DFeS Ethnic Minority Achievement Unit

DFeS Ethnic Minority Achievement Unit. Briefing 25/07/06

Notes from Steve Cooke

Main Points.

Action points from last meeting.

New arrivals ≠ dealt with later in agenda
Concerns about contextual value added and EAL ≠ Stephen Jardine leads on CVA at the DfES and can be contacted regarding this.

Update on Black Pupilsπ Achievement Programme.

The second phase started June 06.
15 new schools in programme ≠ 25 Local Authorities now involved.
Schools required to do termly action plans.
There is dedicated leadership support from National College for School Leadership.
Schools included on basis of having 10% + Black pupils.

A point was raised here that the selection of LAs for involvement in pilot projects etc. was seen by some to include certain LAs and exclude others. Judith Longstreth said that LAs with fewer numbers of isolated Black pupils (or EAL learners in another context) should be included in this sort of pilot. Inderjit made the point that this would be seen as not viable as it would involve a ådisproportionateπ use of money and resources in terms of the numbers of pupils involved. He also said that decisions were made on a careful scrutiny of data etc. We suggested that it would help if the criteria for selecting LAs / schools for projects was made as transparent as possible.

Update on EAL.

∑ Kate Daly has left and will not be replaced as such. There will be a re-organisation of the Unit.

∑ The EAL Toolkit will be launched in September 06.

∑ EAL Qualifications ≠ pilot projects extended to the end of the financial year. The Institute of Education has got åexternalπ resources to be able to run the course next year. Liz Statham reported that Portsmouth University has got a subsidy from the TDA to run a course.

∑ By the end of 07 / 08 there will be nine åRegional Hubsπ or two åHubsπ in each Government Region to provide support / advice / training on EAL.

When asked what a hub was and what it was going to do. Inderjit was a bit vague. This perhaps needs to be clarified with Valerie Manning who was not at the meeting due to illness, but who wrote the notes that Inderjit was referring to.

We also pressed Inderjit on the need for the DfES to support the establishing of national EAL qualifications. His point was that it is now up to Higher Ed. institutions to offer courses / qualifications and that the DfES canπt tell them what to do. We made the point that Higher Ed. Institutions would only offer these if they are potentially profitable ågoing concernsπ. Inderjit acknowledged this point.

We also asked about Paul Agutuπs scoping exercise on Inclusion Qualifications which NALDIC responded to. Inderjit suggested that the thinking at the moment might be to look at a modular course where people select elements from a range of EMA inclusion topics. We made the point that this could be useful to identify and accredit skills / knowledge in the field of Black Achievement for example, as currently there is nothing specific in this are. However, we also again made the point that this could not take the place of specific EAL training / courses / qualifications.

Inderjit said that if it goes ahead the process will be put it out to tender for Higher Ed. Institutions to bid for and that it wouldnπt go through the NCSL because they donπt have in-house capacity.

Update on Gypsy /Roma / Traveller Pupils.

Cross-phase programme launched on 19^th / 21^st September involving two Regional Advisers. It will connect with the wider Childrenπs Services agenda but focus on standards / attendance and aim to build schoolsπ capacity to provide a positive environment and meet the needs of pupils.
ELAMP ≠ The e-Learning and Mobile Pupils Project currently involves 10 LAs and 100 pupils. This provides for mobile pupils to have a base school and to communicate with the school via a laptop. This mainly involves åShow Peopleπ at the moment. This project will be extended to 12 LAs.
Community Learning Promoters. The idea is to recruit volunteers from the community to encourage parents to value education and not take children out of school for åhome educationπ which sometimes does not amount to much.

The point about mobility was raised more generally, particularly in the context of Asylum Seeking / Refugee families and the difficulties of housing which result in children changing schools. Inderjit mentioned that in the White Paper there was greater provision for åentitlement to transportπ which might enable families being moved around to afford to keep children at the same school even if they are re-housed at some distance from the school. He also mentioned the provision within the new bill for Choice Advisers within LAs who would provide advice as to what options are available and what particular provision there might be in different schools.

Update on MEAP.

Was expanded in June from 12 to 18 LAs and from 50 to 80 schools.
There is a move to focus more on issue of inclusion and building an inclusive ethos within schools. There is still to be a focus on EAL pedagogy and links with parents.

Somebody asked what the interface between MEAP and the Secondary EAL Strategy is likely to be. Inderjit reiterated that MEAP will focus more on inclusion.

