Initial support team

The CLAS Initial Support team provides induction support for Asylum Seeker and International New Arrival pupils. The team consists of Specialist Teachers of English as an Additional Language (EAL), Bilingual Language Assistants, an Asylum Seeker Link Worker and a Race Equality and Diversity Coordinator.

We undertake to:

work closely with a wide range of Local Authority and national agencies;
facilitate home school liaison;
pass on relevant information obtained from the family;
provide information on the pupil’s linguistic and cultural background;
inform school about the type and timescale of support available;
help to integrate the pupils into school life;
provide first language (L1) support wherever possible;
complete a language assessment outlining recommendations for the future;
suggest teaching strategies for supporting bilingual pupils at the early stages of acquiring English;
signpost staff towards appropriate resources;
discuss and devise resources for EAL pupils according to the school’s needs;
support schools with exam arrangements for pupils with EAL;
provide short term in-class support;
monitor pupil progress;
support schools in maintaining regular attendance;
inform schools about asylum and refugee issues;
provide training tailored to the needs of the school;
be a point of reference for information, advice or problem solving.

The CLAS Initial Support Team can only provide temporary support. The school will therefore need to:

make the pupil and family welcome at school;
organise a pupil to befriend the new arrival;
inform the pupil about extra curricular activities;
inform the parents or carers about holidays, occasional days and any alterations to the school day;
attempt to communicate with carers and pupils whether or not they share a common language;
ensure that all staff are aware of the correct spelling and pronunciation of names;
ensure that staff are aware of relevant information regarding the pupil and family, including the languages spoken at home;
celebrate cultural diversity within the school;
provide dual language dictionaries or picture dictionaries;
be aware that pupils may not speak until they feel confident and that this should not be taken as a sign of lack of progress;
work in partnership with Specialist Teachers of EAL and Bilingual Language Assistants;
allow and encourage the use of first language (L1) in the classroom;
partner the young person with pupils who are good language models;
set according to ability regardless of the child’s level of English language acquisition;
enter and prepare pupils for GCSE language exams in their first language and/or language of education where appropriate;
arrange training with the CLAS on professional development days and take advantage of training offered by the CLAS.

The Asylum Seeker Link Worker

This member of the Initial Support Team:

visits any new Asylum Seeker families in the Bury area;
visits existing families on a regular basis;
facilitates home school liaison;
assists in finding school places for children;
provides ‘drop in’ sessions at local schools for Asylum Seeker pupils to encourage self expression and sharing of thoughts and feelings through art and play;
discusses issues around bullying with schools;
signposts families to appropriate support and services including ESOL;
works closely with outside agencies to ensure the emotional well being of Asylum Seeker families;
assists families in accessing a range of sports and leisure facilities;
works with schools, families and services to promote attendance at school and to monitor poor or non attendance;
supports families at community groups and events.

Contact Lyn Grant or Lynne Edwards at the CLAS office on 0161 253 6423 for further information.

Race Equality

The Race Equality and Diversity Co-ordinator:

supports schools in developing and updating their Race Equality policies;
works across the Local Authority within a multi-agency partnership to tackle racism and racial inequality;
works across schools and other LA services to promote accurate recording and response to racist incidents;
monitors incidents of Racial Harassment reported by schools;
works to develop Community Cohesion within Children’s Services.

The Co-ordinator also delivers training on: