EMTAS Moodle

By former EMTAS Specialist Teacher Advisor Jess Richards

It’s one thing to be an advisor helping other people welcome new arrivals. It’s quite another when your family become the new arrivals themselves.

At the start of 2024 my husband and I relocated to Texas with our two children. To be absolutely clear, we are in a privileged position. We weren’t escaping conflict or instability, we had the support of a big corporate employer and – most significantly of all – we didn’t have a language barrier to overcome. Nonetheless, moving several thousand miles with kids has been a real education for this so-called ‘specialist’.

I am pleased to say I have seen a lot of excellent practice. My daughter arrived in Kindergarten in the middle of the school year and was literally welcomed with open arms. Teachers stood outside on her first day with signs like an airport arrivals lounge to make sure she knew where to go. They were visibly excited to meet her and make her part of the school community. We received lots of information about aspects that were completely new to us: riding the bus or joining the car lines for school pick up, buying school supplies. Despite the frequency of accepting new students from overseas it hadn’t dampened their enthusiasm. Not once did our arrival feel like an added burden in their busy schedules. School spirit and belonging wasn’t just theoretical; they were living it out every day.

There’s an infographic sometimes used in EMTAS training with concentric circles showing the concerns of newly arrived students. The outside circle is the least complex, applying to any child at a new school without the added burdens of language acquisition or forced displacement. This is the circle where my family sits. Will I make friends? Will I know where to find the toilet? Will they have food I like? These are easy to solve but often overlooked. I have a new appreciation for them now. When you’re operating in a totally different education system, the little things really matter.

What did my children find most challenging? Ironically, my six year-old daughter says it’s the language. She’s a first language English speaker in a first language English setting and yet she’s still navigating linguistic differences every day. We tried to prepare her for the obvious: restrooms, recess, trash. Others she learned by inference or plain old misunderstanding: band aids, tennis shoes, braids. Luckily she isn’t alone in a big expat community and she’s socially confident. A shy child might have found it quite tough.

The linguistic challenges for my three year-old son have been much more stark. Still early in his own English language journey, he had less context to help him piece things together. We talked about the ‘bathroom’ and the ‘restroom’ and his ‘pants’ but didn’t realise how frequently he would be asked, ‘do you need to go potty?’ Once he worked out it was ‘potty’ not ‘party’ (accents are tricky when you’re three!) he still thought it wasn’t for ’big boys’ like him. He assured them in no uncertain terms that he uses the toilet.

Our move has also taught me a lot about an aspect we sometimes overlook: cultural difference. I felt I had lived in America for nearly 40 years through my TV screen. I didn’t expect to feel so…different. Outside of my home country I don’t always know the code. What are suitable topics of conversation? Luckily we have Texan friends who will help us out and fortunately it’s usually fairly low-stakes. My daughter’s school explained that we needed a home-made post box in time for 14^th February. Nonethless I didn’t realise every child in my son’s preschool class required a treat as well as a Valentine’s card. Next year we will try not to come off as the stingy Brits.

In the grand scheme of things these are minor issues. However, they serve to underline the scale of the challenge for other children who might be newly contending with language, literacy and sometimes the imprint of trauma. It’s a steep hill to climb. The very best thing we can offer in schools is empathy.

By the Hampshire EMTAS Specialist Teacher Advisors with the support of the wider EMTAS team 

In this first blog of the academic year the EMTAS team congratulate students on their fantastic GCSE results, share their new programme of network meetings and update readers on their work with the University of Reading. We conclude this blog with some introductions. 
 
Heritage Language GCSEs 

2023-24 was a bumper year for EMTAS with the Heritage Language GCSEs. 200 requests were made by 11 schools and 187 students were supported by EMTAS Bilingual Assistants in the speaking exam, whilst 70 students had support for reading and writing too. It was great to see so many schools celebrating multilingualism by offering Heritage Language GCSEs to their students. Polish was the most requested language with the largest number of candidates sitting the exam; our Polish Bilingual Assistants supported 38 students at one school alone. Results are in and we are pleased to report that 66% of the students supported by EMTAS Bilingual Assistants achieved the top Grade, 9, with a further 19% achieving an 8.     
 
EMTAS network meetings  

Starting this term, we are tailoring our online network meetings to best meet the needs of our schools. Before the summer, schools were sent a link to a form to complete, allowing us to schedule network meetings on the most popular topics and on the most popular days/times as advised by you. Our programme of network meetings for this term is now live on our website. We are starting on September 17th with a session focussing on the needs of learners who are new to English. Later this term you will have the opportunity to join sessions focussing on the needs of more advanced learners of EAL, a meeting exploring how to use first language as a tool for learning in the classroom and a session considering how to track progress in acquisition of English for learners of EAL. We look forward to seeing you online – book a network meeting now. 
 