There will be a 3 day meeting at the DfES next term to discuss the nature of MEAP. This meeting will include some headteachers, academics etc.

Exclusions

There was a priority review of the disproportionate exclusion rate amongst Black pupils, particularly boys. The DfES talked to schools, academics, communities and approx 100 Black pupils.
There was a 3 day session in Feb involving schools, LAs and OFSTED.
A clear picture of why disparity exists has emerged.
A draft paper is due to go to DfES Boards at end of July. If cleared through the Boards it will then go to ministers.
It includes a strategy to reduce disparity by 2010.
Various units within the DfES are also involved ≠ Behaviour, School Improvement, School Workforce etc.
Part of the strategy is about there being input into ITT and MPQH.
The thinking around this has apparently already started to influence the internal culture in the DfES in a positive way.
The data for exclusions over three years will be analysed in order to target the åworstπ schools.
If approved the strategy will be rolled in school year 2007 / 8 in a åconcertedπ way.

Apparently the thinking behind this strategy is that schools if challenged will find way ways to reduce the statistical appearance of disproportionate exclusions without tackling the underlying issues. Therefore simply setting targets for reducing exclusions is unlikely to be entirely successful. They were cautious about saying too much about the paper because it has yet to be approved. It seems, however, that they see the Year 10 peak in exclusions as the culmination of a process (or a journey) that for some Black pupils starts in primary school and leads to disengagement with the education system.

Pupil Language Data.

Pupilsπ first languages will be optional question in (PLASC) Schoolsπ Census 2007.
There is no plan to make it compulsory. LAs can still use the 6 language slots in SIMS.
250 languages have been specified.
A shortened version of guidance for schools is available. Also letters for heads/ parents. Translations of letters in 19 different languages.
A letter from the DfES to Directors of Children Services has gone out.

Inderjit mentioned that there may be some re-visiting of the ethnic categories in the lead up to the 2011 national census.

Update of progress around Refugee and asylum Seeking children and New Arrivals.

Toolkit for Refugee / Asylum Seeking Pupils is to be launched (September?). It will focus on the 5 outcomes in the ECM Agenda. DVD format with accompanying resources. Purpose is to build capacity across the system to provide for young people.
New Guidelines on New Arrivals are on the DfES website.
Work on New Arrivals is being taken forward by London Challenge. Silvaine Wiles is acting as consultant. There was a åWhat Worksπ conference on July 3^rd.
No additional funding for increasing numbers of New Arrivals is available.

Inderjit said that the results of Kate Dalyπs unofficial survey were used åinternallyπ within the Unit, but he was not very forthcoming about what the survey revealed apart from confirming that yes, there were a lot of new arrivals. Inderjit suggested that alternative sources of funding (mobility, turbulence, personalised learning ) could be used creatively to provide for new arrivals. Of course, we made the point that for some LAs funding / human resources are being very stretched.

EMAG Funding.

∑ From Sept 06 onwards there will be discussions about EMAG from Apr 08 onwards. It seems very likely that money will be delegated directly to schools on a formula basis. The major question is whether the Grant will continue to be ringfenced. The Unitπs advice to ministers will be that the Grant needs to to continue to be ringfenced because the systems for monitoring schoolsπ outcomes are not yet sufficiently robust.

∑ Inderjit suggested that if grant money is delegated directly to schools there would still be money for the central LA EMAG teams perhaps based on what is currently retained by the LA..

∑ There will not be a huge consultation on this. Discussions will build towards the next Spending Review in summer 07.

Inderjit seemed to be saying that the only thing worth fighting for was the issue about ringfencing as everything else was non-negotiable. He suggested that we:

Send a case to retain ringfencing to the Unit

Organise a delegation to the Minister.

The åministerπ is now Andrew Adonis, actually the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools. Jacqui Smith has been replaced as Schools Minister by Jim Knight, but the EMA part has been delegated ådownwardsπ to Lord Adonis who is in theory åunderπ Jim Knight.

Inderjit said that there was no point in arguing against other aspects (outcomes driven approaches) but to accept them and explore the åmonitoring systemsπ and schools ability to self-monitor and evaluate are not yet developed enough to leave them to work on EMA without some financial restriction.

Changes within the Unit.

Inderjit is leaving possibly to go to Health or elsewhere in the DfES. Sharon Smith and Daniel Barrow will be joining the Unit.

EMA Briefing meetings will continue.

Inderjit will ask Sharon Smith to do a åreviewπ of Aiming High for the next meeting.