Ethnic minority
achievement
Guidance for primary schools 2007
Introductory Letter
pg i
Terms of Reference
pg ii
The Ethnic Minority
Achievement Grant
pg iii
SECTION 1
pg 1
Managing EMAS
Job Descriptions
- EMAS Teacher JD
- EMAS TA JD
- EMAS / Inclusion Manager
pg 5
Assessment
- Assessment of EAL pupils
- Assessment of pupils at risk
of underachieving
pg 8
Learning & Teaching
- Curriculum Enhancement
- Use of first language
pg 10
SECTION 2
pg 13
Race Equality
- Race Equality Audit
- Race Equality Policy
- Race Equality Action Plan
- Race Equality Action Plan template
pg 15
pg 20
pg 23
pg 30
SECTION 3
pg 31
Supporting Good Practice
Contents
- Strategic support to schools
- Central training
- School-based support
- EMAS Coordinators’ Network
- Leading EMAS Practitioners’ Scheme
- DfES Ethnic Codes
- DfES Language Codes
- Classroom Observation Sheet
- Planning Form
- Example Individual Action Plan (IAP)
- Blank IAP
- Data Analysis & target-setting by ethnicity
- Building effective home-school partnerships
- Auditing Literacy & Numeracy
- Recommended Reading
pg 32
pg 32
pg 32
pg 32
pg 32
pg 33
pg 34
pg 37
pg 39
pg 40
pg 42
pg 44
pg 47
pg 50
pg 57
SECTION 4
pg 59
A Language in Common
Introductory Letter
March 2007
Dear All
We have great pleasure in presenting to you this EMAS guidance. It was
prepared in response to requests for support which we get from schools and we
hope that it will enhance the effectiveness of senior leaders, EMAS coordinators
and teachers in managing EMAS in your schools. We have endeavoured to
cover the whole remit of Minority Ethnic Achievement, from home school
partnerships to job descriptions.
In particular, we would like to highlight just a few of the documents. Firstly, ‘A
Language in Common’. The aim of this document is to assist teachers in
assessing and target setting for bilingual learners. We recommend that this be
used in place of the Hilary Hester stages as it is far more helpful in planning for
and monitoring pupils’ progress. There is also provision to record this on the
amended Wauton Samuel sheet, which schools should start to use from
September 2007. Further details of this will be sent to you later on in the year.
We ask that you see this document as a work in progress as we will be adding to
it from time to time.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank those EMAS coordinators who
proof read the documents for the central EMAS team. Your comments and
suggestions were invaluable!
We hope that this guidance enhances your work.
Yours sincerely
Ermine Benjamin
Moira Harbord
Primary EMAS Programme Manager
Primary Strategy (EMAS) Consultant
Tel: 020 8314 6372
Tel: 020 8314 9074
email:
email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
i
Terms of reference
Advanced bilingual learner An advanced bilingual learner who has had at least five years of exposure to
English and is orally fluent in conversational English, but who require continued
support in order to develop the language necessary to cope with the cognitive
and academic demands of the classroom.
African Caribbean Pupils
Pupils of Caribbean heritage which may or may not have been born in the
Caribbean. The word African in joined with Caribbean in order to reflect the
African origin of the majority of Caribbean people.
Black African pupils
Pupils of African heritage who may or may not have been born in Africa.
Black Caribbean pupils
The same as African Caribbean.
Bilingual learner
A pupil who has access to two or more languages. The term does not imply any
particular level of fluency.
Community language
See heritage language.
EAL
Stands for English as an additional language and recognises that many pupils
learning English in schools in this country already know one or more other
languages and are adding English to that repertoire.
EMA
Ethnic Minority Achievement
EMAS
Ethnic Minority Achievement Strategy: the central LA service that works with
schools to support them in closing achievement gaps.
EMAG
Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant: the government fund that pays for
additional support to Minority Ethnic pupils who are at risk of underachieving
and EAL learners.
First language
DfES PLASC guidance defines first language as the language to which the
child was exposed during early development. If a child was exposed to more
than one language and one of these includes English, then a language other
than English is taken to be the first.
Heritage language
The term used to describe the language of the heritage country. It could be the
official tongue, or language of education, rather than the dialect spoken at
home. Often a distinction is made between a modern foreign language, studied
as part of the school curriculum, and heritage language studied outside of
school hours.
Minority ethnic group
All ethnic groups other than the White British majority. Although children from
these groups may form the majority in some school contexts, they are members
of groups which are in a minority nationally.
Mother tongue
Another name for first language. It implies the language of the home or family
rather than a chronology of language acquisition.
New arrival
A pupil who has arrived from another country, often at a time other than the
usual September transfer date. This is also used to describe pupils who are
born in this country but spoke only their heritage language at home before
starting school.
ii
Schools will be expected to:
The Ethnic Minority
Achievement Grant
• Establish a policy for making provision for pupils
for whom English is an additional language and
for raising the achievement of minority ethnic
pupils who are at risk of underachievement and
incorporate this into their School Improvement
Plan;
• Appoint and manage staff funded by this grant
and ensure their effective deployment in directly
meeting the needs of minority ethnic pupils.
Their deployment should reflect known good
practice in meeting the needs of minority ethnic
pupils. Such posts must not be used for supply
cover, PPA cover or to carry out general
teaching duties. All teachers appointed through
this grant should have at least one year’s
teaching experience and;
• Monitor the achievement of minority ethnic
groups and set clear targets and outcome
measures agreed with the LA;
• Facilitate both EMAG funded and mainstream
teachers in undertaking appropriate professional
development to enable them to meet the needs
of minority ethnic pupils.
The Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) is
funding which comes from the DfES for the
purpose of supporting the teaching and learning of
pupils who are acquiring English as an additional
language (EAL), those minority ethnic groups who
are at risk of underachieving and pupils who have
newly arrived to England from overseas.
Nationally, groups at risk of underachieving
include: Black Caribbean, White Turkish,
Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils.
Allocation of the EMAG
This is calculated on a needs-based formula,
which is based on the numbers of pupils with a
mother tongue other than English and the
numbers of pupils from nationally underachieving
minority ethnic groups.
Pupils who are both bilingual and from an
underachieving group are only counted once. This
number is then multiplied by the proportion of all
pupils receiving free school meals (FSMs) in the
authority to calculate what proportion of the
national grant an LA should receive.
The EMAG is a ring-fenced fund and should only
be used for the above-mentioned purposes.
The LA is expected to:
Devolution Requirements
• Undertake a review of the attainment and
LAs may retain up to 15% of their allocation or
£150,000, whichever is the greater to deliver
central services and direct pupil support.
The remaining 85% should be devolved to
schools using a locally determined,
needs-based, fair and transparent distribution
mechanism. The local formula should reflect
bilingual learners and groups of minority ethnic
pupils who are underachieving.
performance of pupils by ethnicity;
• Provide schools with regular reports about how
these groups are achieving;
• Support schools in the development and
implementation of their policies in relation to the
grant. Schools will also be supported in setting
targets which reflect LA targets and the EDP;
• Ensure the continuing professional development
of EMAG funded staff and ensure that
mainstream staff have access to this training;
• In consultation with Literacy teams ensure that
EMAG staff have received training in the
National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies;
• Co-ordinate initiatives designed to raise the
achievement of minority ethnic pupils.
Lewisham retains 7% of the EMAG. Of the 93%
that goes to schools, 75% is devolved to primary
schools and 25% to secondary schools. Using
the data provided by schools on their PLASC
schools are given funding based on numbers of
pupils in this order of priority:
1. Black Caribbean pupils
2. Pupils acquiring EAL
3. Newly arrived pupils
4a. Category C pupils (those who have been in
this country for 2 years or more)
4b. Category D pupils( those who have been
exposed to English for 5 years or more).
In addition to the above, schools are given an
extra block amount for pupils who have refugee or
asylum seeker status.
In addition, the LA is required to provide annual
returns to the DfES setting out:
• Progress towards targets.
• Achievement of different minority ethnic groups
in relation to the targets set.
iii
Section 1:
Managing EMAS
Job Descriptions
- EMAS Teacher JD
- EMAS TA JD
- EMAS / Inclusion Manager
Assessment
- Assessment of EAL pupils
- Assessment of pupils at risk of underachieving
Learning & Teaching
- Curriculum Enhancement
- Use of first language
1
be targeted for support.
There needs to be clear criteria for timetabling
based on key areas (issues arising from audit):
•
pupil needs: focus on under- performing
groups e.g. EAL, refugee, African
Caribbean, travellers etc.
•
teacher needs: levels of expertise and
experience e.g. NQTs often need more
support.
•
resourcing needs: i.e. focus on the year
group in need of additional resources e.g.
dual language stories and tapes.
•
parents: focus on groups where greater
involvement/better partnerships are needed.
•
curriculum development needs e.g. – in
science if a particular group of children are
underperforming in this area and it is a clear
trend over more than one year.
Managing EMAS
It is essential that the starting point is a review or
audit in order to provide the data which will inform
the focus and priorities for the work.
Stage 1
Audit the standards and provision in key areas
(See Lewisham Race Equality Self- Evaluation
form):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pupil achievement/progress
Parental involvement (see survey)
Governors
Community
School Ethos
Leadership & Management
Resources
Quality of teaching and learning
Partnership Teaching
This should be the framework for EMA teachers’
work in class. It should be based on;
•
Mutual respect and trust
•
Shared responsibilities
•
Joint planning, delivery and evaluation
•
Partnership teaching
Stage 2
Create a database / pupil profile by;
•
Class
•
Year group
•
And whole school
which includes:
•
Languages
•
Ethnicity
•
A Language in Common Assessment
•
Progress by ethnicity and gender
•
Targets by ethnicity and gender
•
Country of origin
Withdrawing Pupils
Many schools opt to withdraw pupils for support.
Before doing so, however, the following should be
considered:
•
What is the focus of the support?
•
How does it relate to the work covered in
class?
•
How long the pupil(s) be supported in this
way?
•
Be careful not to withdraw children at the
same point of the timetable all the time as it
will be difficult for them to catch up with the
broad and balanced curriculum which is
their entitlement.
•
What provision is being made for the pupils
once they return to class? Do their teachers
have the expertise to plan effectively for
them?
Stage 3
In response to the priorities identified from the
audit , review the Race Equality policy and write a
Race Equality Action Plan (See exemplars on
pages 30 & 35). The latter should feed into the
School Improvement Plan.
EMAS /EAL Teacher
Timetabling
Non-teaching Activities
Timetabling
•
Focusing timetabling is essential i.e. – full time
teacher should work with maximum of 4 teachers
at any one time. Bitty timetabling such as 1 hour
Numeracy Class B should be avoided so pupils
are seen working and are supported in more than
one curriculum area. Please see exemplar
timetable on Page 9. It is also better to focus on
one Key stage and no more than two year groups
at any one time. No more than 30 pupils should
•
•
•
2
Making or purchasing resources to enhance
the lessons Schemes of Work
Developing partnerships with parents
Supporting colleagues in assessments of
EAL pupils etc
Developing schemes of work in
collaboration with subject leaders
Assembly 9:10am – 9:30 am
“Keeping up with children”
Parent meeting
Red Y6
Literacy (EAL)
P
L
A
Y
P
L
A
Y
Red Y6
Literacy (ABL)
P
L
A
Y
P
L
A
Y
P
L
A
Y
Red Y6
Literacy EAL
Green Y6
Literacy (underachievement)
9:00 am
10:50am
School Name:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
3
L
U
N
C
H
L
U
N
C
H
L
U
N
C
H
L
U
N
C
H
L
U
N
C
H
Blue Y6
PPA
3:00pm
Induction
3:00pm
Induction
2:45 pm
Induction
3:00pm
Specific Pupil Support
2:30pm
EMAS Team Meeting
Liaison Time
Green Y6
Humanities
(underachievement)
Green Y6
Science EAL
Red Y6
Science (EAL)
1.30pm
3:30pm
Academic Yr: 2006 / 2007
* 9:00 am – 10:00 am Tues & Thurs Admissions interviews as necessary
PPA
Red Y6
Numeracy
ABL
Resource Development with
TAs
Red Y6
Numeracy
EAL
Green Y6
Numeracy
(underachievement)
11:10am
12:30pm
Teacher:
Model Timetable: Primary EMAS
Non-contact time to address a
range of issues as
prioritised in Action Plan.
- Liaison with SENCO
- Resources making and
ordering.
- Links with parents
- Work with community group
Flexible slot which can be
non-contact time at busy
periods e.g.
Co-ordination of whole
school assessment of
stages of English
New arrivals in
Year 5 and 6
Focused speaking &
listening activities
New arrivals all years –
support and review.
Record Keeping
•
This should be in line with the existing school
system.
•
•
Shared Records
EMAS and class teachers should both have
access to the following records:
1.
Attainment and progress records in keeping
with the school’s pro forma
2.
Class list with ethnicity, first language and
LIC level
3.
Individual pupil targets
4.
Group targets by ethnicity and gender where
appropriate)
5.
Medium term, daily and weekly lesson plans
–numeracy, literacy etc.
•
Each school has received an allocation of funding
through the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant to
support the raising of minority ethnic achievement
in schools. As outlined in the background section
at the beginning of this handbook, most of this
funding will be used to employ teachers to work in
the following areas:
Assessment of EAL pupils (please see notes on
LIC)
•
Assessment of Black Caribbean and Black African
Pupils
•
Please refer to section on assessment for further
details.
•
Ofsted (2004) found that schools which are
successful in raising the attainment of minority
ethnic and EAL learners share broadly similar
approaches in the creation of a genuinely
inclusive school. The main features are:
•
•
•
•
supporting pupils with English as an
additional language;
raising the achievement of African
Caribbean pupils and those at risk of
underachievement;
supporting newly arrived pupils.
In order to achieve an appropriate balance of in
and out of class support, it is important to consider
the needs of the school, its School Development
Plan and the strengths of the teachers.
Leadership and
Management
•
High quality assessment, tracking and
target-setting procedures for groups and
individuals.
EMAG is used to develop high quality
provision.
Additional resources are routinely monitored
to ensure their use results in improved
outcomes.
Partnership with parents and local
community. (Please see page 55 for ideas
for developing positive home school
partnerships).
Vision and leadership from the head teacher
that established a strong commitment to an
ethos that stresses high achievement, equal
opportunities, the valuing of cultural
diversity, challenging racism and provision
of a secure environment.
The centrality of EMA work in the school
where EMAG funded staff have a high
profile and equal status with mainstream
colleagues.
Good quality partnership teaching between
EMAG funded and mainstream staff is one
of the most effective forms of whole-school
continuing professional development.
A collective responsibility by all teachers for
providing quality learning experiences for
EAL and minority ethnic learners.
Systematic collection and analysis of data to
identify need and deploy resources
effectively.
4
Job Descriptions
•
EMAS Teacher
Job Description
•
Purpose of Job:
To teach and work within school teams in school
and class-based programmes to support the
educational progress of minority ethnic pupils.
•
Within the Ethnic Minority Achievement Strategy,
there are three strands:
•
Specific teaching intervention to support
bilingual pupils;
•
Work in schools to raise achievement of
African and African Caribbean pupils and
other minority ethnic pupils who are
underachieving;
•
Support for newly arrived pupils.
•
EMAS teachers may be working across all these
strands, or targeting a specific area or
programme.
•
•
•
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
•
Working within school teams in school and
class-based programmes:
•
Assess, support, track and monitor the
language, learning, social and emotional
needs of minority ethnic pupils.