University of Reading with EMTAS: research project update 

Our joint research project with the University of Reading continues into this academic year. Naomi Flynn held interviews with the EAL or Traveller co-ordinators and Headteachers of fourteen schools from across the county before the summer. These were very helpful in establishing what schools currently do to support their multilingual, Traveller and Showmen pupils, what they find challenging, and what they would like to see in the new oracy-related training materials that will emerge from this project. Alongside the interviews, Naomi is meeting regularly with the EMTAS teacher team to establish what the principles driving the new materials will be and how we might ensure their accessibility and usefulness to schools. Early this term we will send out invitations for schools to take part in trialling the new resources for us from November 24 – February 25. We’d like to thank those schools who have already taken part; your input has been invaluable. If you have not yet taken part in an interview, and/or want to know more about the project, there is still time (contact Naomi on n.flynn@reading.ac.uk). Alternatively, do please send us your thoughts at this questionnaire link.  

Report on the impact of the Young Interpreter Scheme 

Supporters of the Young Interpreter Scheme and avid readers of the blog will be familiar with research carried out by Debra Page on the Young Interpreter Scheme as part of her PhD. We are delighted that Debra – now Dr Page – has completed her PhD and shared her findings with us. She concludes that  

Read Debra’s report now… 

EMTAS staffing  

Just before the summer break, the EMTAS Bilingual Assistant team welcomed Nyonde, who works with Fiona Calder as Achievement Project Officer for children of black and ethnic minority heritage. Lubna added Urdu to the languages we can cover, and Katya joined our Ukrainian team. Joining EMTAS in September, Anu brings Malayalam and Tamil to our offer to schools and Thibaut joins our teacher team; he’ll be covering schools in the New Forest. All look forward to working with you this academic year. 

Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service | Hampshire County Council (hants.gov.uk)

By the Hampshire EMTAS Specialist Teacher Advisors with the support of the wider EMTAS team 

It has been another busy year for Hampshire EMTAS. In this article we examine this academic year’s data and share interesting trends - these trends are reflected in our staffing update as well as the BCAP and B-ELSA role sections. We reflect on our work with Separated Minors (aka Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children) and share highlights of our support to pupils from Traveller and Showmen heritages. We celebrate the end of the GCSEs, catch up with our new study skills programme and reveal the schools who have successfully achieved their EAL/Traveller Excellence Award. Next, there is an update on our research project with the University of Reading. You will see we also ask for your input to help us shape next term’s programme of network meetings. We finish with a note from Team Leader Dr Sarah Coles.

This academic year in data

Our referrals this year total a little over 1,000. The most referred language this time has been Malayalam, reflecting families coming new to Hampshire from Southern India. Also featuring in our data are various African languages; Isizulu, Ndebele, Twi, Igbo, Swahili, Somali, Hausa, Mandinka and Afrikaans. For each of these, we've had relatively low numbers referred. However, when combined they’ve added up to enough for us to have needed to increase our staffing for this diverse group of children. Although not at the same rate as in recent years, we’ve also continued to receive lots of referrals for children here with their families as refugees. They represent speakers of an array of languages and they originate from countries across the globe – Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Pakistan and Ukraine to name a few. So it's been all hands to the pump as EMTAS staff have worked to profile all the children, and to support them in the way that best matches the needs of the individual. 

EMTAS staffing update

New to the EMTAS Bilingual Assistant team this year we have welcomed Nyonde, who works with Fiona C to support black children on roll in our schools. Lubna adds Urdu to the languages we can cover, Katya joins our Ukrainian team this summer term and in September, Anu brings Malayalam and Tamil to our offer to schools. Replacing Jess, who left for a new life in America at Christmas, Michelle joined the teacher team in the summer term and has been building relationships with staff in schools in Fareham and Gosport, her new patch, ever since. Thibaut will join our teacher team in September; he’ll be covering schools in the New Forest.

We say farewell to Kevin, who joined us just for 1 academic year to help cover our Cantonese referrals. Kevin goes on to a support role in a school. Sudhir is leaving us too. He’s been a member of the BA team for 16 years, and is well-known in schools with Nepali children on roll. Sudhir is off to train to be a maths teacher and we wish him every success in that endeavour. Finally, we congratulate Team Leader Dr Sarah Coles on successfully completing her PhD.

