Unlike other authorities we have been fortunate with a similar amount of funding with only minor reductions being made. However, our numbers have increased as have the number of schools we support in and funding has not increased to reflect this. This has resulted in MEAS support prioritised to the newest arrivals. We currently have 5 FTE staff and this has been consistent since the end of the MELAP project. Presently the work of the MEAS team is dominated by the welcome arrival of Refugee families in the authority. There is additional Home Office funding to employ dedicated Arabic TAs who require induction, training, support as well as the new pupils and families. This work is very much taking priority at the moment.
In general Carmarthenshire schools have support for EAL learners in addition to a ‘light touch’ capacity building support from our EAL Specialist teachers.

Whilst we are making the move towards a capacity building model of service delivery, I feel that this should not replace one of pupil support. The role of the bilingual TA can’t be underestimated particularly in the initial period of a new arrival. They allow for communication between pupils, their peers, parents and staff and allow the school to provide more targeted support to improve pupil wellbeing. In Carmarthenshire we also offer Polish GCSE and support schools in offering other home language GCSEs.

EAL support works best when it is done in partnership with schools. EAL specialists provide support to new arrivals and more advanced learners to gain qualifications, home –school liaison and bilingual needs in addition to providing training and development to mainstream teachers. We work closely with Senior management teams in Primary, Secondary and Welsh medium schools to ensure that EM/EAL pupils are fully supported. This support could be bilingual support (interpreting and translating), in-class support and limited withdrawal support, signposting ESOL classes, primary to secondary and post 16 transition support. In the past we have applied for and benefitted from other funding sources such as the ESF which funded the successful Minority Ethnic and Language Achievement Project.
We work collaboratively with other services both locally and regionally, such as Social Services, LAC, advisory teachers, Psychologists and outside the authority we have close links with the Ethnic Youth Support Team, Global Learning Partnership, Show Racism the Red Card, British Council and our colleagues in other Minority Ethnic Achievement Services.

To protect funding for EM/EAL children. It needs to be protected and based on need. This would give more stability to jobs and more optimism for the team.