•
Monitor all EAL pupils, using ‘A Language in
Common’ (QCA) National Curriculum
assessment procedures.
•
In conjunction with the EMAS/Inclusion
Coordinator, develop a yearly EMAS Action
Plan showing the strategies being used to
support teaching and learning of minority
ethnic pupils.
•
Construct individual action plans with clear
targets so that pupils have the fullest
possible opportunity to develop their
language and learning skills through a range
of planned differentiated classroom
activities.
•
Teach and work within classrooms
alongside class teachers using planned and
appropriately differentiated teaching
strategies and resources to make the
curriculum more accessible for all minority
ethnic pupils including those who are
underachieving.
•
In conjunction with the EMAS Coordinator,
provide school staff with relevant information
about pupils’ first language, country of
origin, culture, religion and previous
schooling as appropriate.
5
Ensure an appropriate induction programme
is provided for newly arrived minority ethnic
pupils and their families.
Support classroom teachers to create and
adapt learning materials to make the
curriculum more accessible to bilingual
learners and underachieving minority ethnic
pupils.
Plan with class teachers and whole school
staff to ensure that the curriculum offered is
relevant to the cultural diversity of the school
community.
Provide minority ethnic parents with
information about the school, curriculum,
pupil welfare, etc as appropriate, and
support to encourage their participation in
school life.
Support school initiatives to involve parents
in Family Learning programmes.
Act as the link between pupils, parents,
communities, supplementary schools and
other relevant agencies.
Participate in training opportunities for own
professional development and contribute to
the professional development of mainstream
staff in developing good practice in relation
to minority ethnic pupils and their families.
EMAS Teaching Assistant
Job Description
Main duties and responsibilities:
•
To assist with the implementation of EMAS
and class targets relating to the learning
needs of minority ethnic pupils.
•
To provide pupils with direct teaching and
curriculum support as appropriate to their
language and learning needs.
•
To liaise with class teachers and the EMAS
Coordinator to plan for pupils to meet
targets and make satisfactory progress.
•
To report to the class teacher / line manager
on target pupils’ progress and any observed
obstacles to learning.
•
Where appropriate the teaching assistant
will liaise with the EMAS Coordinator and
class teachers to develop relevant
resources for use with minority ethnic pupils.
•
To liaise with parents as appropriate.
•
To undertake EMAS continuing professional
development as is relevant to the post.
6
EMAS Inclusion Coordinator
Job description
Purpose of Job:
In addition to the duties of a mainscale teacher,
under the line management of the Headteacher:
•
To think strategically and plan effectively to
raise standards for minority ethnic pupils who
are at risk of underachievement, eg. African or
African Caribbean to remove barriers to
equality of educational opportunity.
•
To provide leadership and support at a whole
school level to ensure the attainment of Black
and minority ethnic pupils, including those for
whom English is an additional language and
new arrivals.
•
To teach and work within school-based teams
on initiatives aimed to support the educational
progress of new arrivals and other children
who speak English as an additional language,
providing guidance, support and clarity on
strategies for raising achievement.
•
To advise on the incorporation of race equality
into the curriculum, including compliance with
the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000).
•
To develop and enhance the teaching practice
of others to support minority ethnic pupils
through INSET, in-class support and written
guidance eg. The writing of policy
documents
•
To develop links with parents and minority
ethnic groups to support learning and promote
involvement in the school.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Main duties and responsibilities:
•
To be a member of the Senior Management
Team, working to develop and implement
whole school strategies which will result in the
raising achievement of minority ethnic pupils.
•
Develop policies, to include the Race Equality
and New Arrivals policies, and oversee their
implementation.
•
Produce an Inclusion/Race Equality/EMAS
action plan which is time-linked, which
integrates all the strategies to improve
teaching and learning for minority ethnic
pupils. These action plans should be
generated from the School Improvement Plan,
and integrated into it where possible.
•
Evaluate and make effective use of schoolbased data analysis and tracking systems and
LEA and national performance data to target,
track and monitor the progress of Black and
minority ethnic pupils to help raise standards
for pupils at risk of underachievement.
•
Through monitoring the progress of Black and
minority ethnic pupils across the school,
evaluate the impact of school strategies and
seek to develop these.
•
Ensure that evidence of the school’s cultural
•
•
•
•
•
7
diversity is embedded in the curriculum, and
that the various cultural groups within the
school are represented in events, assemblies
etc.
Support teachers in monitoring the progress of
all pupils for whom English is an additional
language, using ‘A Language in
Common’ (QCA) National Curriculum
assessment procedures.
Support EMAS and class teachers in
constructing appropriate individual action
plans for identified underperforming Black and
minority ethnic pupils at risk of
underachievement with clear targets to ensure
the fullest possible opportunity to make
progress and participate in the learning
planned for the class.
Teach and work within classrooms and
alongside class teachers, using appropriate
and planned teaching strategies and
resources to ensure access to the curriculum
for African and African Caribbean children and
pupils with English as an additional language
Demonstrate and promote the use of ICT to
support minority ethnic pupils’ learning.
Ensure that all staff have access to
information about pupils’ first languages,
country of origin, culture, religion and previous
schooling as appropriate.
Manage resources efficiently within the
school’s budget allocation.
Provide leadership across the school in
developing links with parents and the
community, in particular those parents from
Black and minority backgrounds, including
those for whom English is an additional
language and those who have recently arrived
from outside the UK.
Lead whole school initiatives in developing
links with EAL, African and African Caribbean
parents and community members and groups
to encourage greater participation and
involvement in the life of the school, eg.
Family Learning programmes.
Provide parents of the school’s community
with information about the school, the
curriculum etc as appropriate and with
interpretation when necessary.
Monitor the involvement of parents of pupils at
risk of underachievement and those hard to
reach parents and develop strategies for
increasing their involvement and participation
in the life of the school.
Offer support to pupils and parents as
appropriate in liaison with class teachers in
matters relating to pupil welfare and guidance.
Participate in training opportunities for own
professional development and contribute to
the professional development of others in
relation to school provision for the minority
ethnic groups within the school.
English rapidly by working with confident peers
and having strong language models. Teachers
should, therefore, be flexible about their groupings
and ensure that pupils are provided with plenty of
visual cues and given opportunities to engage in
speaking and listening activities, as these will
scaffold their learning and help them to acquire
the academic language necessary for success in
the educational system.
Assessment
Assessment of pupils with
English as an additional
language
Lewisham advises that schools use the Language
in Common document (LIC) when assessing and
setting targets with EAL. Please refer to Section 4
for a copy of this document.
Arrangements for SATs
The assessment of EAL learners has often been
carried out differently from the assessment of their
monolingual peers. A language in common scales
provide an inclusive way of assessing early
progress pupils make in learning English as an
additional language that ensure their attainment is
linked to their full national curriculum entitlement.
It also allows for monitoring the progress of these
pupils nationally. The scale describes two steps
before national curriculum level 1 in English (step
1, step 2) and a graduated level one (threshold 1
and secure level 1).
KS1
Disapplication from teacher assessment is very
rare. It may occur where a child has recently
arrived from abroad and does not speak English.
If it is not possible for teachers or language
support staff to find out the level that the child is
working at before the last date for finalisation of
teacher assessment (4 July or two weeks before
the end of the summer term, whichever is
earliest), then the child should be recorded as D
for disapplied) for mathematics and the individual
attainment targets in science. The procedures
outlined in section 5.6 for children who are unable
to access the tasks and tests should be followed.
If a child cannot speak English, then the child
should be recorded as W in speaking and
listening, reading and writing (for working below
the level of the task or test) as this is the child’s
current level of attainment.
Early assessment profiles are likely to be quite
different from those of pupils whose first language
is English. Some pupils may enter school in
England already able to read and write in English
better than they can communicate orally. Others
may develop rapidly in spoken English but need
particular help with reading and writing. Many
pupils are likely to go through a ‘silent phase’ as
they tune in to the sounds of English and work out
ways of expressing what they mean in a new or
unfamiliar language.
Schools must write a report for children who are
being disapplied from teacher assessment. A
copy of the report must be sent to:
•
However, there is a strong expectation that most
EAL learners will make rapid progress through the
steps and level 1. For pupils who enter already
literate in another language, the passage from a
step 1 directly into national curriculum level 3 or
above would be a realistic expectation.
Placing EAL learners in ability
groups
•
•
Care should be taken not to automatically place
EAL learners in the early stages of English fluency
in low ability groups. This is because monolingual
children with literacy difficulties will not provide a
good model of English for these pupils and they
will soon become bored as they will not be
challenged academically. Educational background
and whether a pupil is literate in other languages
should be taken as an indicator of potential.
Disparities between verbal and non-verbal test
scores can also indicate academic potential. EAL
learners with good cognitive ability will learn
the child’s parents. Their right to appeal
should be included with the report. Where a
headteacher believes that a parent may
have difficulty in understanding the report,
they must offer appropriate assistance, for
example by providing an interpretation or
translation of the documents or arranging to
discuss them with the parents
the chair of the governing body
the LA assessment coordinator.
KS2
Pupils should not be entered for the tests if the
school cannot establish whether they are working
at the level of the tests in English, mathematics
and science. This may be the case if a pupil has
just arrived from a different education system and
cannot speak English.
If pupils cannot communicate in English, they
should not be entered for the English tests
because they will not be working at level 3. They
should be marked as B on the marksheet.
8
in this document may be useful as section
headings in the policy:
•
The Admissions Interview.
•
Preparing for the newly arrived pupil.
•
The First Few Days
•
Assessing Learning
•
INSET
To establish the pupil’s level for mathematics and
science, teachers and language-support staff
should work together to translate national
curriculum work into the pupil’s preferred
language. Care should be taken when translating
sections of the tests as there may be inexact
correspondence between the pupil’s preferred
language and English.
Below are some examples of good practice
•
•
•
If this shows that the pupil is working below
the level of the tests in mathematics and/or
science, they should be marked as B on the
marksheet.
If it shows that the pupil is working at the
level of the tests, the school should consider
entering them and using the access
arrangements set out in section 12 (for
example additional time and translation).
If a pupil is found to be working at the level
of the tests but still unable to access them
even with access arrangements, they must
be marked as T on the marksheet.
The Admissions Interview
Identify a member of staff, preferably from the
Senior Leadership Team, who, in conjunction
with the an EMAG funded member of staff has
responsibility for the admissions interview.
At the interview find out about the pupil’s:
Ethnicity
First language and other languages spoken
and or understood and whether or not they
are literate in these.
•
Educational experiences with the UK and
elsewhere.
•
Dietary requirements
•
Any medical conditions
•
Academic strengths
•
Hobbies and interests
•
Find out how to pronounce the child’s name
correctly
•
•
If a school does not have enough time before the
tests to carry out assessments and judge a pupil’s
level, they must be marked as T.
For further details regarding the test
arrangements, please log on to
www.qca.org.uk/EARA
Preparing for the Newly Arrived
Pupil
Assessing Pupils at risk of
underachieving
•
It is important to ensure that one’s expectations of
pupils remains high and that pupils are not judged
or placed in groups according to their behaviour,
but instead on their attainment.
New Arrivals
•
It is vital that schools a clear and consistent
admissions policy which underpins its practice. It
may form part of your race equality policy or stand
alone. The following framework may be useful for
developing a policy.
1.
Background and context: why the policy was
written.
2.
Aims of the policy
3.
Good practice which informs the policy and
how this links with the school’s ethos and
other relevant policies
4.
Levels of action for implementing it:
Individuals
Groups/teams
Whole school
•
•
•
•
•
Schools will develop specific policies according to
their individual contexts. However, the headings
•
9
Lewisham recommends that there be two
clear days from the interview till the day the
child starts school so as to enable the
interviewers to disseminate appropriate
information to the class teacher and other
relevant staff.
Carefully consider the most appropriate
class for the child (if bigger than a one form
entry school) eg, children or an adult who
speak the same language; pupils who are
supportive.
Have equipment such as stationery, coat
pegs, a seat, ready and available for their
immediate use.
Inform the rest of the class about their
intended arrival.
Choose a buddy for them.
Encourage the class to think about ways of
welcoming new pupils eg by making a
welcome card.
Using information gathered at the interview,
label classroom objects and areas in the
child’s language.
Give pupils and their families a tour of the
school, introducing them to relevant staff.
The First Few Days
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use of first language
Invite the parents/carers of younger children
to stay in class for a while.
Learn a few key words of the pupil’s
language e.g. greetings, numbers, if
possible.
Ensure classroom routines are clear and
consistent as this enables new pupils to feel
safe and secure.
Use friendly and affirming body language.
Provide opportunities for new pupils to
interact with their peers through
collaborative activities.
Allow the pupil time and space to settle
down. It is not necessary to launch into
formal assessments straight away.
In order for children to learn, we have to create
the social-emotional environment in which the
basic conditions for learning can occur. The first
language is the language of home and family and
so lessens the trauma of getting used to a new
environment, in new arrivals. It is also important
for more experienced learners of English as
people respond well to seeing ourselves reflected
in the curriculum.
Using their first language allows pupils to continue
their conceptual development. The use of the MT
in the teaching of basic concepts not only
facilitates the development of these, but also
makes it easier for them to understand and,
therefore, learn the English related to these
concepts.
For ideas on activities to use with newly arrived
pupils, please refer to the Lewisham publication,
“All about Me”. This is available from
Bridget Akinbolaji at the Professional
Development Centre. She can be contacted on
(020) 8314 6146. The price is £15.00
In time children start to combine the 2 language
structures and develop good analytical skills.
Research shows that they then go on to apply this
skill in other areas of the curriculum and so
become high attainers. (Cummins ~ 1996; Collier
and Thomas 1999).
Learning and Teaching
Targeted Interventions for
Advanced Bilingual Learners
We all carry stereotypes regarding genders and
races. However, as teachers, we should put
these aside and have high expectations of all the
children in our classes, including those groups
who are at risk of underachieving.
The needs of advanced bilingual pupils may be
overlooked as, by this stage they are fluent in
conversational English. However, they need to be
supported in developing the language necessary
for academic success. Teachers need to explicitly
teach the language structures and vocabulary
relevant to the various genre of writing and
communication. Idiomatic language and
metaphor are other areas of language are areas
which EAL learners find challenging and need
support in understanding, as well becoming
familiar with the range of different contexts in
which a word may be used.
In order to engage in learning, pupils need to see
themselves reflected positively in the curriculum, if
not they will be switched off. This has to occur in
the context of high quality teaching and learning.
The RRAA (2000) states that schools should put
systems in place which:
1.
2.
3.
Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
Promote equality of opportunity
Promote good relations between persons of
different racial groups
The following DfES published pack contains a
wealth of information and strategies which support
the teaching of advance bilingual learners.
Excellence and Enjoyment :learning and
teaching for bilingual children in the primary
years.
Ref: 0013-2006PCK-EN
One of the roles of books is to challenge/confirm
beliefs. In the media people of colour are not
necessarily portrayed in a positive light, neither
are their contributions to science etc..
acknowledged therefore, planning and delivering
a culturally inclusive curriculum is essential if we
are to fulfil the duties of the Act.
For a free copy of the pack call: 0845 60 222 60
See next page for some examples of how this can
be achieved in various subject areas.