BCAP

This year we are delighted to welcome a new Achievement Project Officer for children of black and ethnic minority heritage. The team consists of two people who are covering the whole county mainly supporting children of colour. We have had a significant increase in the number of referrals from schools for children who speak African languages, the main ones appearing on referrals being Shona, Yoruba, Ndebele and Twi. Our Achievement Project Officers can now offer Cultural Awareness training to schools in addition to their support for these pupils.

Bilingual ELSA (B-ELSA)

Using funding for children from Ukraine, EMTAS and HIEP have worked together to develop a new role, the Bilingual ELSA. Our Bilingual ELSAs receive the same training and supervision with an Educational Psychologist as a school-based ELSA. The Bilingual ELSAs work together with school-based ELSAs to plan, deliver and review ELSA sessions tailored to children from Ukraine. In this way, school-based ELSAs stay fully informed about the Ukrainian children’s emotional well-being whilst the children will always have access to someone in school who understands how they are feeling and the issues they are dealing with like the loss of their home in Ukraine, bereavement, separation from family members and friends, loss of power and control over key aspects of their daily lives and uncertainty.

Bilingual ELSAs offer children a real connection to home as they give an opportunity to speak in first language as well as English. Our B-ELSA team share resources with school-based ELSAs and bring in other materials too, eg from Bear us in Mind. This charity provides, amongst other things, teddy bears in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. A bear attends each B-ELSA session, offering children a tangible anchor of emotional comfort.

Separated Children 

You will have noticed we now refer to Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) as ‘separated children’, as this better describes the ongoing experience of separation they face. According to government statistics there were 3,285 applications from separated children in the year ending March 2024, 5% of the total asylum applications to the UK.

The separated children we have met at EMTAS have mostly come from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Sudan and the most common languages have been Pashto, Arabic and Kurdish Sorani. Some of these children have been attending schools in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, but we have also been continuing our work with the Virtual School to provide profiling assessments for separated children under Hampshire who have been placed in other counties. We have had 27 separated children referred to EMTAS since September 2023.

These children have to learn to deal with a new language, a new school system, a new home and a new culture, without family and friends to support them. Some cope with this change incredibly well, whilst others feel out of place and find the lessons overwhelming and the restrictions of school life in the UK very difficult to adjust to. If one of these brave young people arrives at your school, please do get in contact with EMTAS as soon as possible so that we can work together to support them as they learn to adjust to their new life. For more information and guidance on separated children, see our Moodle folder Asylum Seekers and Refugees. Try this quiz too, to see how much you really know about refugees: Refugee Action quiz (refugee-action.org.uk). 

Traveller & Showmen work

As usual the Traveller team have been busy throughout the year supporting all our schools, families and children. Julie and Steve, our two Traveller Support Workers (TSWs), have been in schools visiting all our primary aged children whilst Claire, our Traveller Team lead, has been supporting students in secondary schools via our Traveller & Showmen clinics. This is no mean feat when you consider that we are currently supporting 325 children. During this academic year Helen, our Traveller Team Teacher, has made 28 school applications to help Traveller & Showmen pupils to get places in Hampshire schools. 

As well as continuing with our Traveller & Showmen book and gardening clubs, we have also been running an attendance project. Claire and Helen have been working with four schools and their families to support increased attendance. Next year we are hoping to extend the project to include more schools. 

To celebrate Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month we were very privileged to be able to provide two live, online story-telling sessions with author Richard O’Neill. We were joined by lots of our schools and hundreds of children were able to enjoy Richard’s wonderful stories. We also held a poetry competition around the month’s official theme ‘What does family mean to you?’. We encouraged our pupils to write a poem entitled ‘What family means to me’. We have had some fantastic entries and Claire and Helen will be getting together soon to decide who will win a signed Richard O’Neill book. 

Heritage Language GCSEs

This has been a bumper year for EMTAS with the Heritage Language GCSEs. 200 applications were made by 11 schools and 187 students were supported by EMTAS Bilingual Assistants in the speaking exam, whilst 70 students had support for reading and writing too. It is great to see so many schools celebrating multilingualism by offering Heritage Language GCSEs to their students. Polish was the most requested language with the largest number of candidates sitting the exam; our Polish Bilingual Assistants supported 38 students at one school alone. All our Bilingual Assistants supporting Heritage Language GCSEs have been racing from school to school to carry out the speaking exams within the assessment window. We are looking forward to results day on 22 August when we hope the students will be celebrating their achievements. Our staff are looking forward to hearing how well their students did too. 

