridging hotels from August 2021 to August 2023 had limited educational experience when they arrived in Devon. Additionally, their displacement was unprepared and in many cases, traumatic. The resettlement plans were uncertain therefore some children and their families experienced a lot of movement between other LAs/hotels. Our bridging accommodation support programme was very well received in schools; feedback about children’s progress was extremely positive:
“All the pupils have settled into school very well, they are all happy and enjoy coming to school. They have all made friends with their peers, they have a positive attitude to their learning and are very keen to learn. Their spoken English is coming on very well, they are becoming more confident as their language develops talking to various adults around the school. The pupils work in small groups outside the classroom, within the class and are beginning to work independently. Thank you for all your support it is much appreciated.” (Montgomery primary)
This academic year, we are providing schools with our EAL core offer. If you have a new arrival from Afghanistan, please follow the usual EMTAS registration process to request support.
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This year, our team was supporting Islamophobia Awareness Month by offering schools bilingual storytelling sessions. The aim of the sessions was to promote diversity by exposing all children to other languages and cultures. These sessions have been very well received in our schools and children absolutely loved learning a new language!
“On the 6th November we were lucky enough to be visited by Sahar, she came in to read a story to the children in Hedgehogs class, as well as a child from Rabbits class. Sahar read 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' and explained to the children that she was going to read to them in Arabic and in English. Sahar showed so much kindness, enthusiasm and engagement and supported all the children in accessing the story and the actions in order to help retell the story. Sahar also followed up the story by teaching us the Arabic words for the numbers 1, 2, 3 and thank you. Sahar was and always is so wonderful with the children and I feel extremely grateful and fortunate that she was able to do this with the children. Thank you Sahar." (Ladysmith infant school)
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Maths intervention programme
This term we started running our unprecedented Maths intervention programme for Ukrainian children. These online intervention sessions provide vocabulary and skill development in key areas of Maths. We are currently running three full groups for secondary children.
There are a handful of spaces available for the primary intervention programme starting in January for year 5 and 6 Ukrainian speaking children, and you can register your interest for any future programmes by completing the Maths intervention form.
Bilingual and interpreter support
This academic year our Ukraine Support Teachers have delivered over 600hrs of bilingual support to children and interpreter support during parent meetings already.
We are still running our fully funded bilingual support for year 7s and Reception age children, as well as delivering our core offer of bilingual and interpreter support.
Our core off is already funded by maintained schools, so there is no additional cost and many other settings are using the additional funding that was announced in the Leadership update to invest in bilingual support for their children.
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Do you have some EAL provision queries or concerned about a child's language acquisition? Perhaps you have just been handed the EAL co-ordinator role and aren't sure where to start? Or you want to explore what support the EMTAS team can provide?
If you are a maintained schools or an EYS attached to a maintained school you can book an EAL clinic appointment with one of our Lead advisory teachers. All other settings can purchase advisory time through the DES shop.
We see impactful practice regularly in schools when improving children’s understanding of equality and diversity, supporting with inclusion, as well as managing bullying, prejudice and racism incidents.
Over the next few months the Ethnic minority and Traveller achievement service (EMTAS) will be including examples and resources from some of these schools, to help you along your journey to improve understanding in your school.
This includes intervention resources for bullying, prejudice and racism incidents shared by St James school, Exeter, as well as articles from schools about their input to improve the outcomes and well-being of their children.
If you feel you have something to share then please contact cary-anne.ginns@devon.gov.uk
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