10
Curriculum Enhancement
Putting an African and Caribbean Perspective on the Curriculum
English
Mathematics
Caribbean languages e.g. idioms
Books by writers from the African Diaspora
Critical study of lyrics of popular Black music
African counting systems and patterns
Maths for life ~ examining data re: Africa
countries and Caribbean islands; traditional
saving schemes (known as pardoner or susu)
Contribution of Benjamin Banneker to the
study of time
Study the musical scores of African and
Caribbean scores to understand fractions
Geography
Music
Studies of Caribbean islands
Migration from and to the Caribbean and
Africa
Study of Dunns River falls in Jamaica; the
Niger
River and how this affects the lifestyle of the
people who live close to it
History and significance of reggae and calypso
Famous singers and musicians from the
Diaspora
Science
DT
Medicine and herbs from Africa and the
Caribbean
Contribution of scientists from the Diaspora.
E.g., Lewis Latimer & Garrett Morgan
(electricity); George Washington Carve
(agricultural science); Lloyd Hall (food
preservation);
Elijah McCoy (friction)
Use of local materials in developing
countries’ technologies
Jan Ernst Matzeliger~ shoe-making machine
(KS2 slippers topic)
RE
Drama
History of Black churches in England and
America
History of gospel music
Work of dramatists from the Diaspora
Images of Black people in British and
American TV
History
PSHE
The peopling of the Caribbean and how this
has influenced the culture of that region
today
Ancient civilisations in Africa e.g. The Empires
of Ghana and Benin
The history of Black people in Britain
Racial identity
Conflict resolution
PE
Art
Black contribution to sport now e.g. Arthur
Wharton
Figures from the past
Using natural dyes
Batiks
Wood carvings
11
12
Section 2:
Race Equality
- Race Equality Audit
- Race Equality Policy
- Race Equality Action Plan
- Race Equality Action Plan template
2
are addressed through the curriculum and
assemblies.
Race Equality
Reporting Racist Incidents
The Race Relations Amendment Act of 2000
(RRAA) places three duties on schools. Which are
as follows:
1.
2.
3.
Schools should report any racist incidents to the
LA. The racist incident form (attached on this
Guidance CD) should be completed and sent to
the LA:
Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
Promote equality of opportunity
Promote good relations between people of
different racial groups
These are to be sent to:
Maxine McLeod
3rd Floor
Laurence House
Catford
SE6 4RU
“Schools in England and Wales must assess the
impact of all their policies on pupils, staff, and
parents from different racial groups. They must
also monitor the way their policies work. The duty
expects schools to place special emphasis here
on pupils’ attainment levels.”
CRE
Tel: 020 8314 3460
Or email: [email protected]
Schools are also required to write a Race Equality
policy. This may be a separate policy or form part
of another, e.g. Equal Opportunities. In this case,
race equality should be a clearly identifiable part
of the policy. Schools are also required to write a
three year Race Equality action plan, which ideally
should form part of the whole school development
plan.
It is a fact that racist incidents occur in our schools
and staff need to be equipped to deal with these.
What is a Racist Incident?
“A racist incident is any incident which is
perceived to be racist by the victim or any other
person”
The McPherson Report
Dealing with racist incidents
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The school has a code of conduct that
details expectations of behaviour for all
pupils and staff.
All allegations of racist incidents are
investigated by a named senior member of
staff:
Both parties are invited to present the
incident as they see it.
Any witnesses are asked to do the same.
All of the above are written.
Disciplinary procedures in line with the
school’s behaviour policy are taken
Steps are taken to restore the relationship.
Parents/carers are informed of the incident,
in the case where the incident involves
children.
Racist incidents are reported to the
governors and the LA (Local Authority).
Issues relating to race, identity and racism
14
Ensuring Race Equality: self-evaluation
Well
established
Strand 1: Leadership and Management
Leadership and management: Senior leaders
1. The headteacher provides an active lead on raising
the attainment of underachieving groups.
A race equality policy is in place and is being
implemented. All racist incidents are recognised,
recorded, monitored and managed effectively to ensure
there is good race relations.
2. The school development plan has clear objectives and
strategies for raising the attainment of underachieving
groups.
3. The school senior leadership team ensures a
whole-school approach to raising the attainment of
groups at risk of underachievement.
Leadership and management: governors
4. A lead governor for race equality has been identified
and is regularly briefed on progress in relation to minority
ethnic attainment.
5.The governing body ensures that there is compliance
with the requirements of the RRAA 2000, including
monitoring racist incidents.
6. Governors have had training to develop their
knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to
meeting the learning needs of minority ethnic pupils.
7. The school actively recruits governors which reflect
the ethnic make up of the school community.
Leadership and management: data
8. The school has an established time line for the
collection and analysis of data (eg. Re attainment,
progress, rewards and sanctions) by ethnicity, first
language and gender and FSM.
10. The headteacher, senior and middle leaders and
governors analyse the attainment data and identify
trends in relation to subjects, key stages, year groups or
classes and ensure that targeted action is taken as a
result.
11. The school has clear systems for communicating
findings from ethnicity data analyses to staff, pupil and
parents/carers.
12. Targets are set for the attainment of minority ethnic
pupils overall as well as by gender. Progress is
rigorously monitored against these.
13. The school ensures that CPD is provided so that
middle and senior managers are skilled and confident in
interpreting and making use of data.
14. There is a clear system for monitoring and evaluating
the quality of planning and teaching to support EAL
learners and pupils at risk of underachievement
15
Developing
Not yet in
place
Ensuring Race Equality: self-evaluation
Strands 2,3,4: Learning and Teaching: Assessment
for learning, Curriculum Access, Language
Development
Assessment for learning
15. Staff understand the importance of assessing the
language development of EAL learners as well as
curriculum understanding. Adults who share the
children’s first language are trained to contribute to day
to day assessment.
16. The assessment of the attainment of Black
Caribbean children is accurate, eg during teacher
assessments.
Black Caribbean children are allocated to sets and
groups fairly, on the basis of accurate assessment of
their ability and not of their behaviour. These grouping
arrangements are clear and understood by parents,
carers and children.
17. Day to day assessment informs future planning.
Curriculum Access
18. Learning objectives for the curriculum, and success
criteria are shared explicitly with children
19. Teacher expectations of Black pupils are high. EAL
learners are set tasks which are cognitively challenging.
20. Visual resources and kinaesthetic strategies are
planned for. A wider range of scaffolding strategies e.g.
writing frames, language development prompts is used
effectively. Partner talk is used to provide thinking time
and opportunities to use new language.
21. Plans and key resources reflect the heritage and
lived experiences of the pupils.
Subject areas eg. History, support cultural, ethnic and
religious diversity, and show positive role models of
Black achievers.
Curriculum areas provide opportunities for challenging
bias, racism and stereotyping.
There are opportunities in the curriculum for the use of
Creole.
Teachers understand and use key strategies to motivate
and support UAGs, eg organising tasks into chunks,
collaborative paired and group work, language
development.
22. Planning is shared with additional adults, their roles
are clearly defined, including strategies for supporting
EAL learners and UAGs.
Language Development
23. The school and classroom environments provide
essential prompts and displays to support language
development as well as the learning and teaching of
literacy, mathematics and the wider curriculum.
24. Teachers understand and are competent in planning
a curriculum which addressing the language needs of
English-based Creole speakers.
16
Well
established
Developing
Not yet in
place
Ensuring Race Equality: self-evaluation
Strand 5: Conditions for Learning
Well
established
Developing
Not yet in
place
Well
established
Developing
Not yet in
place
25. The school actively secures representation of
minority ethnic communities at all levels of non-teaching
and teaching staff.
26. The school has a code of conduct that details
expectations of behaviour for all pupils and staff.
27. Classroom and corridor displays reflect the
experiences and heritage of the school population.
28. The school ensures that all pupils are aware of the
race equality policy and their role in ensuring that it
works..
29. Minority ethnic pupils take pride in their school and
are represented in all aspects of school life, e.g. school
council, gifted and talented initiatives.
30. Pupils from minority ethnic communities state that
they feel valued, respected and ‘belong’ to the school.
31. The school creates opportunities to hear the views of
minority ethnic pupils, e.g. via focus groups, pupil
questionnaires .
32. Relationships between pupils from different ethnic
groups are positive.
33. Racist incidents are closely monitored and effective
systems are in place to ensure good race relations.
Strand 6: Partnerships beyond the classroom
34. The school has a policy on working with and
engaging parents/carers.
35. The school creates opportunities to ensure that
parents/ carers of minority ethnic pupils are equipped to
support their children’s education, e.g. information
evenings, parent workshops, support packs.
36. All parents are aware of national attainment
expectations and arrangements for SATs.
37. Relationships between school staff and the parents
of minority ethnic pupils are generally positive.
38. There is regular and timely contact between parents
and teachers about the progress and attainment so that
action can be taken before pupils underachieve.
39. Teachers regularly inform parents of minority ethnic
pupils when their children have performed well.
40. The school responds quickly and positively to
concerns raised by the parents/carers of minority ethnic
pupils.
41. The school develops opportunities to hear the views
of the parents/carers of minority ethnic pupils and takes
action in response to these views.
42. The school is proactive in ensuring that the parents/
carers of minority ethnic pupils are engaged in a wide
range of school activities, e.g. school visits, represented
on the governing body.
43. The school actively develops links and effective
partnerships with the wider community, e.g.
supplementary schools, local arts groups, churches, local
businesses.
17
Ensuring Race Equality: self-evaluation
Strand 7: Transition and Transfer
Well
established
Developing
Not yet in
place
Well
established
Developing
Not yet in
place
44. The school actively seeks as much information as
possible from previous schools attended by those new to
English, so pupils’ needs can be quickly identified.
Parents and carers of EAL pupils are welcomed to the
school, and encouraged to be involved in their child’s
learning.
Parents and carers of EAL pupils are encouraged to join
in parent programmes appropriate to their needs.
45. EMAS coordinators and teachers pass on relevant
attainment information to ensure that there is continuity
for EAL pupils from Foundation Stage to KS2.
The school values EAL pupils’ first language
contributions to peer mentoring of younger pupils, eg.
Designing or reading stories in their first language, or
simple books in English.
46. SMT monitor interventions offered to ensure Black
Caribbean children have access to these where
necessary, but at the same time are not overrepresented in any underachieving group strategies.
The school values peer academic and social support
from friends (including peer mentoring by older Black
Caribbean children) in the classroom to support transition
between year groups or phases.
47. The school provides parents and carers with
information to enable them to make effective choices for
their child’s secondary school.
48. The school provides support for children at risk of
underachieving during transition to secondary school,
e.g. learning mentor cross-phase working, liaison
activities, induction days, counselling, buddy systems
with Y7 children.
Policy and practice
49. Policies of particular relevance to the attainment of
minority ethnic pupils are well understood and their
effectiveness is monitored, e.g. race equality policy, EMA
policy, behaviour policy, rewards and sanctions.
50. The school’s CPD cycle includes regular provision for
training related to the achievement of minority ethnic
pupils, relating to staff at all levels, including senior and
middle leaders, NQTs and supply teachers.
51. Performance management targets include those
related to raising the achievement of minority ethnic
pupils.
52. The school effectively deploys additional funding, e.g.
EMAG, EiC to support the achievement of minority ethnic
pupils.
53. Senior leaders have a sound knowledge and
understanding of Race Equality legislation and the
school’s statutory requirements.
54. Senior leaders have the confidence and knowledge to
deal effectively with issues related to racism.
18
Ensuring Race Equality: self-evaluation
Curriculum planning, teaching and learning
Well
established
Developing
Not yet in
place
Well
established
Developing
Not yet in
place
Well
established
Developing
Not yet in
place
55. In lessons teachers have high expectations of
minority ethnic pupils and ensure they are actively
engaged in their learning and are progressing well.
56. Schemes of work and lesson plans evidence high
expectations of minority ethnic pupils, including the
planning of targeted intervention, where appropriate.
57. Teacher assessments of minority ethnic pupils are
accurate and reflect high expectations, in line with that of
other pupil groups.
58. The attainment of minority ethnic pupils at KS1 and
KS2 is in line with or above the Lewisham average and
their progress indicates that the school is adding value.
59. Appropriately challenging pupil targets are set for all
minority ethnic pupils and their progress towards them is
effectively monitored.
60. Subject resources and schemes of work reflect the
histories, experiences and cultures of the school
population.
61. School library curriculum resources adequately reflect
the histories, experiences and cultures of the school
population.
Pupil engagement and support
62. Minority ethnic pupils are supported in developing a
positive self-identity and have opportunities to discuss
issues around race and identity.
63. The school makes effective provision for gifted and
talented minority ethnic pupils.
64. The school behaviour policy promotes good practice
and informs the development of good relationships with
minority ethnic pupils.
65. The proportion of minority ethnic pupil representation
on SEN registers reflects the proportion on the school
roll.
Pupil engagement and support - transfer
66. The school provides support, e.g. learning mentors,
enrichment activities or buddy systems for pupils
identified as ‘at risk’ of underachieving during their
transfer to secondary school.
19
•
Star Lane Primary
School Race Equality
Policy
•
•
1. Background
Star Lane Primary School is a two form entry
primary school for pupils aged between 3 and 11.
It is situated on the outskirts of London, in a
residential area that is very varied in its social,
cultural and economic context. The proportion of
pupils with supporting statements for their
educational needs is similar to the national
average. There is a higher proportion of pupils
who speak English as an additional language than
in other schools in the locality. Of these pupils,
many are at the early stages of speaking English.
The proportion of pupils who receive free school
meals is above the national average.
Responsibilities
A
The governing body is responsible for:
ensuring that the school complies with the
amended Race Relations Act 2000 (the
Act);
•
ensuring that the policy, related procedures
and resulting strategies are implemented;
•
Choosing a named governor who will liaise
with the member of SMT who has overall
responsibility for the policy in the school;
B
The headteacher is responsible for:
making sure the race equality policy is
readily available and that the governors,
staff, pupils, and their parents and guardians
know about it;
•
making sure the race equality policy and its
procedures are followed;
•
producing regular information for staff and
governors about the policy and how it is
working, as well as providing training for
them on the policy, if necessary;
•
making sure all staff know their
responsibilities and receive training and
support in carrying these out;
•
taking appropriate action in cases of racial
harassment and racial discrimination;
The school welcomes its duties under the Race
Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.
We value the linguistic, cultural and religious
diversity of the school and its community. Our
overall aim is to eliminate unlawful racial
discrimination, and to actively promote equality of
opportunity and good race relations in all areas of
school life We also endeavour to:
•
The role of the Head teacher
•
2. Aims and values
•
The role of Governing Body
•
The school consists of a small indigenous White
community and a large mobile population of many
minority ethnic groups often housed in short-term
accommodation. There are sometimes tensions
between some ethnic groups, and this has
sometimes spilt over into school life. However, we
aim to prepare our children for a life working with
others in a diverse community.
•
encouraging, supporting, and helping all
pupils and staff to reach their potential;
working with parents and guardians, and
with the wider community, to tackle racial
discrimination, and to follow and promote
good practice; and
making sure the race equality policy and its
procedures are followed.
C
Ensure that all staff, pupils, parents and
visitors receive fair and equitable treatment
Support our pupils to understand their own
ethnic identity and cultural heritage as well
as that of others
Ensure that pupils become independent,
high achieving learners, who are competent
users of English.
The role of All Staff
All staff are responsible for:
challenging any prejudice or racist incidents,
and being able to recognise and tackle
racial bias and stereotyping;
•
promoting equal opportunities and good
race relations, and avoiding discrimination
against anyone for reasons of race, colour,
nationality or ethnic or national origins;
•
keeping up to date with the law on
discrimination, and taking up training and
learning opportunities;
•
3. Leadership and management
Commitments
We are committed to:
•
actively tackling racial discrimination, as well
as promoting equal opportunities and good
race relations;
D Staff with specific responsibilities
The member of staff who will have overall
responsibility for the Race Equality Policy in the
20
school will be Ms Maxine McPherson. This person
will:
•
deal with reports of racist incidents.