Study Skills Programme

This academic year our Bilingual Assistants have been providing support to pupils through the Study Skills Programme, a new and innovative form of support for pupils in Years 5 and 6 and KS3/4 who are literate in their first language. The aims of the programme are to help pupils explore how they feel about their learning and their subjects and to equip them with different tools and strategies they can apply in their lessons and home learning. For example, pupils have been learning how to use Google Lens to create a glossary, had a go at using Immersive Reader to access a text and much more. After an initial pilot at the start of the academic year the programme is now part and parcel of our ways of working with pupils.

Feedback from the programme has been overwhelmingly positive. One Bilingual Assistant fed back that throughout the sessions, her pupil displayed a strong interest in the programme and seemed determined to learn about the tools and skills introduced to support her learning. Another pupil said that she found Microsoft Translator and Immersive Reader especially useful for her revision practice. She was already familiar with some of the tools but commented that it was useful for her to explore these further and discover new features that she had not been aware of.

It is hoped that the impact of the programme will be apparent in class long after the pupils have completed the programme. In order to maximise impact and help pupils continue to develop independence in the classroom, the use of translation tools will need to be woven through teacher planning. To enable them to do this effectively, there will be opportunities for colleagues to learn more about the technology built into the Study Skills Programme in the new academic year. 

EAL and Traveller Excellence Award celebrations

This academic year, we have once again celebrated the hard work of many Hampshire schools, and others further afield, who have achieved an EAL or Traveller Excellence Award. 

Achieving the bronze level Traveller Excellence Award this year was Micheldever Primary school. Silver was awarded to Robert May’s School. We keep everything crossed for Greenfields Junior school, Wellow Primary school and The Hurst for their upcoming validations at bronze level.

Achieving the bronze level EAL Excellence Award were the City of Leicester College and New Milton Junior school. Silver level was awarded to Purbrook Infant school, St Peter’s Junior school, St Michael’s Infant school and Fleet Infants. Achieving the gold level award were Swanmore College, Alderwood Senior school, Alderwood Infants and Junior school, Elvetham Heath Primary school, The Riccher Federation Nursery Schools, The Wavell and Al Rabeeh Academy. Congratulations to all these schools and settings on this fantastic achievement!

This year we have introduced two new elements within our EAL awards. We have developed an Early Years Foundation Stage EAL Excellence award which we have already been successfully using to validate some nurseries and pre-schools during its pilot phase. In addition to this, we have now included a Diamond level within our EAL award. For schools that have successfully been validated at gold level twice, they can begin working towards their Diamond level. More information regarding this exciting addition can be found here: Working beyond Gold – introducing the new EMTAS Diamond EAL Excellence Award (hants.gov.uk). 

University of Reading and EMTAS research project

Our joint research project with the University of Reading has got off to a great start. Naomi Flynn has held interviews with the EAL or GRT co-ordinators and Headteachers of fourteen schools from across the county. These have been very helpful in establishing what schools currently do to support their multilingual, Traveller and Showmen pupils, what they find challenging, and what they would like to see in the new oracy-related training materials that will emerge from this project. Alongside the interviews, Naomi has been meeting regularly with the EMTAS teacher team to establish what the principles driving the new materials will be and how we might ensure their accessibility and usefulness to schools. Early next term we will send out invitations for schools to take part in trialling the new resources for us from November 24 – February 25. We’d like to thank those schools who have already taken part; your input has been invaluable. If you have not yet taken part in an interview, and/or want to know more about the project, there is still time (contact Naomi on n.flynn@reading.ac.uk). Alternatively, do please send us your thoughts at this questionnaire link. 

EMTAS network meetings 

Starting this autumn term, we will be tailoring our network meetings to further meet the needs of our schools. Each school should have received a link to a form to complete, allowing us to provide our network meetings on the most popular topics and on the most popular days/times as advised by you, our colleagues. Once we have received the feedback from schools, we will be sending out information regarding the upcoming network meetings, allowing schools to book onto those of interest. Should any Hampshire schools not have received this form to complete, the following link can be used: https://forms.office.com/e/14c2MizvEp. 

Finally, a conclusion by Team Leader Sarah Coles

2023-24 has whizzed by and as you can see, we’ve been kept very busy throughout, navigating all the changes and challenges that have come our way since September. Working in this field brings new things to learn all the time, even when you’ve been around as long as I have (24 years!). I look forward to finding out what 2024-25 has in store for us. But first, and like most of us at EMTAS and in schools too I’m sure, I look forward to the summer holidays.

