EMASS Staff Handbook - Pupil Achievement and Support Strategies

							                                                                                            Section 2
Pupil Achievement
and Support Strategies
Classroom Support
Strategies employed by EMASS staff need to focus on the development and progress
of individual, targeted pupils and at the same time to contribute to the development
of an inclusive curriculum that gives all bilingual minority ethnic pupils equality of
opportunity to educational achievement.
This involves having a clear understanding of both:
       •    The pupils' language and learning needs.
       •    The language and learning demands of the curriculum.

Collaborative Work
Service staff are expected to plan and prepare work with mainstream staff and work
collaboratively with them to identify the language demands of the curriculum.
Together they devise, produce and implement language-focused work in those areas
that help to develop the English language competence and curriculum access of all
minority ethnic pupils including those who are targeted for EMASS work.

Teaching Materials
Staff will identify and develop appropriate materials that support the English language
development of minority ethnic pupils, and ensure curriculum access. For example
materials:
      •       That promote collaborative group work and active learning
      •       That are racially/culturally appropriate including dual language materials
      •       That are both linguistically accessible and cognitively demanding
      •       That are differentiated.

Work with Individuals and Small Groups
Staff provide direct teaching of targeted pupils as far as possible within the
mainstream classroom. This may include:
       •    Short-term intensive support for individuals or groups, especially newly-
            arrived pupils, to focus on the development of particular skills e.g. oracy
            skills.
       •    Direct teaching of targeted pupils using first language to support the
            development of English.
       •    The production of individual learning programmes for particular pupils, for
            example isolated beginners, children in special schools, etc.




Staff Handbook                                   Section 2 (Pupil Achievement and Support Strategies) page 1
Updated September 08
Inappropriate Strategies
Staff need to be aware that some strategies are inappropriate:
            Unplanned support. It is essential that all EMASS work is planned and has
            clear language aims.
            Individual and group work in which the EMASS member of staff
            withdraws children, not on the basis of language learning needs, but
            because of their special educational needs.
            Withdrawal classes in which the EMASS member of staff has a small class
            of pupils with language learning needs and works separately with those
            children all the time.

Examples of good practice and practical classroom ideas and materials are available
through the Service Manager/school co-ordinators, the regular Service INSET
programme and also from the Multicultural Library and Resource Centre.


Strategies (Parental Involvement)
To raise pupil achievement, service staff work in collaboration with mainstream
colleagues to devise, plan and implement appropriate strategies that will encourage
parental involvement in the life of the school and in their children's education.
Appropriate strategies will be outlined in the Service/School Agreement and may
include:
      •     Supporting individual parents in their communication with schools.
      •     Visits to parents in their homes for specific educational purposes, including
            visits to parents of those pupils causing particular concern or who are at
            risk of exclusion.
      •     Organising activities to enable parents to contribute to their child's
            education more effectively (eg shared reading and Maths, parent/toddler
            groups, classroom work).
      •     Setting up and/or maintaining groups for parents.
      •     Facilitating mutual exchanges of information at parents' evenings, parents'
            meetings, curriculum evenings, etc through interpretation translation and
            mediation.
      •     Working with mainstream staff to involve parents in the classroom.
      •     Working with mainstream staff, parents and community members to
            enrich the cultural environment of the school.
      •     Work with schools to consider ethos, policies, whole school approaches,
            etc. including providing input to staff meetings INSET sessions, etc.


See also Section 5 in this handbook for guidelines when making home visits. Records
must be kept of all home visits.




Staff Handbook                                    Section 2 (Pupil Achievement and Support Strategies) page 2
Updated September 08
EMASS Learning Support Assistants
LSAs are an increasing and valuable source of support for minority ethnic pupils in
Leicestershire. The following guidelines have been developed at the request of
schools to clarify their role and maximise effectiveness.

Which pupils should EMASS LSAs work with?
    •    With underachieving, but not low achieving pupils.
    •    With children new to English.
    •    The group of pupils in most need of support should be agreed with the
         EMASS Co-ordinator, LSA and class teacher. It will not include those on
         the SEN record unless they are also new to English.
    •    These pupils may work in a variety of mixed groups, eg. those with the
         same home language, mixed groups containing good language models,
         random mixed groups etc. It would be appropriate for such groups to be
         supported by the LSA. It would not be appropriate for EAL learners to be
         grouped with those with SEN.

What are the most effective ways of working?
    •      Close liaison with the class teacher is essential. To be effective the LSA
           needs to be aware of the language and curriculum aims of the lesson.
           This is particularly important when working with a pupil at the early stages
           of language acquisition who needs tightly focussed aims.
    •      LSAs can support access to the curriculum by use of first language,
           pictures and objects, giving opportunities to rehearse learning orally and
           making lesson content culturally relevant.
    •      LSAs can provide feed back to mainstream staff from their observations.
    •      LSAs can support teachers in identifying newly arrived pupils’ previous
           curriculum experiences and achievements.
    •      Flexibility will be required to enable them to respond to new arrivals –
           perhaps being moved off timetable for a short time to concentrate on a
           new arrival.

What other contributions could LSAs make?
    •     Assess in home language (where appropriate/possible) and English.
    •     Translate stories into home language alongside the class teacher (when
          he/she is reading a story in English to the class).
    •     Raise awareness of languages and cultures to the whole class, bringing in
          artefacts, producing dual language signs etc.
    •     Make observations.
    •     Contribute to record keeping if this was done within school time, during
          non-contact time, eg during assembly.
    •     Facilitate bridges between home and family.
    •     Contribute to whole-school multicultural initiatives.
    •     Support the work of the EMASS team.
    •     Feedback to the EMASS Co-ordinator, where possible.




Staff Handbook                                   Section 2 (Pupil Achievement and Support Strategies) page 3
Updated September 08