•
ensure the accurate reporting and recording
of such incidents
•
coordinate work on race equality in the
school
•
ensure that the policy is displayed so that all
visitors to the school have access to it.
alternative times to meet them.
Members of the Governing Body
We actively seek and appoint individuals so that
the governing body reflects the school community.
Participation in Parent Teacher Association
We actively seek and appoint individuals so that
the coordinators of the parent teacher association
reflect the school community.
E Visitors and contractors
Homework
We recognise that some parents are not yet
conversant with the methods used in schools
today and so do not feel confident about
supporting their children at home. So as to
empower parents to support their children’s
learning, we:
•
invite parents to attend Family Learning
classes.
•
run the CLPE coordinated course for
parents and children who are new to
English.
•
organise and run curriculum workshops for
parents so that they are aware of national
expectations and the way concepts are
taught in the English education system.
•
invite parents to observe lessons.
•
organise trips for parents, to local museums
etc.. so they are aware of educational visits
to take their children on at the weekends
and during school holidays.
All visitors and contractors are responsible for:
•
knowing, and following, our race equality
policy.
•
knowing who to report to if an incident
relevant to them occurs.
4. Covering the Specific Duties
Planning and developing Policy
This policy was written following consultation with
parents, pupils and all staff. Its impact will be
regularly monitored using auditing tools, parent,
pupil and staff surveys.
Ethnic Monitoring
Attainment and Progress Data
Baseline, end of key stage and data on optional
SATs results will be collected at the end of each
year and analysed by ethnicity, gender and first
language. These will be shared with the class
teachers to inform their planning. Pupils will be
informed of these so that as support them in
becoming reflective, independent learners. This
information will be shared with parents so that
they, too can support their children’s learning.
Where there are differentials the school
implements intervention strategies eg. Learning
mentors, targeted support for particular pupils,
increased parental involvement through parent
forums and family learning classes. The impact of
these targeted interventions will be reviewed
termly.
Assessing and Reviewing Policy
Publishing the results of monitoring
The results of this policy’s review will be used as
the basis for the school’s race equality action
plan. The results of monitoring will be:
•
•
•
•
Sanctions and Rewards
Sanctions and rewards will also be analysed .
Where there are differentials the school will:
1.
monitor classroom and playground practice
to see if the behaviour policy is being
consistently applied
2.
where it is deemed not to be, the issue will
be raised with the relevant member of staff.
3.
support pupils in behaving appropriately
published to all staff through staff and
briefing meetings.
reported to the governing body at governing
body meetings.
conveyed to parents in news letters.
Addressed with pupils through assemblies.
5. Putting the Race Equality
policy into practice
Training and Development
Staff will be consulted about training needs and
the school will endeavour to ensure that these are
met. Attendance at CPD will be monitored by
ethnicity, gender and first language. Staff from
Black and minority ethnic backgrounds will be
encouraged to develop their skills so as to
occupy leadership positions in Education if they
Attendance at Parent Meetings
Differentials in this will be responded to by
approaching parents personally and arranging
21
so desire as they are under represented in this
area.
Whole school training needs will be identified
through issues raised in the school eg. Racist
incidents; delivering a culturally relevant
curriculum. The impact of this training will be
monitored. E.g. nature and frequency of racist
incidents; curriculum content as evident in
planning, children’s books and displays.
Training will be delivered by the EMAS
coordinator, LA staff; Equalities Unit and
independent consultants with relevant expertise.
Publishing the policy
This Policy is available on request from school
office to parents, governors, teaching and non
teaching staff and visitors to the school eg supply
staff, performers, students.
The policy will be translated in the languages of
parents who are unable to read and write English
fluently. In instances where a parent/member of
staff is blind, deaf or has any other special need,
the policy will be translated into Braille or made
available in large print. A CD will be produced.
6. Date of the policy
Date of policy: September 2007
Review date: September 2008
7. Breaches of the policy
All allegations of racists incidents are investigated
by Ms Maxine McPherson.
•
Both parties are invited to present the
incident as they see it.
•
Any witnesses are asked to do the same.
•
All of the above are written.
•
Disciplinary procedures in line with the
school’s behaviour policy are taken
•
Steps are taken to restore the relationship.
•
Parents/carers are informed of the incident,
in the case where the incident involves
children.
•
In the case of a member of staff, the matter
will be brought before the governing body.
•
Racist incidents are recorded in the incident
book and reported to the governors and the
LA (Local Authority).
Issues relating to race, identity and racism are
addressed through the curriculum and assemblies
and will be addressed through CPD for all staff.
22
Objectives (From SIP)
To include key areas*
To improve the
consistency of teaching
and learning.
23
Teaching shows
evidence of
differentiation for minority
ethnic pupils.
Implementation of
policies and targets
inform planning for
teaching and learning
across school;
Whole staff have training
to support minority ethnic
pupils.
Policies and targets are
developed using data to trigger
support for minority ethnic pupils.
EMAS incorporated in CPD of all
staff with support from LEA.
Desirable Outcomes
SMT monitoring of teaching and
learning includes EMAS focus;
Actions
Race Equality Action Plan
CPD Co-ordinator;
EMAS Co
ordinator; LEA
Consultant.
SMT;EMAS Co
ordinator;
Tracking systems,
completed policies.
SMT; EMAS;
teachers;
EMAS Joint Audit,
or other monitoring
system.
Resources / Personnel
Responsible
Evidence of EMAS CPD
in outcomes of teaching
and learning
(by
)
Monitoring of targets
and policies show
inclusive strategy and
progress for all pupils
(by
)
There is equality of
outcomes by ethnicity;
achievement gaps
are narrowed across
ethnic groups.
(by
)
Success Criteria and Dates
Objectives (From SIP)
To include key areas*
Improve pupils’
attendance and
punctuality.
24
Monitoring triggers
support for vulnerable
pupils.
Parents of vulnerable
pupils work with the
school to improve their
children’s attendance
and punctuality.
Work with minority ethnic parents
to identify issues of poor
attendance and punctuality, and
use strategies to support
sensitively; setting up meetings,
phoning, writing to discuss ways
forward;
Desirable Outcomes
Monitor attendance and
punctuality by ethnicity and take
steps to support vulnerable
minority ethnic groups;
Actions
HT; ESW; SMT,
teachers.
HT; ESW; Admin
officers
EMAS coordinator.
Resources / Personnel
Responsible
Interventions with
parents and tracking of
vulnerable minority
ethnic pupils show
continued improvement
in punctuality and
attendance.
(by
)
Success Criteria and Dates
Objectives (From SIP)
To include key areas*
Develop relationships
with parents.
25
Parents feel school is a
welcoming and
approachable place, and
are involved in their
children’s education.
Translated letters
improve communication
between school and
minority ethnic parents.
Communications systems, eg
translated letters, interpreters,
provided to include all parents,
especially those new to English.
Desirable Outcomes
Ensure that parents of pupils from
minority ethnic groups are
included in all aspects of school
life, and target and monitor
accordingly.
Actions
HT; SMT; EMAS Coordinator; Admin.
staff.
HT; SMT.
Resources / Personnel
Responsible
Parents new to English
are involved in their
children’s school life.
(by
)
Minority ethnic parents
are involved at a
comparable level to
other parents.
(by
)
Success Criteria and Dates
Governors understand
the processes involved in
supporting EMAS and
SEN pupils.
All governors are familiar
with the school’s Race
Equality Policy, and
support the
implementation of the
Race Equality Action
Plan.
Governor with specific
responsibility for EMAS/SEN to
have regular meetings with
coordinators to share information
and report back;
Ensure named governor in place
to liaise with headteacher on the
development and implementation
of the school’s Race Equality
Policy
Develop role of
Governors in monitoring
progress.
Desirable Outcomes
Actions
Objectives (From SIP)
To include key areas*
26
Governors; HT.
Specific governor;
HT; SENCO; EMAS
Coordinator.
Resources / Personnel
Responsible
Race Equality Action
Plan is monitored by
governing body to
ensure implementation.
(by
)
Governor liaises with
governing body and
monitors
implementation of
Action Plan.
(by
)
Success Criteria and Dates
Objectives (From SIP)
To include key areas*
Ensure curriculum
meets the needs of
pupils from minority
ethnic backgrounds.
27
Curriculum schemes or
work show specific
interventions to reflect
cultural diversity.
Existing schemes of work
to show inclusion of
cultures in school.
Parents and pupils feel
the curriculum and
displays reflect their
cultures and creates a
welcoming ethos.
EMAS co-ordinator redeveloping
some existing schemes of work to
reflect cultural diversity.
Resources, displays and
curriculum materials show
diversity of our global community.
Existing resources catalogued for
access to all; Displays to show
evidence of languages and
cultures.
Desirable Outcomes
The promotion of race equality will
be embedded within each
curriculum area when being
reviewed.
Actions
Budget holders;
display coordinator;
class teachers;
EMAS
Coordinator;
EMAS Coordinator;
Curriculum
coordinators.
Curriculum leaders;
EMAS Coordinator;
Resources / Personnel
Responsible
Displays, resources and
curriculum materials
reflect the diversity of
cultures in school.
(by
)
Existing schemes of
work reflect cultural
diversity.
(by
)
Curriculum reflects
cultural diversity and
meets the needs of
minority ethnic pupils.
(by
)
Success Criteria and Dates
Objectives (From SIP)
To include key areas*
Data and assessment
systems.
28
Assessment
coordinator; EMAS
coordinator.
Assessment
coordinator, EMAS
coordinator.
Specific aspects of
school life, eg clubs,
parent evening, show
increase in participation.
All school data handling
systems include targets
for monitoring by
ethnicity.
Data specifically used to target
participation of specific minority
ethnic groups in all aspects of
school life.
Tracking systems in place for
underachieving groups of minority
ethnic pupils, eg KS2 SATs
ethnicity targets for Caribbean
and African pupils.
Admin. staff;
EMAS Coordinator.
Resources / Personnel
Responsible
Assessment
coordinator; Admin.
Staff. EMAS
Coordinator; class
teachers.
All pupil information
updated and made
available to teachers.
Desirable Outcomes
Data by ethnicity will
inform targeting of
underachieving minority
ethnic pupils.
Teachers assessments and test
data will be analysed by ethnicity
and underachievement addressed
through targeting and monitoring.
Data systems record pupil
information by ethnicity;
Actions
End of year
assessments and tests
show progress of
specific minority ethnic
groups.
(by
)
Under-participating
groups when monitored
show participation in
specific aspects of
school life.
(by
)
Use of ethnicity data by
teachers when
monitored show
increase in progress of
specific minority ethnic
groups.
(by
)
Teachers use ethnicity
data to set class
targets, and ensure
equality of outcome.
(by
)
Success Criteria and Dates
Objectives (From SIP)
To include key areas*
Addressing Racism.
29
All faiths are welcomed
into the school
Pastoral and other
curriculum areas show
pupils how to deal with
issues of racism and
conflict.
Pastoral curriculum to be
developed to enable issues of
racism to be explored through
assemblies, circle time, special
events, eg BHM drama, arts
initiatives, performers and author
visits.
The school admits pupils from
faiths other than Catholicism, and
allows choice of non-attendance
at Catholic instruction and events.
All staff understand
procedures for recording
racist incidents, and
reporting to governors.
Desirable Outcomes
Procedures for recording and
monitoring all racist incidents put
in place and disseminated to all
governors, staff, pupils and
parents.
Actions
HT; Governors;
Admin. Staff.
Curriculum
coordinators; EMAS
coordinator.
HT; all staff.
Resources / Personnel
Responsible
Parents feel the school
is inclusive of all faiths.
(by
)
Pupils are equipped to
deal with issues of
racism and conflict;
Pupils from minority
ethnic communities feel
safe, settled and part of
the school.
(by
)
Racist incidents are
recorded correctly, dealt
with in a sensitive
manner, and reported
appropriately to
governing body.
(by
)
Success Criteria and Dates
Actions
*Key area 1: Leadership and Management
Key area 2: Learning and Teaching
Key area 3: Conditions for Learning
Key Area 4: Partnership beyond the Classroom
Objectives (From SIP)
To include key areas*
Desirable Outcomes
Resources / Personnel
Responsible
Race Equality Action Plan Template
Success Criteria and Dates
Year…………..
Section 3
Supporting good practice
- Strategic support to schools
- Central training
- School-based support
- EMAS Coordinators’ Network
- Leading EMAS Practitioners’ Scheme
- DfES Ethnic Codes
- DfES Language Codes
- Classroom Observation Sheet
- Planning Form
- Example Individual Action Plan (IAP)
- Blank IAP
- Data Analysis & target-setting by ethnicity
- Building effective home-school partnerships
- Recommended Reading
- Auditing Literacy & Numeracy
3
School based support
Strategic support to
schools
The EMAS consultants support schools by:
•
Delivering whole staff training.
•
Delivering training to TA’s.
•
Working alongside coordinators and coaching
them in developing their skills as trainers.
•
Support school managers in analysing data
and planning strategies in response to this.
•
Working with subject leaders in developing a
culturally relevant curriculum.
•
Supporting teachers in planning for and
teaching Black and minority ethnic pupils.
Lewisham LA models inclusive practice in locating
the work of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Team
within a wider context of using data to identify and
tackle underachievement of all groups of pupils and
close achievement gaps. This is based on an
expectation is that all children fulfil their potential.
The EMA team are members of the School
Improvement Team (SIT) and work strategically with
other Primary Strategy consultants and school
improvement officers (SIOs) to support schools with
making continuous improvement.
The EMAS consultants support schools in
monitoring and evaluating the impact of these on the
pupils’ achievement.
Lewisham LA has a clear strategy for enhancing the
achievement of minority ethnic pupils which forms
part of the Children and Young Peoples’ (CYP)
Development Plan.
EMA Co-ordinators’ network
School EAL co-ordinators meet once a term to share
good practice, up-date their knowledge and skills
and work towards a consistent approach to
supporting EAL learners across schools in
Lewisham.
The EAL consultant supports schools in managing
support for minority ethnic pupils, including the
analysis of data on the progress of EAL learners,
action planning and target-setting for improvement.
Leading EMAS Practitioners
Support to schools in Lewisham LA is based on
analysis of good practice:
•
Good mechanisms for monitoring data by EAL
and ethnicity including: achievement, gender,
FSM
•
Use the data to set targets to narrow
achievement gaps
•
Use data to direct resources, including EMAG,
effectively
•
Use data to monitor, support and challenge
schools
•
Monitor specific initiatives to analyse their
impact across ethnic groups
Lewisham Primary Leading EMAS Practitioner
Scheme is part of the Primary Strategy’s drive to
share good practice across the borough, helping to
raise standards and achievement and encourage the
development of EMAS teaching and leadership
skills. The scheme is aimed at EMAS teachers,
teaching assistants, coordinators and inclusion
managers.
In Lewisham we recognise and value the expertise
of EMAS teachers and teaching assistants in our
schools and we are keen to disseminate examples
of effective good practice in the area of minority
ethnic achievement.
Central Training
The LA offers a programme of central training which
have various target audiences, including EMAS
coordinators, EMAS teachers, EMAS TA’s, class
teacher, headteachers and other senior staff.
A network of EMAS teachers and teaching
assistants has been established who are willing to
share their experience and expertise with colleagues
from other schools across the borough.
