School Educational and Management Support

Overview

The School Attendance Team discharges all the Local Authorities responsibilities in relation to School Attendance.

It holds key responsibilities for child employment, child entertainment, Elective Home Education (EHE) and Children Missing from Education (CME).

The Team also supports vulnerable groups for example, Gypsy, Roma, Travellers and Travelling Communities (GRT), teenage parents, young offenders, those excluded from school and young people in care.

What the service provides

Education Welfare Officers provide both operational and strategic support; from case work, home visits, providing case evidence to Court through to leading on Early Help Assessments where attendance is the main issue, building capacity in schools and supporting the effective use of data.

Officers specialise in working with schools to develop effective systems, procedures and interventions; and work in partnership with organisations both inside and outside the LA (Local Authority) to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence.

Benefits to your school

Education Welfare Officers will support schools to analyse data, identify need and target interventions for pupils falling below average attendance. A school action plan will be created and reviewed each term, with a Register Audit offered annually.

Education Welfare Officers provide specialist interventions for pupils below 90%, investigating absences and, if appropriate, compile evidence for legal proceedings in the Magistrates Court.

Costs

Costs to be advised but schools can buy in a number of days per week or, on agreement, buy in casework referrals only.

Part or shared days will also be available at pro rata cost.

Additional information

Please see Bury's School Attendance Guide for schools for more detailed information.

Overview

The Service will provide:

• Advice, guidance and support on all aspects of the educational visits process.
• An online planning, advice and notification system with approval procedure for educational visits, to ensure that arrangements reflect LA guidance and current national good practice.

What the service provides

• Advice, guidance and support for educational visits
• Educational Visit Coordinator training
• Access to the educational visits website which contains national and local guidance and procedures; advice, information, updates and news; downloadable resources; a customisable library for the school and establishments' visit archive
• In addition, the Headteacher and Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC) will have access to an overview of all their establishment's visits and their approval status; a user manager tool to set up, amend and monitor staff user accounts and record training and awards; establishment visit forms - past, present and planned; establishment and Local Authority visit diaries with links to all visit forms; and customisable visit reporting tools
• Monitoring and approval (or non approval as appropriate) of all visits of the following types: overseas visits; adventurous activities, including all Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) activity; residential visits

Benefits to your school

Both members of the EVAS are full members of the Outdoor Education Advisers Panel, with the service lead being an Accredited Member. This is your assurance that all advice, guidance and training is both current and of high quality.

The Service provides a robust and efficient system for educational visits. The electronic system stores an archive of visit information and provides a 'one stop shop' to access a wide range of support materials and resources whilst enabling schools to demonstrate good practice (e.g. to Ofsted) with regard to learning outside the classroom activities.

Costs

The SLA price is based on pupil numbers and sent under separate cover.

Other establishments may be charged on an annual lump sum basis.

Additional information

A range of additional services is available, for which an additional charge may be applicable.

More information is available at: Evolve - Bury Visits.

Overview

The Service makes provision for a clerk to be provided by the Local Authority to attend one meeting of the governing body per term, together with the printing, stationery and postage costs, and administrative support linked to the clerking package.

Alternatively, the Service can provide papers only and allow schools to appoint their own clerk.

What the Service provides

• Identification of specific agenda items and preparation of individual school agendas
• Collation of agendas, reports, minutes and issue of these to all Governors
• Preparation and typing of minutes and forwarding to the Head Teacher and Chair of Governors as soon as possible after the meeting
• Initiation of action on items arising from decisions of the Governing Body and reporting back on such items
• Arrange where appropriate for resolutions to be reported to the Executive Committee (Children, Young People)
• Correspondence on behalf of the Governing Body on issues discussed at termly meetings
• Ensure compliance with changes in the Constitution of Governing Bodies
• Correspond with various agencies regarding membership vacancies

Benefits to your school

Statutory and other agenda items will be identified and included for consideration on appropriate agendas.

Agendas and supporting documents will be posted out to Governors within the statutory timescale for receipt of documents, currently at least seven clear days prior to the Governing Body meeting.

Costs

Prices vary depending on the level of service purchased and are included in the price list sent to schools.

Overview

The Curriculum and Language Access service works with schools to develop effective provision for minority ethnic, English as an additional language (EAL) and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) learners, for equalities work in schools and for an inclusive curriculum which prepares every child to be an effective member of a diverse local, national and global community.

The service includes:

• Consultants and leading teachers specialising in EAL, EMA, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller education and pastoral work and equalities and diversity;
• Bilingual language assistants, support workers and inclusion officer;
• Specialist teachers of English as an additional language; and teachers and tutors of community languages.

What the service provides

Whole school and strategic work

• Consultancy to develop effective self-evaluation processes, coordinate provision for EAL and GRT learners, review current curriculum, policies and practice and develop teaching and learning approaches which benefit pupils from all language and cultural backgrounds
• Support in developing a learning culture where having more than one language is valued and used for learning
• Support for schools in meeting the cultural, language and religious needs of pupils.
• Interpreting and translation services

Pupil support

• Specialist teachers and bilingual support workers to work in the classroom with pupils who are both new to the UK and at the early stages of learning English
• Specialist teachers and bilingual support workers to work in partnership in the classroom with class/ subject teachers and assistants to support pupils and develop teachers' understanding of working effectively with EAL and GRT learners
• Language assessments (including dual language assessments) to determine level of English and other languages and if factors in addition to those associated with EAL are impacting on learning
• Language classes/clubs for pupils from all language backgrounds
• Support for pupils taking GCSEs in community languages
• Pastoral support for International new arrivals, asylum seekers, refugee and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils

Teaching is mainly in classrooms but is currently also available online in some circumstances and through home learning packs for self-isolating pupils or those not able to attend school.

Professional learning and development

A wide range of professional learning and development, both developmental and individual sessions, on:

• Effective EAL and GRT coordination
• Teaching and learning with EAL and GRT learners and for living in a diverse society
• Language and literacy development
• Equalities in education
• SMSC development
• British Values and Community Cohesion

Home-school links and community

• Supporting participation in school life and learning, for parents of EAL and GRT learners
• Contacting parents and carers and making home visits
• Running parents' groups to support parental involvement in education
• Organising school and community linking activities
• Organising competitions, activities and events to promote community cohesion and equality
• Interpreting and translation to promote effective communication and inclusion.

Resources

• Development and sourcing of resources to use in school and at home, such as curriculum resources, dual language signs and posters, resource packs and translated documents.
• Loan of resources to enhance the curriculum and promote access to learning.
• Online resources for pupil learning, curriculum development and policies and practice.

Benefits to your school

CLAS assists schools in meeting the needs and raising the attainment of minority ethnic, English as an additional language (EAL) and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) learners. CLAS support helps schools to ensure that their EAL pupils have full access to the curriculum and that all pupils are prepared for life as active citizens in a diverse community.

Costs

Please see the CLAS SLA and price list sent to Bury schools. Other schools/organisations please contact us for information.

Additional information

All CLAS staff are DBS checked. All CLAS teachers have a specialist Master's level qualification and Bilingual Support Workers have a minimum of Level 5 qualifications and specialist training. Pastoral and Play Therapy work is carried out by suitably qualified and trained staff.