By the Hampshire EMTAS Teacher Team

Hampshire EMTAS is working with Merton Infant School, Cranbourne School and St Swithun Wells Primary School to develop an additional level for the EAL Excellence Award (EXA). The new level will acknowledge the achievement of schools maintaining Gold standards while acting as EAL centres of expertise and reaching out to the community. Schools achieving Diamond level will be recognised by a trophy and certificate and celebrated on the EMTAS website/Moodle.

To qualify for Diamond, schools will need to have been previously validated at Gold. They must also demonstrate they are maintaining their Gold level practice for their subsequent validation. In addition to this they will show further evidence of work within 1 of the following 3 strands:
-       Community (working with families in wider catchment)
-       Collaboration (working with other schools)
-       Contribution (working with EMTAS).

Schools will have flexibility in choosing their area of expertise and how they may like to evidence this. They may also collaborate on a particular project.

Below are examples of pieces of work which may lend themselves to each strand. Individual schools may come up with their own ideas for projects which are particularly relevant for their setting and the pupils and families in their local area. Colleagues should discuss their Diamond project ideas with their EMTAS Teacher Advisor first eg to avoid duplication of a resource.

As with other EXA levels, schools’ Diamond award will lapse after 2 years. To maintain their Diamond level, schools will need to evidence that they have maintained their Gold. This revalidation process will be flexible and driven by individual schools’ action plans. Schools will also need to show they have continued to contribute within the above strands.

 
Case studies

School A successfully achieves Gold in December 2022. In March 2024 they revalidate at Gold. In addition to this they demonstrate their work mentoring another school and their contribution to a new EMTAS resource. This school qualifies for a Diamond award.

School B submits evidence for their EXA in October 2023. This is their first ever submission. They are validated at Gold. At their validation they discuss their contribution to a network meeting in February 2021. This school does not yet qualify for a Diamond Award because they have only just recently achieved Gold and their Diamond evidence is out of date. To achieve Diamond the school needs to revalidate at Gold with current/varied evidence of work at Diamond standard.

 
By introducing the Diamond Award, we hope schools which have already obtained Gold will be inspired to use their experience and expertise in EAL to support others. We look forward to supporting schools in their projects and finding out their impact on the EAL community.

EMTAS are delighted to announce that we have just started a year-long collaborative research project with Prof Naomi Flynn from the University of Reading’s Institute of Education. In this blog we explain how this will work, what it will produce, and how schools can be part of the action.

What is the project?

The intention of the project is to unite Naomi’s research know-how with EMTAS’ EAL expert know-how in working with Hampshire schools.  This project builds on Naomi’s Talk Rich Teaching Project, which focussed on creating a UK version of a US approach to professional learning for teachers of multilingual pupils. Together we will build new professional learning materials for primary schools who want to enhance the level of talk in their classrooms as a route to raising their multilingual learners’ attainment. Naomi uses the term ‘multilingual learner’ rather than ‘learner with EAL’ because this foregrounds pupils’ multilingualism as an asset.

Why this collaboration?

Naomi has had a long-standing and fruitful relationship with EMTAS since 2007 when she first contacted us to help her PhD research at the University of Winchester. Therefore this collaboration is built on a strong relationship of mutual respect for each other’s work, and this gives the project significant potential for success.

Working with us gives Naomi the opportunity to spread the impact of her research to a wider audience and, for EMTAS, working with Naomi gives us the opportunity to explore new ways of working with our multilingual learners and our schools.

Why develop a talk rick approach to teaching EAL?

We know from a lot of research that multilingual learners need more access to talk in class if they are to make sustainable progress across the curriculum. We also know that the US-designed talk rich approach Naomi works with has led to better language and literacy outcomes for multilingual learners in both the US and the UK.

The approaches common to the professional learning that will be at the heart of our research project are based around:
- planning classroom activities that are inquiry-led,
- which celebrate our children’s identities,
- which involve some small group teaching,
- and where teachers work at saying less in order that children can say more.

There are some clear parallels with the current focus on oracy teaching, so this project is timely and something that can fit in with other whole school initiatives.

Moreover, we also know that this approach to teaching benefits all pupils and not just those who are multilingual. So, this is not something that will be additional to what schools already do, it’s more about re-thinking classroom delivery.

What will the benefits for Hampshire schools be?

Naomi has worked with one very diverse school over four years which rose from an OFSTED RI grading to Outstanding. So, we know that where schools buy into this approach for the long term, the outcomes are more likely to be successful.

However, we will be developing materials with the intention that schools can use them solo and at timescales that suit their school development priorities. These may include face-to-face professional development, but they will certainly be online. Where this project is a process of knowledge exchange, the end of project offering will become clearer over time, and we will keep you updated with regular blogs.