The central training:
•
Provides coordinators and teachers with the
opportunity to upgrade their management
skills and knowledge about pedagogy.
•
Contributes to the borough’s wider CPD
programme such as the NQT induction and
governor courses
•
Responds to government directives which all
schools are required to implement such as
language data training.
•
is delivered in collaboration with secondary
colleagues on issues such as Assessment and
Race Equality.
The scheme is school-based and requests should
be made using the scheme guidance handbook
already distributed to schools. We will arrange for
your EMAS Teacher or Teaching Assistant to visit
the chosen leading practitioner in their school for a
morning to offer the support requested.
For further information contact:
Moira Harbord on 020 8314 9074 or email
[email protected]
Applications should be made using the procedure
outlined in the handbook.
32
DfES Ethnic Group Code List to use within Lewisham
The following table lists the 25 “new” ethnic groups to be used by Lewisham Schools from September 2002
onwards. The code list shows where extended codes must be used to enable the Lewisham’s five additional
ethnic groups to map consistently onto the national categories. Where extended codes are used, do not use
the main code shown in brackets as this will incorrectly categorise a pupil.
DfES
Main
Code
DfES Extended
Code
Ethnic Group Description
WBRI
White British
WIRI
White Irish
WIRT
Traveller of Irish Heritage
WROM
Gypsy Roma
(WOTH)
WOTW
Any other White background
(WOTH)
WTUR
Turkish/ Turkish Cypriot
(WOTH)
WEUR
White European
MWBC
Mixed White & Black Caribbean
MWBA
Mixed White & Black African
MWAS
Mixed White & Asian
MOTH
Any other mixed background
ABAN
Bangladeshi
AIND
Indian
APKN
Pakistani
(AOTH)
AOTA
Any other Asian background
(AOTH)
ASLT
Sri Lankan Tamil
BCRB
Black British/Black Caribbean
(BAFR)
BAOF
Black British/ Other Black African
(BAFR)
BSOM
Somali
BOTH
Any other Black background
CHNE
Chinese
(OOTH)
OOEG
(OOTH)
OVIE
Any other ethnic background
Vietnamese
REFU
Not Declared
NOBT
Information not yet obtained
33
Lewisham Children & Young
People
Main SubDescriptor
Code Code
ACL
Acholi
ADA
Adangme
AFA
Afar-Saho
AFK
Afrikaans
AKAF Akan (Fante)
AKAT Akan (Twi/Asante)
ALB
Albanian/Shqip
ALU
Alur
AMR
Amharic
ARAA Arabic (Any Other)
ARAG Arabic (Algeria)
ARAI Arabic (Iraq)
ARAM Arabic (Morocco)
ARAS Arabic (Sudan)
ARAY Arabic (Yemen)
ARM
Armenian
ASM
Assamese
ASR
Assyrian/Aramaic
AYB
Anyi-Baule
AYM
Aymara
AZE
Azeri
BAI
Bamileke (Any)
BAL
Balochi
BEJ
Beja/Bedawi
BEL
Belarusian
BEM
Bemba
BHO
Bhojpuri
BIK
Bikol
BLT
Balti Tibetan
BMA
Burmese/Myanma
BNGA Bengali (Any Other)
BNGC Bengali (Chittagong/Noakhali)
BNGS Bengali (Sylheti)
BSL
British Sign Language
BSQ
Basque/Euskara
BUL
Bulgarian
CAM
Cambodian/Khmer
CAT
Catalan
CCE
Caribbean Creole English
CCF
Caribbean Creole French
CGA
Chaga
CGR
Chattisgarhi/Khatahi
CHE
Chechen
CHIA Chinese (Any Other)
CHIC Chinese (Cantonese)
CHIH Chinese (Hokkien/Fujianese)
CHIK Chinese (Hakka)
CHIM Chinese (Mandarin/Putonghua)
CKW
Chokwe
CRN
Cornish
CTR
Chitrali/Khowar
CWA
Chichewa/Nyanja
CYM
Welsh/Cymraeg
CZE
Czech
DfES Language codes to be used
within Lewisham
Main SubDescriptor
Code Code
DAN
Danish
DGA
Dagaare
DGB
Dagbane
DIN
Dinka/Jieng
DUT
Dutch/Flemish
DZO
Dzongkha/Bhutanese
EBI
Ebira
EDO
Edo/Bini
EFI
Efik-Ibibio
ENB
Believed to be English*
ENG
English
ESA
Esan/Ishan
EST
Estonian
EWE
Ewe
EWO
Ewondo
FAN
Fang
FIJ
Fijian
FIN
Finnish
FON
Fon
FRN
French
FUL
Fula/Fulfulde-Pulaar
GAA
Ga
GAE
Gaelic/Irish
GAL
Gaelic (Scotland)
GEO
Georgian
GER
German
GGO
Gogo/Chigogo
GKY
Kikuyu/Gikuyu
GLG
Galician/Galego
GRE
Greek
GRN
Guarani
GUJ
Gujarati
GUN
Gurenne/Frafra
GUR
Gurma
HAU
Hausa
HDK
Hindko
HEB
Hebrew
HER
Herero
HGR
Hungarian
HIN
Hindi
IBA
Iban
IDM
Idoma
IGA
Igala
IGB
Igbo
IJO
Ijo (Any)
ILO
Ilokano
ISK
Itsekiri
ISL
Icelandic
ITA
Italian
JAV
Javanese
JIN
Jinghpaw/Kachin
JPN
Japanese
KAM
Kikamba
34
KAN
Kannada
Lewisham Children & Young
People
Main SubDescriptor
Code Code
KAR
Karen (Any)
KAS
Kashmiri
KAU
Kanuri
KAZ
Kazakh
KCH
Katchi
KGZ
Kirghiz/Kyrgyz
KHA
Khasi
KHY
Kihaya/Luziba
KIN
Kinyarwanda
KIR
Kirundi
KIS
Kisi (West Africa)
KLN
Kalenjin
KMB
Kimbundu
KME
Kimeru
KNK
Konkani
KNY
Kinyakyusa-Ngonde
KON
Kikongo
KOR
Korean
KPE
Kpelle
KRI
Krio
KRU
Kru (Any)
KSI
Kisii/Ekegusii (Kenya)
KSU
Kisukuma
KUR
Kurdish
LAO
Lao
LBA
Luba
LGA
Luganda
LGB
Lugbara
LGS
Lugisu/Lumasaba
LIN
Lingala
LIT
Lithuanian
LNG
Lango (Uganda)
LOZ
Lozi/Silozi
LSO
Lusoga
LTV
Latvian
LTZ
Luxemburgish
LUE
Luvale/Luena
LUN
Lunda
LUO
Luo (Kenya/Tanzania)
LUY
Luhya (Any)
MAG
Magahi
MAI
Maithili
MAK
Makua
MAN
Manding/Malinke
MAO
Maori
MAR
Marathi
MAS
Maasai
MDV
Maldivian/Dhivehi
MEN
Mende
MKD
Macedonian
MLG
Malagasy
MLM
Malayalam
MLT
Maltese
MLY
Malay/Indonesian
DfES Language codes to be used
within Lewisham
Main SubDescriptor
Code Code
MNA
Magindanao-Maranao
MNG
Mongolian (Khalkha)
MNX
Manx Gaelic
MOR
Moore/Mossi
MSC
Mauritian/Seychelles Creole
MUN
Munda (Any)
MYA
Maya (Any)
Nahuatl/Mexicano
NAH
NAM
Nama/Damara
NBN
Nubian (Any)
NDB
Ndebele
NEP
Nepali
NOR
Norwegian
NOT
Information not obtained*
NUE
Nuer/Naadh
NUP
Nupe
NWA
Newari
NZM
Nzema
OAM
Ambo/Oshiwambo
OGN
Ogoni (Any)
ORI
Oriya
ORM
Oromo
OTB
Believed to be Other than English*
OTH
Other than English*
OTL
Other Language
PAG
Pangasinan
PAM
Pampangan
PAT
Pashto/Pakhto
PHA
Pahari/Himachali (India)
PHR
Pahari (Pakistan)
PNJ
Panjabi
POL
Polish
PORA Portuguese (Any Other)
PORB Portuguese (Brazil)
PRS
Persian/Farsi
QUE
Quechua
RAJ
Rajasthani/Marwari
REF
Refused*
RME
Romany/English Romanes
RMI
Romani (International)
RMN
Romanian
RMS
Romansch
RNY
Runyakitara
RUS
Russian
SAM
Samoan
SCBB Bosnian
SCBC Croatian
SCBS Serbian
SCO
Scots
SHL
Shilluk/Cholo
SHO
Shona
SID
Sidamo
SIO
Sign Language (Other)
35
SLO
Slovak
DfES Language codes to be used
within Lewisham
Lewisham Children & Young
People
Main SubDescriptor
Code Code
SLV
Slovenian
SND
Sindhi
SNG
Sango
SNH
Sinhala
SOM
Somali
SPA
Spanish
SRD
Sardinian
SRK
Siraiki
SSO
Sotho/Sesotho
SSW
Swazi/Siswati
STS
Tswana/Setswana
SUN
Sundanese
SWA
Swahili/Kiswahili
SWE
Swedish
TAM
Tamil
TEL
Telugu
TEM
Temne
TES
Teso/Ateso
TGE
Tigre
TGL
Tagalog/Filipino
TGR
Tigrinya
THA
Thai
TIB
Tibetan
TIV
Tiv
TMZ
Berber/Tamazight
TNG
Tonga/Chitonga (Zambia)
TON
Tongan (Oceania)
Main SubDescriptor
Code Code
TPI
Tok Pisin
TRI
Traveller Irish/Shelta
TSO
Tsonga
TUK
Turkmen
TUL
Tulu
TUM
Tumbuka
TUR
Turkish
UKR
Ukrainian
UMB
Umbundu
URD
Urdu
URH
Urhobo-Isoko
UYG
Uyghur
UZB
Uzbek
VEN
Venda
VIE
Vietnamese
VSY
Visayan/Bisaya
WAP
Wa-Paraok (South-East Asia)
WCP
West-African Creole Portuguese
WOL
Wolof
WPE
West-African Pidgin English
XHO
Xhosa
YAO
Yao/Chiyao (East Africa)
YDI
Yiddish
YOR
Yoruba
ZND
Zande
ZUL
Zulu
ZZZ
Classification Pending
Note: If you are unsure of the first language for a child and need to enter a code use ZZZ.
Do not use the codes ENB, OTB or OTH as they are only included for historical consistency.
36
Classroom observation sheet
(For use when observing class teachers and EMAS support teachers. Coordinator should be clear
and agree with teachers which aspect of their practice will be the focus of the visit)
Date__________________
Name: _______________________
Observer _______________
Subject _______________________
Key areas of practice
Evidence
Clear about role at each stage of lesson
Clear learning & language objectives
Collaborative activities planned for purposeful talk
Opportunities to use L1
Learning scaffolded using visual aids and key visuals
Class rules consistently applied
High expectations of pupils’ behaviour and work
Materials in the classroom and those used in the lesson
reflect pupils’ heritage and lived experiences
Clear systems for giving feedback on pupil progress to
teacher which is then used to inform planning
Appropriate grouping of pupils
Evidence of pupil progress in lesson (including discussions with a targeted pupil)
37
Summary of Observation
Key Strengths
Key areas for Development
Member of Staff Observed ______________________________
Observer _____________________________________________
Date ______________________________________
Thank you for allowing me to observe your lesson today!
38
39
Learning Intention
Date: ________________
Key
vocabulary
and language
structures
Resources
•
•
Learning Outcomes
Evaluation & next
steps
Names of chn. _____________________________________________
Activities, including:
collaborative activities to promote talk
Scaffolding strategies
Subject: ________________________
Planning Form
40
School:
Country of Origin: Somalia
Parents
Siblings
Pupil
Somali & Arabic
English, Somali & Arabic
English, Somali & Arabic
Somali & some English
Somali & English
Somali & English
Mohamed was born in Somalia, and came to England when he was two. He has attended this school since nursery. He is a confident
Somalian speaker, but usually speaks this at home or with a Somalian friend in the playground. He goes to Mosque during the week,
where he is learning Arabic for religious purposes. He also attends a Somalian supplementary school on Saturdays where he is learning
to read and write Somali.
He is a quiet boy, who mostly gets on with his work quietly. On a one-to-one basis with me, he expresses his ideas, but doesn’t appear to
have the confidence to carry these through in his work. He is reluctant to speak out in whole-class discussions, especially if he feels he
will not get the right answers. When participating in group discussions, he tends to take a back seat, allowing others to dominate the talk.
Although he is writing fluently, it is often stilted, using short repetitive ‘safe’ sentences.
He enjoys reading, but tends to choose short simple books that don’t make too many demands on him. He can read simple Somalian
books, and uses the dual language books provided in the class for him.
Additional relevant information about the pupil (include strengths, relevant experiences, previous schooling including country of origin,
special needs, attitude to learning, self-image, confidence, targeted for interventions, etc)
Length of Exposure to English: C – 6 years
A=0-18months; B=18months-5years; C=5years+;
Teacher:
Ethnicity: Somalian
Year Group: 4
Name of Pupil: Mohamed Khalid
Page 1
Languages used at home – include English where appropriate
Family language Somali; learning Arabic for religious purposes; speaks
English with older siblings.
Read/write
Speak/understand
EAL Programme - Individual Action Plan
EXAMPLE
41
To develop ideas imaginatively to sustain the
reader’s interest.
To be able to use a variety of strategies to
decode or work out the meanings of more
complex words.
To respond more readily to questions on
the carpet.
• To engage orally in group work.
To use first language for some paired
discussions.
•
Term of support:……………………….
Writing
Reading
Speaking & Listening
Targets (Linked to class targets)
Page 2
Observation of Mohamed’s
writing shows increasing use of
imaginative ideas. Writing is
much more flowing.
Teacher and pupil modelling
of imaginative ideas. Scaffold
writing.
Provide bank of words/
phrases
Date: …………………………………
Mohamed is using given
strategies and becoming more
confident in decoding complex
words and ideas in reading
sessions.
Mohamed when monitored has
begun to respond to questions
on carpet.
He has shown positive verbal
responses in turn-taking paired
activities.
Worked with bilingual partner in
literacy using Somalian to
discuss ideas which has helped
him formulate his answers in
English.
Extent to which target has been
achieved
Target Review
NC Maths Level: 3B
NC Writing Level: 3C
Progress
Linked to NC
Progressed 2
sub-levels from
2A to 3B over
year.
Progressed 2
sub-levels from
3C to 3A over
year.
Progressed 3
sub levels in
year from 2 to 3
over year.
NC Reading Level: 3A
NC Speaking & listening level: 3
End of Year assessment (July)
Share strategies at start of
sessions.
Facilitate peer modeling of
more complex reading
strategies.
Teacher to direct specific
questions to Mohamed on
carpet.
Provide turn-taking activities
for oral participation.
Teacher to set up bilingual
paired activities.
Support required to achieve target
Teaching Strategies
NC Maths Level: 3C
NC Maths Level: 2A
Positive and specific statement of what is aimed for within
this period of support
NC Writing Level: 2A
NC Writing Level: 2B
Target Area
NC Reading Level: 3B
NC Reading Level: 3C
Fluency, language, personal social
development areas
NC Speaking & listening level: 2
Mid-term assessment (April)
EAL Programme - Individual Action Plan
NC Speaking & listening level: 2
Current assessments (September)
EXAMPLE
42
School:
Country of Origin:
Year Group:
Parents
Siblings
Pupil
Read/write
Speak/understand
Languages used at home – include English where appropriate
Page 1
Additional relevant information about the pupil (include strengths, relevant experiences, previous schooling including country of origin,
special needs, attitude to learning, self-image, confidence, targeted for interventions, etc)
Length of Exposure to English:
A=0-18months; B=18months-5years; C=5years+;
Teacher:
Ethnicity:
Name of Pupil:
EAL Programme - Individual Action Plan
43
Term of support:……………………….
Targets (Linked to class targets)
Page 2
Extent to which target has been
achieved
Target Review
NC Maths Level:
NC Writing Level:
NC Reading Level:
Linked to NC
Progress
NC Speaking & listening level:
End of Year assessment (July)
Date: …………………………………
Support required to achieve target
Teaching Strategies
NC Maths Level:
NC Maths Level:
Positive and specific statement of what is aimed for within
this period of support
NC Writing Level:
NC Writing Level:
Target Area
NC Reading Level:
NC Reading Level:
Fluency, language, personal social
development areas
NC Speaking & listening level:
Mid-term assessment (April)
NC Speaking & listening level:
Current assessments (September)
EAL Programme - Individual Action Plan
Data analysis and
Target-setting by
Ethnicity & Gender
The three duties of the Race Relations
(Amendment) Act 2000 are as follows:
1.
2.
3.
To eliminate unlawful discrimination
Promote equality of opportunity and
Promote good race relations
Schools are also required to monitor the impact of
their race equality policies. It is, therefore,
imperative to analyse attainment data by gender
and ethnicity, even in schools where the overall
attainment is very high. Although this may be the
case, it could also be true that some ethnic groups
are underachieving. As a result, targeted
interventions may be put in place so as to reverse
this trend. The LA would advise that this be done
from KS1, as looking exclusively at the end of
KS2 data would not enable to school address the
issues as the pupils will already have gone on to
secondary school. One of the facilities which
RAISEonLine will offer is to give information by
ethnicity and gender, as well as target-setting
facilities.
The attached sheets are included to assist
schools in their monitoring and target-setting by
ethnicity. Schools may want to look particularly
closely at the following ethnic groups, which, at a
borough level, are at risk of underachieving:
Black Caribbean boys and girls
Black African boys
White Turkish boys and girls
44
Targets by Ethnicity and Gender
KS1
% Pupils attaining L2+
Subject Area:
Ethnic
Groups
Achieved 06
#
B
G
Achieved 06
%
B
G
Target 07
B
All Pupils
Key:
#
Number of pupils
%
Percentage of pupils
B
boys
G
girls
45
G
Achieved 07
#
B
G
Achieved 07
%
B
G
Targets by Ethnicity and Gender
KS2
% Pupils attaining L4+
Subject Area:
Ethnic
Groups
Achieved 06
#
B
G
Achieved 06
%
B
G
Target 07
B
All Pupils
Key:
#
Number of pupils
%
Percentage of pupils
B
boys
G
girls
46
G
Achieved 07
#
B
G
Achieved 07
%
B
G
Building Effective Home-School Partnerships
“Successful schools have developed partnerships with parents to enable them to become more fully involved”
(Removing the barriers (2000), dfee, now DfES)
Key issue
Possible Solutions
Parents/carers are new to English
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Parents reluctant to use mother tongue with their children
•
Provision of interpreters
Employment of Home School Liaison Officers who
can communicate in parents’ language(s)
Letters home to parents in community languages
Provision of a welcome folder with photographs
and pictures.
Link up parents who speak the same language.
Communicate verbally, not just in writing.
Take the time to learn how to pronounce names
correctly.
Smile warmly and be aware of cultural norms when
greeting. Eg. Muslim women do not shake men’s
hands.
Encourage parents to do so by pointing out that
pupils who are bilingual:
Score higher on language tests than their monolingual
peers as they have a greater understanding of how
language works.
Do better in Maths and Science as they develop good
analytical skills
Have a better self image as one’s language is an
important part of one’s identity.
•
•
Create opportunities for pupils to use their mother
tongue in the school setting.
Invite parents to take part in class activities e.g.
share stories in home languages.
Nowhere for parents to meet
•
Create parents’ room/family learning centre
Parents/carers unsure about how to support their
children’s learning
•
Hold curriculum workshops for parents so that they
are aware of national expectations and the way
things are taught
Invite parents to observe lessons
Hold meetings to make parents/carers aware of the
school’s reading policy
Organise trips for parents, to local museums etc..
so they are aware of educational visits to take their
children on at the weekends and during school
holidays.
•
•
•
47
Key issue
Possible Solutions
Parents new to the English education system - perhaps
fearful of authority
•
•
Schools work collaboratively with community
groups to set up meetings/workshops for particular
communities around curriculum and other matters
Audit who is attending meetings and target hard to
reach parents.
Child care difficulties
•
•
Provide crèche
Organise meetings at times when they are more
likely to get childcare e.g. in the evenings.
Parents/carers do not know who teachers are
•
•
Photos and names of staff in reception area and or
parents room
Parents/carers informed of staff changes in
newsletters
Staff proactive in introducing themselves
•
Invite wide range of skill contribution eg:
•
Parents don’t’ believe they have skills to offer
Making resources
Writing abridged versions of books
Sewing costumes for productions
Contributing to policies
Contributing to improving the school environment eg
designing a new block, designing a garden
Giving talks/demonstrations which contribute to the
curriculum eg. An engineer contributing to science
lessons; cooking with small groups of children.
Parents running extra-curricular clubs eg. Chess, sewing
Family learning programmes which offer skills and
accreditation to parents.
Schools only contact parents when there is a problem and
when matters have almost escalated out of control
•
•
•
48
Regular communication on good and bad incidents
Early notification to parents/carers by schools of
any difficulties
Use of praise stickers and praise books which are
sent home.
Key issue
Possible Solutions
Staff see parents as violent/aggressive
•
•
Transition and progress
•
•
•
Parents do not know how to ask school staff to accommodate cultural needs/traditions e.g. being addressed by
one’s title and surname
•
Staff training on communication, challenging
stereotypes etc..
Efforts taken to avoid build up of tension, e.g. keeping parents waiting for a long time; meeting in a
private and comfortable environment
Assist parents in selecting their children’s secondary schools
Inform parents of their children’s national curriculum levels at the end of each academic year.
Inform them of their children’s targets and the necessary work needed to achieve them.
School staff ask parents how they want to be addressed; dietary requirements etc…
•
Parents’/carers’ own experience of schooling was negative
•
Parents’/carers’ invited to attend a range of formal
and informal functions to familiarise them with the
school e.g.
Invitation to class assemblies
Invitation to fetes and end or term parties, run and organised by parents
Community festivals
Provision for family learning in Lewisham
Community Education Lewisham (CEL) can be contacted via Carole Berry on (020) 8699 7323 or
[email protected] They run a range of courses in a variety of settings such as the PDC, libraries
and children centres and cover a range of themes such as numeracy and literacy. The workshops are 2 to 3
hours long and can run for between 6 and 30 weeks.
The extended schools services conduct school-based training along similar lines. For more information,
please contact Gill Wills at Lewisham PDC in (020) 8314 9358.
IMPACT for learning is run by an external consultant, Roy Broadfield. He runs hour long workshops for
parents and their children at their schools, which focus on developing specific numeracy and literacy skills.
His contact details are: [email protected]
49
Auditing Literacy & Numeracy Resources
Introduction
The enclosed audit forms are intended to support schools in reflecting on the provision they make to help
pupils from ethnic minority communities to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. Ideally, the audit will be
led by the literacy and numeracy EMA coordinators through a series of observations in the school,
classrooms, libraries discussions with other staff, pupils and Feedback on the usefulness of this document
will be gratefully received.
Resources
These are just suggestions, please feel free to add to these lists.
Strengths
Note here resources which you have an adequate amount/range of.
Area of development
Note here how you think this are could be strengthened.
Priority
Tick those areas which as a school should be a priority. (Be selective, don’t try to focus on everything at
one!)
Action
Notes in this column should inform the core of the action plan.
50
51
Comics
Big books
Stories set in different cultures and countries
Folk tales (from various cultures eg Anansi
tales); myths & legends.
Rhymes and poetry – classic and modern.
Dual language books. (These should reflect
the home languages of the children)
Short stories as well as long ones.
Books which appeal to boys as well as girls
Book at appropriate reading levels for all children in class.
Resource
READING (Fiction)
Literacy Resource Audit
Strength
Area for development
Priority
Y/N
Action
52
Non fiction texts
Reference texts to support
other areas of the curriculum eg. Science, Geography etc.
Magazines, catalogues,
newspapers.
Books made by children,
parents etc…
Photo albums with texts
Diaries
READING (Non Fiction)
Story tapes – English &
home Languages
Multiple copies of books
(for guided reading and for
borrowing)
Resource
(READING (Fiction)
Literacy Resource Audit
Strength
Area for development
Priority
Y/N
Action
53
Story tapes – English &
Multilingual
Tape recorder & headphones
Photo albums with texts
Play scripts
Story props
Pop up and novelty books
Resource
Speaking & Listening
Literacy Resource Audit
Strength
Areas for development
Priority
Y/N
Action
54
Easel (for shared writing and to
stand big books)
Writing implements
Writing paper – lined, unlined stapled (to make mini books)
Thesaurus
Dictionaries – English & Multilingual
Resource
WRITING
Literacy Resource Audit
Strengths
Area for development
Priority
Y /N
Action
55
Display recent work eg. Book reviews,
posters about favourite
Authors etc….
Have a book of the week (ensure that
a range of genre, cultures etc..)
Clearly display rules for the Literacy
area (s)
Comfortable seating
Carpets, mats cushions
(materials of these should reflect chn’s
cultures)
Resource
Literacy Resource Audit
Strengths
Area for development
Priority
Y /N
Action
56
Bilingual Maths dictionaries
(Soon to be produced by
Lewisham)
Pupils’ self –produced
glossaries to indicate their
own understanding of key
maths vocabulary.
Multicultural resources eg
“Mathematics from Many
Cultures”. ( This set of
books & posters provide a
range of activities &
background information
about the number systems
and other areas of maths,
in a range of cultural
settings); “Daily Maths for
the Global Citizen at Y6 T3
and Y7 T1”
•
•
•
Resource
Strength
Area for Development
Priority
Y/N
Numeracy - See also the resource list produced by the Lewisham Numeracy consultants
Action
Recommended Reading
for professional
development in Ethnic
Minority Achievement
Mantra
www.mantralingua.com
Multilingual welcome poster
Multilingual “Hello!” poster
Multilingual school information signs, days of the
week and number cards
Dual language welcome booklet CD Rom
Race Equality
Claire, Hilary; Trentham Books 1996;
Reclaiming our Pasts - equality and diversity in the
history curriculum
ISBN: 1 85856 025 X
Sewell, Tony, Trentham books 1997 & 2000;
Black Masculinities and Schooling
ISBN: I 85856 040 3
Lingua-uk
www.lingua-uk.com/school-signs.htm
Collection of over 60 commonly used signs –
available in 28 languages
The Festival Shop
www.festivalshop.co.uk
EAL
Gibbons, Pauline; Primary English Teaching
Association 1991
Learning to Learn in a Second Language
ISBN: 0 909955 99 9
McWilliam, Norah; Trentham Books 2000
What’s in a Word?
ISBN: 1 85856 088 8
Huge catalogue of multifaith, multicultural and
citizenship resources
Positive Images
http://www.multicultural-art.co.uk/
Multicultural motivational posters
Black history and achievement posters
Refugee Issues
Rutter, Jill; Trentham Books June 2003
Supporting Refugee Children in the 21st Century
ISBN: 1 85856 292 9
Suppliers of Resources
for inclusive welcome
and displays
Working Group Against Racism in Children's
Resources
www.wgarcr.org.uk/publications.htm
Starbeck Educational Resources
www.starbeck.com
Ethnic, religious and art based artefacts including
masks, carvings, textiles, clothes & embroideries,
musical instruments, religious artefacts, pottery,
beadwork & jewellery, carved gourds, aboriginal art
etc.
Kimm Barrall Design
www.kimmbarralldesign.co.uk/
Fairly traded ethnic musical instruments, artefacts
and crafts
Produce: Guidelines For The Evaluation And
Selection Of Toys And Other Resources For Children. Articles of Faith
Categories of resources are dealt with in detail:
www.articlesoffaith.co.uk
jigsaws, dolls, musical instruments, dressing-up
clothes, home corner equipment and toys to aid
Religious artefacts and resources
literacy and numeracy.
57
West African clothes.
East-West Education
www.eastwesteducation.org/index.htm
Alexandra Galleries
Ethnic costumes from Africa and Asia for dolls and
children
Dolls and puppets
www.alexandragalleries.com
(020) 7274 0900
The Parrotfish Company
Posters of Black Achievers and inventors
Posters showing flags of Caribbean islands and
African countries with geographical information.
Post card books of famous people and place
An excellent picture framing service
www.parrotfish.co.uk/
Clothes, posters, puppets, masks and textiles from
around the world
Positive Identity
www.positive-identity.com/index.htm
Black dolls, posters and toys
Cloth of Gold
www.clothofgold.org.uk
Cloth of Gold is an arts organisation based in London
that runs collaborative arts projects. Many schools
have linked with them to produce banners and other
resources for display.
Jubilee Books
www.jubileebooks.co.uk
(020) 8850 7676
A large range of bilingual and multicultural books.
Jubilee books are happy to come to schools and
functions, with their stock.
Milet
www.milet.com
Bilingual books, dictionaries and flash cards.
Oxfam
www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/catalogue
01202 712933
Resources for global citizenship across the curriculum
Mama Afrika Kulcha Shap
(020) 8539 2154
A range of books with positive Black characters as
well as books which present Black history in a way
which is accessible to children. This shop also sells
58
Section 4
A Language in Common
4
Acknowledgements
Assessment of
bilingual learners
using 'A Language in
Common'
Our thanks to Nina Dohel (Greenwich EMAS
Consultant) and the Greenwich Bilingual Learners'
Assessment Working Party for access to their
work on re-writing the level descriptors.
Particular thanks to Helen Fletcher for her work on
adapting the statements to a secondary context
and for devising teacher strategies – she is very
much the co-author of this guidance.
Introduction
In 2000, the QCA produced 'A Language in
Common', guidance intended to unify the
approach to the assessment of bilingual learners
across the country.
Thanks to Claire Edmunds for her critical reading
and suggestions.
The structure of the guidance
For all the difficulties of using a set of level
descriptors designed for native speakers of
English to describe the language development of
a bilingual learner, this approach has at least
brought openness, consistency and rigour into an
area which was once regarded as the domain of
EAL specialists and relied heavily upon subjective
judgements.
Following the structure of the original 'Language in
Common' (LiC) document, the guidance begins
with the four skills (Speaking, Listening, Reading,
Writing) divided into Steps & Levels.
Level 1 has been divided by the QCA into 2 sublevels (Threshold & Secure).
Steps 1 & 2 were envisaged by the QCA as being
a description of new arrivals.
While the Government has not made the use of
the document statutory, many LEAs now use the
levels to allocate funding. In addition, the steps
and levels have the advantage of being explicit
about language use and are clearly understood by
English teachers who, in many schools, have the
responsibility for assessing more advanced
bilingual learners.
Pre-step 1 we have added for the very earliest
stages of a new arrival's development and also to
describe the development of a pupil who has little
or no experience of literacy in any language.
