New BSW specialists
We are very excited to announce that we have recruited more Bilingual Support Workers and as a service, we can now offer bilingual and interpreting support in more than 20 languages!
Over the last year, we have worked closely with schools and settings to understand the changing demographics and wider EAL needs, and this extensive language offer is the result of a successful collaboration with you!
Please review our EAL guidance for more details about our current core offer.
If you require interpreter or bilingual support, please complete the EAL Bilingual Support and Interpreter Booking Request Form.
Translation services
We are also pleased to announce that from September, we are offering translation services.
EDEAS understands the importance to schools/settings and bilingual families of being able to communicate effectively therefore we now offer the translation of documents by professional bilingual support workers.
Why do you need a document translated?
- Communicate effectively with your community.
- Ensure parents’ role in the process of identifying SEN.
- Ensure vital correspondence is understood.
- Ensure there is informed consent.
Making documents, such as key letters, EHCPs and consent forms fully accessible is key to meeting your Equality duty.
EDEAS’ highly skilled Bilingual Support Worker team can ensure that these messages are correctly translated, using their knowledge of academic terminology and their home language.
Please email us to get a free quote for our expert, accurate and efficient translation services.
Vocabulary is one of the key building blocks in learning a new language and EAL children of all ages and at all stages of English language proficiency need additional support to increase their vocabulary.
Children with EAL are getting multiple language inputs and they have to learn the vocabulary, grammar, and differences between two or more separate language systems.
Every bilingual child learns language differently depending on the exposure amount, use of languages in the home, and their community but hearing more words gives EAL children a greater opportunity to learn a language.
Oxford Language Report (2018) suggests that children with lower levels of vocabulary are:
- More likely to suffer from low self-esteem and show negative behaviour.
- More likely to have difficulty making friends.
- More likely to have worse attendance and less likely to stay in education.
For many EAL children, a lack of vocabulary in their additional language creates daily barriers that are difficult to overcome therefore they need additional language interventions to address these gaps. Gaps in academic vocabulary can often remain hidden due to apparent fluency in spoken or playground English and without a good range of academic language many children cannot achieve top grades.
As the October Census approaches, it is crucial for schools to ensure the accurate recording of children with English as an additional language (EAL).
Children identified in the October census with a first language other than English attract funding for 3 years after they enter the statutory school system.
Accurate recording of children with EAL can influence the EAL funding your school receives. This is important for providing additional support and resource allocations. However, many EAL children are not recorded correctly, which means schools often miss out on this funding.
So how do we know if a child is EAL?
A child is recorded as having English as an additional language if she/he is exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English.
This could be:
- Children who arrived from another country and whose first language is not English.
- Children who have lived in the UK for some time but speak another language at home.
- Children who have been born in the UK, but whose first language is not English.
By prioritising the accurate recording of EAL children in the October Census, schools can ensure that children with EAL receive the support they need to thrive academically and socially.
You can view how much EAL funding your school has received this academic year through the public School budget calculator. Ensure you are on the Summary tab before you enter your schools DfE number. If you would like advice on how to use this funding effectively for maximum impact, please view our EAL guidance.
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Last term, we said goodbye to four of our Bilingual Support Workers: Kate, Marita, Iliana and Dora. They have all been with us for a significant period of time and have had a huge impact on many of our bilingual children and their families. We wish them all well for the future.
This academic year EDEAS has partnered with Devon schools wellbeing partnership to offer all Devon schools (excluding Plymouth and Torbay) fully funded Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training.
This training can be delivered to Trust leaders, governors and/or school staff. We are also running a hybrid model of either 1hr onsite training sessions, or two 30mins webinars – to meet the needs of your busy diaries.
The aim of the training is to raise awareness of your legal Equality duty, protected characteristics, discrimination and racism – as well as key strategies to use in your school to help children to feel safe and included.
