Supporting the needs of pupils from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
Quick links:
Context and background
Gwent Education Minority Ethnic Service (GEMS) is a regional service hosted by Newport City Council that delivers support for Minority Ethnic pupils who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) and Gypsy Roma and Traveller pupils. The majority of supported pupils are in Newport and GEMS has service level agreements with the authorities of Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Torfaen. GEMS is comprised of teachers, some of whom are bilingual, and bilingual teaching assistants. This allows GEMS the flexibility to meet the changing needs of the EAL population across the region. GEMS is wholly funded by annual grants from Welsh Government.
Overview
A significant feature of GEMS is the strong leadership evident over time along with planning and restructuring when necessary to meet the needs of the pupils across the region. The Head of GEMS ensures that an efficient and streamlined service is provided. This encompasses sufficient support staff being allocated to directly support pupils in schools whilst also providing training to school staff. Timetabling of staff reflects the need to have GEMS support in schools and constantly reflects the ever-changing EAL population in Newport in particular. The Head of GEMS reviews support to schools on a regular basis and a variety of indicators are considered when determining support packages to schools. The current approach has been sustained over several years and has been successful in delivering and maintaining EAL provision across Newport and the wider region. Funding and staffing GEMS is challenging, as the service relies on annual grants from Welsh Government. Newport, in partnership with other local authorities in the region, manages this challenge well to ensure that the service continues to meet pupils’ needs.
The service provided by GEMS gives all supported pupils the best chance to access the curriculum through collaboration and partnership with schools. The outcomes for EAL pupils in Newport is excellent and GEMS delivers high quality support across a large number of primary and secondary schools and one nursery school. Schools are able to submit a referral to access the service followed by an initial assessment. Bespoke support packages are then constructed for schools and individual learners, as appropriate. GEMS staff work with pupils in class, in focussed withdrawal sessions, in partnership with mainstream staff, in small groups or with individual pupils. The service is also able to provide home language support for pupils looking to gain a qualification in their own language. GEMS identifies candidates in liaison with schools and provides tailored language support by conducting the oral exams with pupils and supporting the reading and writing element of the qualification. For late arrivals into Key Stage 4, this may be the only qualification gained before leaving school. Home language qualifications are often essential for pupils who need to gain points for entry in to college or university.
The GEMS Language Acquisition Record (LAR) monitors the attainment of pupils’ language. Progress is tracked and adjustments to support made in light of the LAR being updated three times a year. The language attainment of supported pupils is tracked using a progress monitoring sheet and the senior management team analyse the data at the end of each term. Underachievement can be identified and support put into place if needed. This is possible due to the number of bilingual staff and EAL teachers in the service and through careful recruitment of staff. GEMS has always recruited staff from a diverse range of backgrounds with training and mentoring being given priority to ensure that staff have the right skills to deliver high quality support in schools. Members of the Roma community have been employed by GEMS and this has enriched the learning experiences for the large number of Roma pupils in schools across Newport. Schools have also employed staff who have previously experienced working with GEMS and had the benefit of GEMS professional development. GEMS is able to serve the local community and the needs of families through recruitment of staff from minority ethnic groups and staff who speak the languages of the community.
Another strength of the service is the relationship with parents and carers. This is essential in creating a positive understanding of education for vulnerable learners and allows parents the chance to communicate with their child’s school. Using questionnaires highlighted GEMS as extremely important to parents and carers, and the service has used feedback from parents to inform a restructuring of the service. Schools can access the service to support parents during parents’ evenings, attendance meetings and issues concerning behaviour. GEMS staff are experienced in dealing with hard to reach communities and isolated families and is able to place staff appropriately in these areas. The GEMS asylum seeker co-ordinator specifically supports newly arrived families in admissions to schools, purchasing uniforms and sign posting families to appropriate support in the community. Linking with other partners such as health and housing ensures the sometimes complex needs of pupils and their families can be addressed. Using the language support of colleagues also allows for a smooth transition into school settings and life in South East Wales more generally.
While GEMS is primarily a learning support service, GEMS also supports pupils’ wellbeing. GEMS works closely with a number of agencies including the police to monitor changes in communities, such as rising incidents due to race or other discrimination. GEMS has worked successfully in partnership with Show Racism the Red Card for a number of years to promote community cohesion and address issues. The ‘See the world though our eyes’ project has helped promote inclusion through introducing pupils to the features of different cultures, including Roma Travellers. This has helped to nurture good relations within communities and improved the wellbeing of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
Most supported pupils make expected progress through the Language Acquisition Record (LAR) achieving anticipated language descriptors and most pupils acquire sufficient language to access the curriculum at some level. The service helps pupils to develop their language skills rapidly through, for example, support from bilingual teaching assistants. This enables pupils to engage better in school life at an academic and social level and enhances their wellbeing considerably. In addition, the service supports parents to communicate meaningfully with their child’s school and to become involved in their education.
Most pupils in primary schools who have received support from GEMS make excellent progress. Pupils in secondary schools who have received support from GEMS make progress in line with their peers.