Levels 2-4 are as described in the LiC document
and the English NC document.
The Lewisham fluency stages (1-5) are still a
useful tool to be used internally as they can often
be an indicator of potential, when used in
conjunction with NC levels and length of exposure
to English. However, we would strongly advise
that fluency levels should not be used for
target-setting purposes: neither for measuring
school/departmental/pupil progress, nor for
setting formative targets for pupils.
There are four columns for each page of the steps
& levels.
Column 1 is the level or step
Column 2 contains the LiC step and level
descriptors
Column 3 contains a re-written version of the
level descriptors. The purpose of this is to put
the level descriptors into a real classroom context
It is important for schools to take ownership of this
guidance by adjusting, editing or expanding
according to circumstances. Some Greenwich
schools have used their version of the guidance in
a booklet along with examples of pupil work at
each level; others have added the guidance to
booklets of strategies and materials for supporting
bilingual learners. You might wish to use the
guidance as a basis for partnership teaching by
identifying the teacher strategies that the partners
can focus on.
Column 4 contains possible teacher strategies
for helping the pupil move on to the next step
or level
Before using the assessment
guidance
Before attempting to assign any new pupil to a
step or level, certain background information
should be collected to inform the assessment
process. Schools will vary in the information they
decide to collect, but there are certain categories
The one common factor for the success in using
these levels will be that they should be
understood and used by all staff in planning for
the progress of bilingual learners.
60
that are essential in supporting the development
of bilingual learners.
•
•
Below is a list of the types of information to
collect. All categories are desirable, but those
marked with an asterisk should be regarded as
essential.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ethnic group*
Country of origin & other countries lived in*
Date of arrival in the UK (if appropriate)*
Home & first language(s)*1
Literacy in home & first languages*2
Carers' knowledge of English
Need for interpreters for pupils or carers*
Parental literacy in home/first language &
English*
Pupil's years of UK education*
Pupil's years of schooling outside the UK*
Any extended stays outside the UK
Any Special Educational Needs*
Any previous support
Attendance at supplementary school
Any NC levels*
be based on different kinds of evidence;
be a valid reflection of what has been taught
or covered in class;
be reliable in terms of enabling someone
else to repeat the assessment and obtain
comparable results;
be manageable, both in terms of the time
needed to complete the task, and in
providing results which can be reported or
passed on to other teachers.
In addition, teachers assessing pupils learning
EAL should:
•
•
•
•
•
NB It is not advisable to ask about refugee/
asylum-seeking status. It is possible to work
out whether a pupil might be a refugee by
using the other information above.
•
Any questions about immigration status
should be avoided, although some families
might volunteer such information. The basic
principle for admissions should be as outlined
in the DfES 'School Admissions Code of
Practice' (DfES/0031/2003) Annexe B,
paragraph 4: "All children of compulsory
school age in the UK have a right of access to
education".
be clear about the purpose of the
assessment, distinguishing summative,
formative and diagnostic aims;
be sensitive to the pupil’s first or main other
language(s) and heritage culture;
take account of how long the pupil has been
learning English;
assess in ways that are appropriate for the
pupil’s age;
focus on language, while being aware of the
influence of behaviour, attitude and cultural
expectations;
recognise that pupils may be at different
levels of attainment in speaking, listening,
reading and writing.
Balancing attention to strengths and
weaknesses
The differences between summative and
diagnostic assessment are particularly significant
in the case of EAL pupils. There is a need to
balance positive recognition of what a pupil
understands and communicates, despite his or
her limited grasp of English, and the identification
of features of the pupil’s developing English which
are most likely to benefit from particular attention.
Notes:
While there are many differences in the
development of spoken and written English
between a pupil learning EAL and a native English
speaker, these are fewer in the case of young
pupils. Evidence suggests that young EAL
learners go through a similar process of sorting
out English grammar as children brought up in an
English-only environment. Similar ‘developmental
errors’ are shown by both groups, for example in
the way they generalise about how to use
past tense inflexions, forms of the negative,
auxiliary verbs, and forms of questions. They also
need help with how to adapt language according
to its context of use, whether written or spoken.
1. Home language is now defined by the DfES as
the 'main language to which the child was
exposed during early development'. This might not
be the pupil's strongest language or the one most
used.
2. A home language reading assessment pack will
be available shortly from the LEA.
The principles of assessing
EAL**
The assessment of English as an additional
language should follow the same principles of
effective assessment of all pupils. It should:
•
recognise what pupils can do and reward
achievement;
Many assessment systems developed by LEAs
focus on features of grammatical competence.
Such precision certainly has a place in helping to
61
describe exactly what a pupil can - or cannot - do.
However, there is a danger that EAL pupils may
be assessed more severely, if only because
features of their language are being noted at a
level of detail and in isolation from a broader
learning context. At the same time, they may not
gain recognition for what they actually can do with
English.
•
•
Taking into account a range of evidence
For all pupils, it is important to take into account a
range of evidence in order to arrive at an
assessment of attainment. For those learning the
language of instruction at the same time as the
subjects of the school curriculum, it is even more
important that teachers’ judgements are reviewed
in different contexts. For example, pupils may be
reluctant to speak, read or write in some subjects
but not in others, depending on how familiar they
are with the lesson content or how comfortable
they feel in the class or group. Differences
between fluency in class and outside in the
playground may be highlighted by observing
pupils taking part in formal question and answer
sessions and working in role.
Using the guidance
Speaking & listening
•
The NC level descriptors were initially
written for primary age pupils and therefore
secondary age bilingual learners will
achieve some aspects of these levels quite
readily.
•
Older pupils who are literate in their first
language might make faster progress in
reading & writing than speaking & listening
Reading
Recognising learning difficulties
Where an assessment of a pupil’s English
suggests that he or she may have an underlying
difficulty with language, it is vital to cross-check
with specialist bilingual teachers and teachers
of pupils with special needs. In the case of pupils
who arrive as refugees or without medical
records, it is important to carry out checks on sight
and hearing, so that physical impairments do not
compound problems. Bilingual staff can be an
invaluable point of contact with the home in the
instance of an EAL pupil who does not appear to
be making progress.
**From 'A Language in Common: Assessing
English as an additional language'
(QCA 2000) ref: QCA/00/584
•
The steps and early levels are applicable
only to pupils who are not securely literate in
their own first/home language
•
Such pupils will usually take longer to move
through the levels as they will have to learn
not only the connections between sounds &
letters but also the meanings of the words
they are reading
•
Pupils who are securely literate in their first/
home language will either have achieved the
descriptors in the steps or will do so very
quickly (probably within weeks)
•
Assigning pupils literate in L1 to a level will
be a complex task as they will often achieve
statements from different levels. For
example, a pupil might still be developing a
sight vocabulary (level 1 Threshold) while
being able to use the alphabet to access
reference materials, making simple
inferences from text (level 3) and making
links with other texts (level 4)
•
Where pupils do not achieve a particular
level, it is important to establish if it was
simply the failure to understand a word or
sentence (through inexperience in English
or a lack of cultural knowledge) which
caused the difficulty, as this should inform
future planning
Initial assessment of mid-phase
admissions
It is important to recognise that assessment
should be an ongoing process and for most
purposes should be part of normal classroom
practice. However, when assessing mid-phase
admissions, schools might wish to take a
'snapshot' to help them place the pupil
appropriately, in which case the following should
be borne in mind:
•
•
the school before any assessment takes
place
reading tests are not a useful tool to use as
inexperience of a wide range of vocabulary
in English can easily skew the results.
Research shows that bilingual learners tend
to progress in academic English at a faster
rate than their monolingual peers; hence it is
advisable to place bilingual learners in a
higher group than their test result would
appear to justify.
the admissions interview is often not the
best time for the assessment
pupils should be assured of their place in
62
Writing
•
The same distinction between literate and
non-literate pupils should be made as for
reading
•
Literate pupils will achieve many of the
technical aspects of writing (such as legible
handwriting - level 3 and use of punctuation
- level 4) at an early stage, especially if their
first language is written in Roman script
•
Tenses (level 3) will cause many difficulties
for Chinese & Vietnamese pupils as their
own languages do not contain tense
markers on the verb
•
In assessing bilingual pupils' writing, it is
important to decide whether minor errors
(such as misuse of prepositions) affect the
meaning before assigning the work to a
particular level
63
Assessment of bilingual learners using 'A Language in Common'
Speaking
QCA/EAL Statement
Step 1
•
Pupils echo words and
expressions drawn from
classroom routines and
social interactions to
communicate meaning.
They express some basic
needs, using single words
or phrases in English.
Teacher strategies to help pupils
move on
What the pupil can do at this level
•
•
Pre Step 1
QCA
Level
•
•
•
•
May use single words
Will gesture or use L1 to convey
meaning
Likely to be in the 'silent period'
•
•
•
•
Be welcoming
Make eye contact
Include pupils in a group
Provide visual clues
Understands a little, but could still
be in 'silent period'
Can respond to familiar questions
and instructions using single words,
short phrases, gestures or L1
Can ask for help using single words
Can name familiar classroom
objects & equipment
•
Include pupil in all activities,
but do not try to force the
pupil to speak
Use natural English in short,
simple phrases and
sentences
Use closed questions with
contextual support
Give time for answers
Allow other pupils who
speak the same language to
support responses
Model key words and
phrases and encourage
other pupils to do the same
Create opportunities to
speak in carefully-structured
situations
•
•
Step 2
•
•
Pupils copy talk that has
been modelled. In their
speech they show some
control of English word
order and their
pronunciation is generally
intelligible.
•
•
•
Level 1 Secure (L1S)
Level 1 Threshold (L1T)
•
Pupils speak about matters
of immediate interest in
familiar settings. They
convey meaning through
talk and gesture and can
extend what they say with
support. Their speech is
sometimes grammatically
incomplete at word and
phrase level.
•
Pupils speak about matters
of interest to a range of
listeners and begin to
develop connected
utterances. What they say
shows some grammatical
complexity in expressing
relationships between
ideas and sequences of
events. Pupils convey
meaning, sustaining their
contributions and listeners’
interest.
•
•
•
•
•
Can use a small range of familiar
phrases to communicate needs
and ideas/meaning
Beginning to use English in small
group setting in classroom activities
Shows some control of English
word order and pronunciation in
short utterances
Will use repetition to extend use of
English
•
Can convey meaning and express
needs using 2-3 word phrases
With support, will make
contributions to group/class
discussion
Can speak more fluently with
friends in everyday situations
Is exploring grammatical structures
to generate meaningful sentences,
but although the meaning is clear,
the grammar will sometimes not be
appropriate
Is beginning to be able to express
the logical relationships between
ideas using features of language
such as connectives
Can sustain meaning and keep the
listener's interest, often by using
voice and gesture
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
64
Respond positively to
contributions
Model language by
'echoing' the pupil's
utterances, using the
appropriate grammar
Be aware that
conversational fluency
comes a long time before
fluency in academic English
Opportunities for group and
pair discussion
Encourage pupil to develop
spoken ideas by:
giving thinking time
asking questions
suggesting connectives
(because, although, etc.)
Sometimes encourage the
use of writing to organise
ideas before discussion eg
flow charts, grids, mindmaps
Give opportunities for group
presentations where
individual bilingual pupils
can be supported by others
Assessment of bilingual learners using 'A Language in Common'
Listening
QCA/EAL Statement
Step 1
•
Pupils listen attentively for
a short time. They use nonverbal gestures to respond
to greetings and questions
about themselves and they
follow simple instructions
based on the routines of
the classroom.
•
•
•
•
•
Level 1 Threshold (L1T)
Step 2
•
Level 1 Secure (L1S)
Teacher strategies to help pupils
move on
What the pupil can do at this level
•
•
•
•
•
Pre Step 1
QCA
Level
Pupils understand simple
conversational English.
They listen and respond to
the gist of general
explanations by the teacher
where language is
supported by non-verbal
cues, including illustrations.
•
With support pupils
understand and respond
appropriately to
straightforward comment or
instruction addressed to
them. They listen
attentively to a range of
speakers, including teacher
presentation to the whole
class.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Understands a little
May join in activities
Understands and responds in L1
Uses visual clues for meaning
Can respond non verbally to
everyday expressions e.g.
greetings
May use gestures to indicate active
listening
Relies on visual cues for meaning
with L1 support may join in
classroom activities
Will respond positively to friendly
approaches from peers
Participates as a listener in group
activities
Can name familiar class objects/
equipment
Can listen attentively for a short
time
Can understand and follow familiar
instructions
•
•
•
•
Be welcoming
Make eye contact
Include pupils in a group
Provide visual clues
•
•
Mix activities
Keep teacher presentations
short
Keep to familiar classroom
routines
Structure lessons to include
suitable activities e.g.
matching, labelling
Give opportunities for
listening in small groups
•
•
•
Understands familiar
conversational phrases
Can follow narrative expressed
through spoken and visual material
Understands simple ideas or
explanations with help of mime
gesture or pictures
Listens and responds to paired/
group discussion
•
Listens well but need to discuss
new ideas to help understanding
Can listen attentively to the class
teacher or to other pupils
Responds to straightforward
instructions
•
•
•
•
•
•
In familiar contexts, pupils
follow what others say
about what they are doing
and thinking. They listen
with understanding to
sequences of instructions
and usually respond
appropriately in
conversation.
•
•
Can understand most classroom
interactions & explanations with
visual or other support
Will follow familiar instructions and
respond appropriately but may not
understand unfamiliar words or
idiom
65
•
•
•
Use visuals/practicals/
demonstrations to support
teacher talk
Allow time for pupil to listen
to and question a friend who
speaks the same language
Refer to key visual while
explaining
Be aware that attentive
listening does not
necessarily mean
understanding
Support for key words using
visuals
List key words before
lesson for support staff or
use a bilingual dictionary
where appropriate
Pre-teach key words
(through starters, using
support staff, etc.)
Be aware that the pupil will
not be familiar with many
words that the other pupils
know
Continue to support key
words using visuals
Approach abstract ideas
through concrete examples
or L1
Assessment of bilingual learners using 'A Language in Common'
Reading
QCA/EAL Statement
Step 1
Step 2
What the pupil can do at this level
•
Pre Step 1
QCA
Leve
l
NB These steps and levels apply to pupils who are not securely literate in their first language
Pupils participate in reading
activities. They know that in
English print is read from
left to right and from top to
bottom. They recognise
their names and familiar
words and identify some
letters of the alphabet by
shape and sound.
•
Pupils begin to associate
with letters in English to
predict what the text will be
about. They read words and
phrases that they have
learned in different
curriculum areas. With
support they can follow a
text read aloud.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Level 1 Threshold (L1T)
Not securely literate in the home
language and will take more time
to learn to read in English
because s/he needs knowledge of
English to use reading for
meaning strategies
May use L1 in accessing English
text
Will recognise their names and
some other familiar words eg from
advertising
Is starting to become familiar with
the shape and sound of letters of
the alphabet
•
Model reading behaviour, eg
locating title, reading from left to
right, using picture clues to
predict, etc.
