Ethnic Minority Achievement Team (EMAT)

'Every teacher an EMA teacher'

The Ethnic Minority Achievement Team is part of the 0–19 Achievement Team, working to provide advice and support for schools in the city. All our work is focused upon helping schools develop sustainable capacity to meet the needs of all ethnic minority children and young people, ensuring that every child is provided with opportunities to achieve their full potential. This includes support in:

• working to raise the standards of achievement for all Black and minority ethnic (BME) pupils
• meeting the needs of pupils learning English as an Additional Language (EAL)
• working to 'narrow the gap' for BME pupils at risk of underachieving
• working to support equality and diversity in schools

Support is directed in the first instance towards those schools with the highest proportion of BME pupils and facing challenge. However, as the city becomes more diverse, the team is also able to support schools which are new to supporting BME pupils, and find themselves faced with this as a priority for the first time, and in supporting isolated BME learners. Schools admitting new arrivals from overseas learning EAL will automatically receive funding of £400 per pupil upon reporting that pupil's ethnicity and language details in the schools census returns. This funding is aimed at supporting the smooth induction of those pupils into mainstream teaching and learning.

Central training

The EMA Team provide a range of training for schools and colleges throughout the year. Details of all training events are available on the Plymouth Workforce Development website and bookings can be made by contacting Plymouth Professional Development Centre 01752 306688. All EMA training is free of charge to schools within the local authority, and supply costs are paid for one representative of each school upon attendance.

Support for schools

The EMA Team work closely with schools to provide bespoke support including:

• Partnership plans, focused on developing sustainable skills among teachers in order to ensure the inclusion and achievement of BME pupils.
• Short-term support for new arrivals, children new to school and learning EAL, including classroom based support, designed to support class teachers develop skills in making initial assessments and in planning inclusive learning opportunities. There is also rapid targeted support for head teachers and PSAs in the induction of new arrivals and their families into the school community. EMAT works closely with Amber Initiatives to support migrant families in accessing services, including education.
• Mentoring for BME students 14 to 19 to support RPA, and for pupils at risk of underachievement or disengagement.
• The Secondary EMA Coordinators' and the Primary Lead Schools' hubs, providing an opportunity for consultation, collaboration, sharing what works well and mutual support. Hubs meet three times each year and supply costs are paid upon attendance.
• Tackling racism in schools – dance and drama workshops. EMAT works closely with 'Streetfactory Studios' to provide one day workshops for schools. The workshops are suitable for upper KS2 and KS3 and provide a starting point for citizenship work in this area.

Contact us

Schools wishing to arrange advice and support from the EMA Team should telephone Lucinda Ross, 01752 307485. For general enquiries schools should contact EMAT on 01753 304027.

School prospectus

Schools will find it helpful to develop a clear, easily accessible school prospectus to support the induction of new arrivals, children of migrant families. Ensure that your prospectus contains simple, well illustrated text, accessible for parents new to English, covers basic, essential information and is inclusive in it's content. The following examples in the documents table below illustrate such a prospectus, in English and translated into Polish, Arabic, Portuguese and Bengali - some of the most popular languages spoken by pupils in Plymouth schools. This prospectus can be downloaded and adapted to suit your school needs. Should you wish to have your own school prospectus translated please contact Translate Plymouth on 01752 304 389. As head teachers are aware, each new arrival is eligible for funding of £250 to support their induction, and further support for new arrivals can be accessed by contacting the EMAT manager on 01752 307485.

Many thanks to Pilgrim Primary School, who kindly made their school prospectus available for adaptation.

The documents below are available to download and will support schools in developing inclusive practice in teaching and assessing ethnic minority pupils.