The Staffordshire Minority Ethnic Achievement Service (MEAS) aims to help schools:
- support the inclusion of minority ethnic pupils
- promote diversity
- prevent racism
Brochures About the MEAS
The Ethnic Minority Achievement Unit
The work of the Advisers
The Resource Facility
Background
Staffordshire is a county of increasing diversity. There are now over 90 languages spoken by pupils in Staffordshire schools. The most common, other than English, are Mirpuri Punjabi and Polish.
Learners of Caribbean, African and mixed African/Caribbean and white heritage form nearly a quarter of the ethnic minority population in Staffordshire schools. At present the largest minority group in county schools is of children with dual/multi heritage backgrounds. "White other" children, particularly from Eastern Europe, are rapidly increasing as a population. Most minority ethnic pupils are distributed thinly across a larger number of schools.
What We Do
MEAS helps schools raise the achievement of all ethnic minority pupils, with particular support for underperforming minority ethnic groups.
The Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) from central government, match funded by Staffordshire County Council, provides schools where there are significant communities of minority pupils, with additional funding to raise achievement.
Further information about the work of MEAS and how to contact us is available by following the links on the left of this page.
You have a New Arrival with EAL and are not a school in receipt of EMA grant funding?
To request help in supporting a new arrival with EAL complete a 
Notification of New Arrival Form(Staffordshire schools and settings only) and return to meas@staffordshire.gov.uk
E-Updates from MEAS
If you would like to receive a regular electronic newsletter from MEAS find out how to sign up here E-Updates
Great News.
Hot Off the Press
Staffordshire Minority Ethnic Achievement Service (MEAS) has received funding for a limited period from the Migrant Impact Fund and as a result has now appointed a team of Linguistic and Cultural Mediators ( LCMs) who can assist schools in receipt of newly arrived families.
The LCMs can :
- Act as interpreter at admissions or other meetings with parents and staff
- Support child and family in the first few days at school helping them make sense of how schools work in Staffordshire - this is in a mentoring role rather than as a bilingual support assistant
- Support parent/staff at parents evening ( this is limited to one such meeting per school)
- Attend meetings with parents and school staff and other professionals e.g. school nurse regarding health care matters
- Translate simple letters home for parents and from home to school.
LCMs may also support MEAS Advisers in carrying out first language assessments of newly arrived pupils.
LCM use will be determined by need. All schools can apply for the use of an LCM. We anticipate a large demand but MEAS will give priority to those schools:
- with no or very limited experience of working with EAL pupils and their families
- where no one at all in school speaks the same language as the child/family
- that express concerns about the progress of a recently arrived child
- that need someone to act as an interpreter in a meeting about the child - with the proviso that LCMs cannot be used in any meeting relating to statementing
The LCM will have an evaluation form with them when they come into school which the HT or member of the SLT must complete at the end of the work carried out by the LCM in school. The completion of this form is essential as it is required by the funder,
Please note: non-completion of the form will bar the school from having an LCM in the future.
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Last Modified:
15/01/2010 11:16:50
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