How can Hampshire schools get involved? 

We really need the input of Hampshire schools and teachers to make sure we get the development of these new materials right. Specifically, we are looking for primary schools with at least 10% multilingual learners. There are two ways in which you can get involved:
- You can feed directly into the design of the materials: We will interview your senior leadership team and EAL co-ordinator at a time and place convenient for you during the summer term 2024. We want to know how you currently support your multilingual learners and what you would want to see in online materials you can use as a staff team.
- You can pilot the materials with us and give us feedback on how you want them adapted for future schools’ use between Nov 24 and Feb 25.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about this project, you are welcome to contact Naomi by email: n.flynn@reading.ac.uk

Watch this space for more information and project news 😊

By Olha, EMTAS Bilingual ELSA and Sarah, ELSA at Shamblehurst Primary School

The Little Box of Big Thoughts from ‘Bear Us in Mind’

This blog explores how Bilingual ELSA (B-ELSA) support has worked at Shamblehurst Primary school in Hampshire. It brings together the perspectives of highly-experienced school-based ELSA Sarah, and EMTAS B-ELSA Olha.  They collaborated to provide ELSA support to children from Ukraine.  After an introductory section outlining why children from Ukraine might need ELSA support, the blog continues in the style of an interview, with questions followed by responses from these two practitioners.

Why B-ELSA support is particularly important for children from Ukraine 

The need for this sort of support arises because of the array of challenging experiences many Ukrainian children will have had, related to their displacement from country of origin.  For each Ukrainian child who has come to the UK as a refugee from war, their journey will be unique and may include things such as: 

- sudden departure from Ukraine when the war started

- loss of their home in Ukraine

- loss of belongings

- separation from family members, who remain in Ukraine

- separation from friends 

- leaving their pets behind

- not knowing for how long they will be in the UK

- adapting to living in someone else’s house with their rules and expectations (if with a host family in the UK)

- needing to adapt to life in a new language and culture

- loss of voice

- loss of choice

- loss of power and control over key aspects of their daily lives.

The above examples all contribute to toxic stress, and come on top of other, more common situational challenges that any child may experience, such as divorce or changes in their family’s financial circumstances.  Toxic stress can manifest itself in physiological symptoms such as tummy aches or headaches, and in behaviours such as withdrawal, regression to an earlier developmental stage or exerting control through what appear to be acts of defiance or refusal, this strongly linked to the child having lost their sense of self actualisation.  

The EMTAS B-ELSA role was developed as a way of offering support with their emotional literacy to children from Ukraine, many of whom have an attendant language barrier to contend with on top of all the other worries and stresses they carry round with them daily.  B-ELSAs work collaboratively with school-based ELSAs to plan, deliver and review ELSA sessions with children from Ukraine.  The remainder of this blog draws on the experiences of Olha and Sarah who have successfully worked together to plan and deliver ELSA sessions to children from Ukraine. 

How did you identify that your Ukrainian children needed ELSA support?

Sarah: Well, we noticed that there were things happening for the children at school that caused us to become concerned about them.  Teachers were key in identifying that there may be a need in addition to learning English.  This was discussed with our SENDCo and people on our Senior Leadership Team.  Our Head Teacher played a role too and has been very supportive of the collaborative way of working that comes with B-ELSA involvement. 

What have been the challenges in getting B-ELSA support to work?    

Olha: In general, whilst I have dedicated slots in my calendar for this work, some schools have said they can’t release their ELSA to work with me, so that’s been a problem.  Another issue I’ve had has been matching up calendars – mine and the school ELSA’s - to achieve consistency with the days and times of my visits.  In this school, it’s been easy because the Head Teacher has been so supportive.

Sarah: To be perfectly honest, before I worked with Olha I did think in schools we are so busy so if she’s coming, it’s two adults to one child.  I didn’t get it to start with - I thought ‘why don’t you just do the session on your own?’  But I totally get it now. 

Olha: Yes, same here - on a personal level, when I first started B-ELSA work, I wasn’t convinced I needed to be there at all as some children from Ukraine didn’t seem to need me for the language support.  I’ve changed my mind about that having had the experience of working with people like Sarah, and seeing how beneficial it is for the children. 

Sarah: I think it was crucial you were here.  You can give the children a real connection to home, because you give them opportunities to speak in first language.  Each week, the children have looked to you for support to express particular things they’ve wanted to say; they’ve really benefited from that.  Also the collaborative approach means when you stop coming, the child still has someone they know and can trust in school, someone who understands and is there for them.

How have you gone about collaboratively planning and delivering ELSA sessions?

Sarah: I’ve been really fortunate in that my school has been so open to B-ELSA support.  I’ve been given two hours a week for our two Ukrainian children, which is an absolute gift; in my regular ELSA work I don’t usually get the luxury of planning time.  Working with Olha, whilst I have suggested some possible activities for sessions, I’ve also valued her opinion and input.  With the extra time, we’ve been able to plan sessions together, and we’ve shared our ideas.

Olha: Yes, so 15 mins ahead of the session with the child, we’ve met to recap on the previous session, and share and consider feedback from teachers about what happened for the child during the rest of the week between visits.  It’s helped us tailor the sessions so we get them right for each child.

How have you figured out appropriate targets for the children you've worked with? 

Sarah: One child had some friendship issues so we’ve done some work on that.  They joined Year 5 and had to negotiate their place amongst friendships that were long-established within the peer group.  For them, it’s been the social aspects that have been more immediately challenging, yet vital as they need to build a new support network for themselves and to gain a sense of belonging here in school.

Olha: Yes, and it’s been really helpful that Sarah knows the other children in the class.  She’s brought that knowledge to the sessions – I wouldn’t have been able to do that bit on my own.  For this child, we’ve also worked on boundaries, the need to respect others’ feelings, what we can do for ourselves when we’re feeling upset.  So lots of work on emotional literacy.

Sarah: For another child, we decided we’d work on social skills as they’d been having difficulties following instructions in class.  We introduced a second child and we played some games together.  We talked about the rules of those games.  The Ukrainian child said they wanted to make a booklet so we came up with the idea of making a book of rules – things we need to remember when we’re playing with friends.  Each week we played a different game and we talked about the rules.

Olha: Yes, they knew we were working on that book, which was their idea.  At the end, they were so proud of their book of rules and they took it to share with their class.  I believe this child was more focused and engaged because we followed that project with them, their own idea.

How did you draw on the child's first language in your sessions?  

Olha: I’ve collected resources in Ukrainian, Russian and English through this role.  Some have come from my ELSA training with the Educational Psychology service; I especially like the ones from ‘Bear us in Mind’ – which is a charity set up to support refugee children, including those from Ukraine.

Sarah: We wanted to make sure the children understood the feelings words we were using.  We used cards to talk about that.  The children definitely needed Olha to be able to do this effectively.  Also, after seeing some of the resources in Ukrainian that Olha brought with her, I started using translation tools myself, to create more. 

For me, the language options Olha’s opened up for the children is the beauty of it – we’ll come in and have a chat about each child and go in my ELSA cupboard and choose something suitable.  For example the feelings cards – we picked a few cards and we asked what’s happening in the picture.  If we could add a speech bubble to the picture, what would they be saying/thinking?  Because Olha’s been there, the children have been able to use whichever language they like to express their thoughts and ideas.  I think this has been a real strength of it.

What has been the hardest part of working in this way? 

Sarah: To be honest, at the beginning I was concerned about my waiting list children.  I have lots of children with lots of needs.  Prioritising the Ukrainian children did make me feel a bit bad.  But a child at the top of my list was the one we chose to join some of the B-ELSA-supported sessions, which was great, really fortunate that it worked out that way.

Also, the targets from the teachers needed a bit of work to get them right for the children. 

Olha: We agreed on that – it’s been really common in my experience in this role.  Teachers sometimes think we have a magic wand and can solve anything and everything, but ELSA support can really only help with one thing at a time. 

Sarah: Yes, when we had our Remembrance Day, one child suddenly started talking about everything they’d been through and the teachers and the other children were shocked to hear it.  I think when something like that happens, people can go into panic mode.

Olha: I think this is sometimes where it doesn’t work so well in other schools – people lose confidence.  They sit back and they seem to want me to do everything, which isn’t how it’s meant to work.

What's been the most useful thing to have come out of your collaboration? 

Sarah: The legacy – through the work we’ve done together, the children have accessed the ELSA sessions so they’ve benefited from that.  Plus now they know me really well, and they understand I’m always here for them, even if Olha’s visits have ended for the time being.

How do you achieve a sense of closure at the end of a period of ELSA support? 

Sarah: Closure was really important for the children.  In the end, we decided we’d give each child a card, so I modified one I had.  In it, we put that Olha’s saying goodbye but the child can still come and talk to me.

Olha: Yes, a card like this is a resource we’re now developing at EMTAS.  The new cards will be printed with space to add something personal, special to each child.  All the EMTAS B-ELSAs will be able to give them to the children they’ve worked with.
 

The above conversation outlines some of the challenges associated with accessing B-ELSA support for children from Ukraine and some of the benefits – for the children, for their peers and for the adults around them.  It illustrates how one school has added B-ELSA support to their work with Ukrainian children and their families, developing a healing environment in which the children can begin to recover from the trauma they’ve experienced.  To find out more about working with refugee children and to access various free resources, including ‘Bear us in Mind’, mentioned by Olha, see Course: Asylum Seeker & Refugee Support (hants.gov.uk).

By Hampshire EMTAS Team Leader Sarah Coles 

This blog is about terminology and our understanding of a specific group of children for whom English is an Additional Language: heritage language speakers. 

Most practitioners who’ve spent any time at all working with multilingual learners in schools will be familiar with the concept of the international new arrival; children who come to the UK from overseas having been immersed in another language from birth.  Where they are typically developing, these children’s first language skills will be broadly similar to those of anyone who’s had a monolingual start in life.  Older learners who have been schooled in their language (L1) in country of origin may have literacy skills as well as oracy, whilst younger children who’ve not yet started to learn to read and write may have age-appropriate oracy skills only.  Whatever their skills in L1, it is often shortly after their arrival to the UK that these children embark on the task of adding English to their repertoire, hence they might be described as ‘sequential bilinguals’; L1 first, followed by English.

Heritage language speakers are a bit different.  The term ‘heritage language speaker’ is used to describe a child growing up in a society where their home language is not the same as the majority language.  For example, a heritage language speaker might be a child born in the UK to Polish speaking parents.  The main language in use at home might be Polish but outside of the home, they will also have exposure to English, the societally dominant language.  For these children, the model of bilingualism is ‘simultaneous’; exposure to both languages from birth (or shortly after).  What this means is that whilst such a child might have access to good L1 role models at home, overall their access to Polish is typically less than had they been born and raised in Poland.  So they may present with different skills in L1 in comparison with a monolingual Polish-only child.

Many UK-born heritage language speakers have their first experience of being immersed for prolonged periods of time in an all-English environment at pre-school.  They will, from that point onwards, rapidly develop their vocabulary in English, alongside the continuing development of L1.  However, due to their more limited exposure, it would be expected that their L1 oracy skills might develop more slowly than those of a child born and raised in an essentially monolingual setting, where the main language in use in all social situations is L1. 

As they reach school age, heritage language speaking children suddenly experience a dramatic increase in the amount of time they spend in social settings where English is dominant.  This typically corresponds with a reduction in access to L1.  Whilst in Year R, they may find opportunities to continue to use L1, for example in their spontaneous play with other children who share the heritage language; but in adult-led activities they quickly learn that English is required.  Often, it is from the start of school that heritage language speakers’ L1 development plateaus whilst their English comes on in leaps and bounds.  There can develop a dichotomy in terms of the words the child knows in their two languages too, with the academic vocabulary known only in English and L1 increasingly beached in informal, home-based contexts.  Further, parents often notice that when addressed in L1, their child prefers to respond in English. 

Thus from Year R onwards, it takes considerable effort on the part of parents to ensure their child does not lose the heritage language.  This is where the Family Language Policy (FLP) comes in.  FLPs are important in determining whether or not the heritage language will be successfully transmitted to the child and maintained over time, and comprise the unwritten ‘rules’ around language use in the home.  In families where parents continue to use L1 at home, its transmission and maintenance tend to be more successful.  But in families where parents gradually abandon L1 in favour of English, which is especially likely in families where one of the parents is a monolingual English speaker themselves, the prognosis is much bleaker.  Ceding L1 in favour of English might be prompted by their children’s growing preference for the majority language, but the often unintended consequences can include those same children no longer being able to talk to their grandparents, with the chances of the heritage language surviving to the next generation, their children’s children, reduced to zero. 

So what does this matter to practitioners?  Well, especially in the Early Years, it is important that schools work closely with parents if the complete loss of the heritage language is to be avoided.  These days, ICTs gift us with lots of ways in which we can make space for children’s L1s in Foundation Stage settings, and it’s really important that practitioners avail themselves of these.  If they do not overtly value children’s L1s and encourage their use at school, children will quickly learn to leave their heritage languages at the school door to wait for home time. 

To find out more about ICTs that could be used at school to promote children’s heritage languages, see

Early Years (hants.gov.uk)

Use of ICT (hants.gov.uk) 

By Hampshire EMTAS Specialist Teacher Advisor Astrid Dinneen