'We learn about this in PSHE and other lessons – but when is it going to become our whole school culture?’ This was the question a Year 10 boy posed during a DCC Equality, Diversity and Inclusion pupil forum. It shows the interest and awareness our Devon children have for making positive and inclusive change.
Last academic year 1390 BPRIs were reported to the local authority and the BPRI audit for 2023-2024 was published last month. This shows that racism is increasing in our Devon schools, particularly in primary schools, and that a significant number of incidents involved an assailant with some SEND. DCC has published various resources to support your school with incidents and you can access these through the website. We are also in the process of devising pupil workshops to support children in school to be upstanders and to understand their identity, whilst respecting others.
From September 2024 there are some updates for reporting BPRIs. Devon County Council’s Equality, diversity and inclusion team will now be monitoring the BPRI reporting system. For further information and the new link please visit their website. For all the services and support you have had access to over the last two years and more, we are pleased to be able to offer you an EDI consultancy package, which can include incident support, EDI pupil forums, data reviews, EDI review and support with your Equality duty. Please visit the Devon education services shop for further details.
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Although the legislation has not changed since 2011, ‘The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations’ of 2024 and the ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ guidance use the new term ‘mobile child’ to describe any child of compulsory school age who has no fixed abode’ under the eligibility criteria.
In response to feedback from Friends, Families and Travellers and other organisations, the Department for Education has confirmed that no legal or policy changes have been made about who is covered by the T code.
Providing further information regarding how the definition of ‘mobile child’ should be applied, the Department for Education elaborated:
‘No fixed abode’ means that someone either does not have a settled place where they can live full-time, or they have a place where they can live full-time but they spend substantial periods of time not living there.
Essentially, according to the new guidance, a ‘mobile child’ is any pupil whose family travels as part of their trade or business, and:
- Has no permanent address.
Or
- Has a fixed place to live (including a house), but does not live there for a substantial part of the year due to travel.
If the child is absent from school while travelling with their parent for work purposes, then the T code applies.
This means that parents who previously used the T code to take their child out of school to travel for work will still be able to under the new guidance.
Applications for children to start in Year 7 at secondary school in September 2025 opened on 1 September 2024 and will close on 31 October 2024.
Gypsies, Roma and Travellers have the lowest educational attainment at all key stages up to and including KS4, out of any ethnic groups in the UK.
- They also have among the highest rate of exclusions out of any ethnic groups in the UK.
- It is thought that around only half of Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Showmen pupils attend secondary school.
If you are aware of any Traveller pupils in your school that have not chosen or are at risk of not taking up a secondary school place, or are considering Home Education, please do contact us – so that we can discuss support for the families.
We are able to support primary schools by:
- Providing guidance to families on completing secondary applications, what to expect from secondary school and how good communication can ensure families are comfortable with the topics being taught.
- Liaising with secondary settings to provide enhanced transition including school tours and meetings with key members of staff.
- Providing cultural awareness training for new settings and staff.
- Providing ‘aspiration’ and ‘what to expect from secondary school’ lessons to Traveller pupils through our fully funded Future Focus workshops, further information available on our website.
- Working with Traveller families who are considering Home Education, to ensure they have the correct information and support.
👉 More information on how to apply for a secondary place.
You can also find resources and support for Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, and Showmen by visiting our website.
Gypsy, Traveller Experiences of Education, Devon report 2024
During the summer term, the team undertook some research on understanding Travellers’ experiences of primary and secondary education. The report presents the firsthand experiences of Gypsy & Traveller ethnicities in relation to education across Devon and the wider community.
 Initial findings have highlighted some of the challenging experiences families have faced and shines a light on the impact this has on Traveller children accessing education in Devon. One of the most striking responses was how families feel that the biggest barrier to education is schools’ lack of understanding of Traveller heritage and culture.
If you or your setting would like to find out more about our CPD on raising awareness of Traveller culture, information can be found below:
👉 GRTS - raising awareness online course
👉 GRTS - awareness training (school-based or online)
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