Supporting EAL and traveller pupils
EMTAS (Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service) has recently welcomed five new liaison officers to support their work. The EMTAS team includes Advisory Teachers and Liaison Officers, with each team member primarily focussed on either Traveller Education Support (TES) or Ethnic Minority Achievement (EMA), with a particular focus on children learning through English as an Additional Language (EAL). The team's main aims are:
- to work with school staff to develop the skills and knowledge they need to unlock the potential of their pupils
- to work with families to support links between school and home
- to work directly with individual pupils, where appropriate, to increase attainment and engagement
The new Liaison Officers to the EMTAS team this year are:
- Amal Ashraf - Bilingual Liaison Officer for Malayalam-speaking families
- Hala Khalil - Bilingual Liaison Officer for Arabic-speaking families
- Becca Bashford - Liaison Officer for Traveller families (Bilingshurst, Crawley, Horsham, Midhurst, Petworth, Pulborough)
- Gerald Ancrasamy & Shanonne Delia - additional Bilingual Liaison Officers for Chagossian/Mauritian Creole-speaking families
Click here for details of the full team and for further information on the EMTAS team offer, including advice, guidance and links to a range of resources, please see the West Sussex Tools for Schools website.
EMTAS sends out a termly newsletter to all West Sussex schools. This includes links to current research and resources, as well as team updates and news on forthcoming events. The team can also be contacted directly via emat@westsussex.gov.uk (Ethnic Minority Achievement) or tes@westsussex.gov.uk (Traveller Education Support).