About us

Hampshire Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (Hampshire EMTAS)

We are a team of bilingual assistants, bilingual assistant managers, specialist teachers of English across the curriculum, project officers, and administrative support. We work in partnership with schools and minority communities in Hampshire to meet the needs of ethnic minority pupils at risk of underachievement.

EMTAS works with children aged 3 - 16 in nurseries, playschools, primary, secondary and special schools. he service aim is to help schools develop appropriate provision for ethnic minority pupils at risk of underachievement, including pupils for whom English is an additional language, thus enabling them to access the curriculum.

Hampshire EMTAS offers advice to schools, in-service training, development of partnership teaching and support for whole school policies. The service also helps to promote links with parents and communities.

Further information can be found in Training, Travellers and Schools: New Arrivals sections.

Hampshire EMTAS currently works with over 200 Hampshire schools where pupils speak 100 languages.

Projects managed by us

With successful bids for various funding, new community language classes in parts of Hampshire and homework and language classes in some schools have started. These Out of School and Adult Learning Projects are matched funded and managed by the service. Further information can be found in our Projects section.

Summary of what Hampshire EMTAS offers:

achievement focus in schools with pupils from those ethnic minority groups most at risk of underachieving (according to county data analyses)
bilingual support for new arrivals referred by schools
training for school staff on ethnic minority achievement
training for mainstream teachers to support EAL pupils effectively
externally funded projects
resources
advisory support and information
interpreting and translation service

Buying into the service

Part of the conditions of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant requires that a proportion of the grant be offered to schools on a 'devolved basis'. Hampshire LEA schools (headteachers and governors) are asked at the beginning of the Spring term if they wish to retain the grant, under strict criteria, or 'buy back' into a central service.

The allocation of the grant is based on a formula produced by the Information and Research Unit and based on Pupil Levels Annual School Census (PLASC) data supplied by all schools.

Although playgroups and nurseries are not included in the allocation of the grant or any subsequent 'buyback' the service is able to offer staff training.

How Hampshire EMTAS works

Schools who elect to 'buy back' may use the following services:

New arrivals - for newly-arrived pupils for whom English is an additional language or for asylum seekers/refugees please fill in and send us a referral form or contact the Basingstoke Office.
Training - please contact the Training Manager at Basingstoke office or Hampshire EMTAS staff working in schools.
Achievement focus - Hampshire EMTAS staff contact specific schools and make agreements.

Where we are based

The main office and Resources Centre is situated within Aldworth Science College, Basingstoke; there is an additional office base within Havant Local Office.