•
Making connections between
English sounds and letters
Begins to read some simple
words/signs/labels around
classroom/school
Can read simple texts with
repeating language and structure
Predicts story/events of a text
using visual cues/discussion
Can read back own writing scribed
by an adult
May be able to decode more than
s/he can understand
Recognises and knows the sound
of most letters of the alphabet
Has developed a sight vocabulary
of some common words and those
used in the curriculum
Reads aloud known and
predictable texts
Decodes unknown words using
contextual and pictorial cues
Can demonstrate an
understanding of what is read
Can read and understand simple
text with support
•
Encourage use of L1, especially
for exploring ideas
Pupils will be unfamiliar with the
names of letters of the alphabet
Use group/shared/paired
reading
Keep texts short & accessible
Introduce and explain using
words & pictures, labelling,
simple sequencing with visuals
Encourage use of contextual &
visual clues
Support the reading of even
very short texts using other
pupils, support staff, discussion
or L1
Use pupil's own writing as
familiar text to read
Use talking books
Increased sight vocabulary of
commonly used words in different
contexts
Can read aloud using knowledge
of sounds and letter (but may not
understand)
Can read complex known English
texts but needs support with
unfamiliar text, idiom and
grammar
Responds to text expressing
personal views, answering factual
questions
With support can
66 infer meaning
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Level 1 Secure (L1S)
Teacher strategies to help pupils move
on
Pupils can read a range of
familiar words and identify
initial and final sounds in
unfamiliar words. With
support, they can establish
meaning when reading
aloud phrases or simple
sentences and use
contextual clues to gain
understanding. They
respond to ideas in poems,
stories and non-fiction.
•
Pupils use their knowledge
of letters, sounds and
words to establish meaning
when reading familiar texts
aloud, sometimes with
prompting. They comment
on events or ideas in
poems, stories and nonfiction.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduce and explain active
reading strategies - underlining,
colour-coding, transferring
words into a grid, annotating
pictures, etc.
Activate prior knowledge &
thinking as a way into a text
Use group and paired activities
to support reading
Avoid silent reading and use talk
to support understanding
Make talking books with pupils
Always discuss topic before
reading
Active interaction with text
Choose text with visual clues
Let pupil know the purpose of
the reading task
teach pupils how to navigate
non-fiction text (blocks of text
etc)
Explain how to read diagrams,
graphs, grids, etc.
Assessment of bilingual learners using 'A Language in Common'
Writing
NB These steps and levels apply to pupils who are not securely literate in their first language
QCA/EAL Statement
What the pupil can do at this level
•
Pre Step 1
•
•
•
Step 1
•
Pupils use English letter
and letter like forms to
convey meaning. They
copy or write their names
and familiar words and
write from left to right.
•
•
•
•
Not securely literate in the home
language and will take more time
to learn to write in English
Can use pictures to convey
meaning
Can understand that written scripts
convey meaning
Can hold and use a pencil
appropriately
Can copy recognisable English
symbols
Can form some letters from
memory
Can write own name and some
other familiar words
Can write some initial sounds
Can relate some English sounds to
the written form
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Level 1 Secure (L1S)
Level 1 Threshold (L1T)
Step 2
•
Pupils attempt to express
meaning through writing
supported by oral work or
pictures. Generally their
writing is intelligible to
themselves and a familiar
reader and shows some
knowledge of sound and
letter patterns in English
spelling.
•
Pupils produce
recognisable letters and
words in texts, which
convey meaning and show
some knowledge of
English sentence division
and word order. Most
commonly used letters are
correctly shaped, but may
be inconsistent in their size
and orientation.
Pupils use phrases and
longer statements to
convey ideas to the reader,
making use of full stops
and capital letters. Some
grammatical patterns are
irregular and pupils’ grasp
of English sounds and how
they are written is not
secure. Letters are usually
clearly shaped and
correctly orientated.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Writing stems from oral rehearsal
and pictorial support (may also
want to practice in L1)
Writing is legible to themselves
and familiar readers
Can write final sounds
Will attempt to read back own
writing
In discussing own written text, will
be able to explain more than s/he
can write
•
Writes letters and words
increasingly legibly
Can write independently and
convey meaning through
recognisable words, phrases &
sentences but spelling and
sentence structure are irregular
•
Begins to use simple punctuationfull stops capital letters
Can write increasingly legibly with
letters clearly shaped and correctly
orientated appropriate spacing
between words
Can spell familiar and CVC words
correctly
Writing demonstrates more
complex ideas in sequences of
events
•
67
•
•
Teacher strategies to help pupils
move on
Model writing behaviour, eg
writing from left to right,
keeping to the line, shaping
letters, & support correct use of
pen & pencil
Speaking and listening are
essential before any writing to
give meaning to the task
Encourage use of pictures to
convey meaning
Use picture annotation
Generate text orally
Support writing of single words
and short, simple phrases
Confine initial writing to lower
case
Encourage use of L1,
especially if L1 is written in
Roman script
Using single words and
phrases in L1 helps to
establish the concept of sound/
letter relationship
Use grids, labelling, captioning,
etc.
Use shared writing with peer or
adult support
Encourage pupil to dictate text
to scribe and then to re-read
text with scribe
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Respond to the meaning of the
pupil's writing, not the form
Encourage pupils to read own
writing aloud and help them
self-correct orally
Do not over-correct
Use sentence starters and
simple writing frames to
support
Scaffold writing with group
activities & oral rehearsal
Use grids, flow-charts etc. to
help structure writing
Let pupils read back own
writing and discuss the ideas
with supporting adult in English
or L1 if preferred
Model correct grammatical
expression in responses to
work whilst still focussing on
content before form (this is
important at all levels)
Assessment of bilingual learners using 'A Language in Common'
Level 2
Writing
Reading
Speaking & Listening
Skill
QCA/EAL Statement
Teacher strategies to help pupils
move on
What the pupil can do at this level
Pupils begin to show
confidence in talking and
listening, particularly where
the topic interest them. On
occasions, they show
awareness of the needs of
the listener by including
relevant detail. In
developing and explaining
their ideas they speak
clearly and use a growing
vocabulary. They usually
listen carefully and
respond with increasing
appropriateness to what
other say.
They are beginning to be
aware that in some
situations a more formal
vocabulary and tone of
voice are used
•
Pupils’ reading of simple
texts shows understanding
and is generally accurate.
They express opinions
about major events or
ideas in stories, poems
and non-fiction. They use
more than one strategy
such as phonic, graphic,
syntactic, and contextual,
in reading unfamiliar words
and establishing meaning.
•
Pupils’ writing
communicates meaning in
both narrative and nonnarrative forms, using
appropriate and interesting
vocabulary, and showing
some awareness of the
reader. Ideas are
developed in a sequence
of sentences, sometimes
demarcated by capital
letters and full stops.
Simple monosyllabic words
are usually spelt correctly,
and where there are
inaccuracies the
alternative is phonetically
plausible
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Beginning to show confidence in
speaking to convey meaning. This
could be by using familiar
language in new contexts
Uses interactions to extend their
range of speaking styles
In these interactions, shows
awareness by responding to both
verbal and non-verbal clues
Uses a wider range of vocabulary,
including subject-specific
vocabulary
Beginning to use a wider range of
strategies, both verbal and nonverbal, for checking understanding
Beginning to be aware of change
of register in different situations
although social talk will be ahead
of talk for learning
•
Beginning to read a variety of
fiction and non-fiction without
support
Can sustain accurate, independent
reading over short passages of
text
In discussion, gives views on
some main points of the text
When subject matter is familiar,
can use a variety of strategies to
make sense of the text & selfcorrect
•
Can write accurately enough for an
outside reader to understand
Can write for different purposes
although may produce writing
more based on speech than
written models
Can link ideas together within a
text
Usually spells simple words
correctly and uses phonetically
plausible spelling for others
Can use capital letters and full
stops
Can use more complex or lengthy
sentences although grammatical
construction may show evidence
of EAL
Can use a wider vocabulary
Will be able to structure a
chronologically-organised text
more easily than other types of
text
68
•
Continue to respond
positively and constructively
•
Avoid seeming to correct
even when grammar and/or
vocabulary is not entirely
appropriate
•
Responses should include:
- acknowledging
- understanding
- continuing dialogue
- modelling appropriate language in
context
•
Provide opportunities for
small group and 1-1
interaction
•
Appropriate register should
be made explicit and
discussed
•
•
•
•
•
•
Occasionally discuss
methods of reading for
understanding, eg 'How did
you work out what it meant?'
Continue to support reading
by activating prior knowledge
& thinking
Continue to support
understanding with visuals
Continue to use text for a
clear purpose (active
reading)
Teach how to use a simple
thesaurus (eg Usborne's
Illustrated)
Encourage pupils to use or
compile a subject-specific
glossary
Support pupils in structuring
non-narrative text through
discussion and use of simple
writing frames
Make explicit and discuss
different forms of writing (eg
story, report, explanation,
instructions, etc.)
Assessment of bilingual learners using 'A Language in Common'
Level 3
Writing
Reading
Speaking & Listening
Skill
QCA/EAL Statement
What the pupil can do at this level
Pupils talk and listen
confidently in different
contexts, exploring and
communicating ideas. In
discussion, they show
understanding of the main
points. Through relevant
comments and questions,
they show they have
listened carefully. They
begin to adapt what they
say to the needs of the
listener, varying the use of
vocabulary and the level of
detail. They are beginning
to be aware of Standard
English and when it is used.
•
Pupils read a range of texts
fluently and accurately.
They read independently
using strategies
appropriately to establish
meaning. In responding to
fiction and non-fiction they
show understanding of the
mains points and express
preferences. They use their
knowledge of the alphabet
to locate books and find
information.
•
Pupils’ writing is often
organised, imaginative and
clear. The main features of
different forms of writing are
used appropriately,
beginning to be adapted to
different readers.
Sequences of sentences
extend ideas logically and
words are chosen for
variety and interest. The
basic grammatical structure
of sentences is usually
correct. Spelling is usually
accurate, including that of
common, polysyllabic
words. Punctuation to mark
sentences - full stops,
capital letters and question
marks – is used correctly.
Handwriting is joined and
legible.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Can understand main points
from discussion and respond to
them.
Able to recount the content of a
presentation or discussion.
Use vocabulary appropriate to
subject although it may not be
very wide.
May try to be adventurous but
may misjudge vocabulary
choice sometimes.
Can ask relevant questions and
make comments.
Beginning to know the
difference between Standard
English and other dialects.
•
Can read a range of ageappropriate text and
understand most of what they
read.
Can make simple inferences
from the text.
Can choose leisure reading
they enjoy and say why.
Can co-ordinate a range of
reading strategies to read for
understanding.
Can use the alphabet to access
reference materials, e.g.
indexes & encyclopaedias.
•
Beginning to compose different
forms of writing for different
audiences.
Can structure writing showing a
logical progression of ideas.
Can use some tenses
accurately, e.g. simple past and
simple present.
Beginning to make a conscious
choice of different vocabulary
Many pupils’ work will show
minor grammatical errors e.g.
in tense, use of pronouns, use
of prepositions.
Growing sight vocabulary but
will spell many words
phonetically.
Handwriting is legible but may
not be joined unless this has
been explicitly taught.
•
•
69
•
•
•
Teacher strategies to help pupils
move on
Continue to respond positively
and constructively.
May still need support with new
or unfamiliar concepts and
vocabulary.
Be explicit about the contexts
in which Standard English and
other dialects are used.
Discuss synonyms and other
vocabulary choices looking at
differences in use and
meaning.
Encourage pupils to identify
vocabulary, phrases,
expressions or idiom which
they do not understand.
•
Recognise that pupils might
wish to read younger repetitive
text for pleasure. This is a
useful way of developing
fluency and understanding.
•
Support all use of references
materials by:
- modelling note-taking
- limiting the research questions
- limiting the range of texts used
•
•
•
•
Make good use of scaffolding.
Help the pupil to structure text
cohesively e.g. through
consistent use of pronouns,
time sequencing, etc.
Embed use of key words in
writing through shared writing
Discuss word roots and
families.
In marking or discussing written
work, always respond to the
content of the piece before
commenting on presentation.
Do not over-correct, but choose
one or two technical issues
which are common errors in the
writing.
Assessment of bilingual learners using 'A Language in Common'
Level 4 NB Many more advanced bilingual learners ‘plateau’ at this level. The overall aim for teachers
should be to extend the range of vocabulary and structures across the four skills eg by maximising opportunities
QCA/EAL Statement
Pupils talk and listen with
confidence in an increasing
range of contexts. Their talk is
adapted to the purpose:
developing ideas thoughtfully,
describing events and
conveying their opinions
clearly. In discussion, they
listen carefully, making
contributions and asking
questions that are responsive
to others' ideas and views.
They use appropriately some
of the features of standard
English vocabulary and
grammar
•
In responding to a range of
texts, pupils show
understanding significant
ideas, themes, event and
characters.
They begin to use inference
and
deduction. They refer to the
text when explaining their
views. They locate and use
ideas and information
•
Reading
Skill
Speaking & Listening
for Language Development through oral and written scaffolding and full, positive response to pupils’ work
What the pupil can do at this level
•
•
•
•
•
•
Writing
•
Pupils’ writing in a range of
forms is lively and thoughtful.
Ideas are often sustained and
developed in interesting ways
and organised appropriately
for the purpose of the reader.
Vocabulary choices are often
adventurous and words used
for effect. Pupils are
beginning to use
grammatically complex
sentences, extending
meaning.
Spelling, including that of
polysyllabic words that
conform to regular patterns, is
generally accurate. Full
stops, capital letters and
question marks are used
correctly, and pupils are
beginning to use punctuation
within the sentence. Hand
writing style is fluent, joined
and legible.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Can choose from a range
of vocabulary and
structures for different
purposes and for emphasis
Can vary expression and
speed of delivery for effect
Can follow an extended
discussion or presentation
but may have difficulty with
idiom and cultural nuances
Responds to others’ ideas
and views by expressing
alternative and personal
opinions
Teacher strategies to help pupils move
on
•
Make the aim of group/pair
discussion very clear, ie are pupils
being asked to persuade,
collaborate, debate or advise?
•
Make explicit the forms of
language they are being expected
to use
•
Use role-play and discuss the
forms of language used by
particular people eg scientist,
businessman, farmer & consumer
discussing GM crops
•
Use formal debate
•
Use thinking time for responses
and encourage collaboration for
building on answers
Can read a range of age
appropriate text and
understand the important
ideas, themes, events and
characters
Are beginning to
interrogate text - agreeing,
disagreeing, developing
ideas
Can show clear reasoning
Can show personal
interpretation of information
or personal voice in
narrative
Can make links with other
texts they have read
•
Can use text structure,
particularly paragraphing,
to suit the purpose of the
text
Can use a variety of
complex sentences, usually
correctly
Can use a growing number
of tenses appropriately and
usually correctly. This
would include present and
past simple, present and
past continuous and
conditional
Spelling of longer words is
becoming accurate
Basic punctuation is
accurate
Beginning to use the
comma
•
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70
Use grids etc. to help develop
ideas from text
Teach explicitly to use quotations
from text as evidence for an
argument
Teach explicitly how to summarise
particular points from a text
Causes and consequences of
human actions are culturally
based. Pupils need support in
understanding the cultural context
when they are asked to make
inferences and deduction
Gradually introduce a range of
different connectives eg so that,
although, despite, to help pupils
write in complex sentences
Model and develop complex
sentences in shared writing
Discuss purpose of writing before
starting shared writing or
supporting independent writing
Ask pupil to read back writing in
appropriate tone of voice
Continue to use a thesaurus and
discuss the effect of vocabulary
choices
Model more complicated tense
forms in discussion before writing
In marking or discussing written
work, continue to focus on content
before forms of expression or
grammar
Take opportunities to explore
culturally-based interpretations and
implications
71
Written and Compiled by:
Ermine Benjamin - Primary EMAS Programme Manager
Moira Harbord - Primary Strategy (EMAS) Consultant
2007