Promoting equality of opportunity for minority ethnic pupils

The Ethnic Minority Achievement Team (EMAT) aims to provide equality of opportunity for all minority ethnic pupils, including refugee and asylum seeker pupils to meet the needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language (EAL) and to raise standards of achievement for those minority ethnic pupils who are at risk of underachieving.

The service consists of a team of consultants, inclusion support assistants and bilingual teaching assistants who work in primary and secondary schools supporting ethnic minority pupils.

What the service does

• Supports the induction of new arrivals to schools, with advice to teachers on appropriate strategies and materials.
• Undertakes partnership support in collaboration with subject and class teachers.
• Develops learning resources for schools.
• Provides in-service training for teachers and support staff, both central and school based.
• Supports school pastoral systems with information, advice and resources on religious, cultural and linguistic aspects relating to ethnic minority achievement pupils.
• Supports school leadership in developing race equality policies and practice.
• Supports school, home links involving bilingual interpreters.
• Works with local authority advisors and consultants on ethnic minority achievement in key stage national strategies.