NUT/NALDIC National Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant Survey published

The joint NUT/NALDIC National Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant survey was published in February 2011. The survey, which was completed by over half of all local authorities in England, showed that nearly 70% of local authorities surveyed are deleting posts or making forced or voluntary redundancies potentially impacting on well over a thousand specialist staff.

Whilst some local authorities appear to have supported services to secure the retention funds from the DSG along with other central LA funding, in many more cases, the mainstreaming of EMAG has signalled the end of centrally funded EAL/EMA services. Respondents reported that this has been justified on the grounds that the Standards Fund grant funding has come to an end and that support for EAL/EMA is not viewed as a core function.

Negative impacts of mainstreaming of EMAG have already been felt in local authorities up and down England. Common impacts included:

a reduction in pupil support; a reduction in availability and a rise in costs of valued additional school based work such as interpretation or home school liaison; a shortage of knowledgeable specialists when demand is rising; reduction in training opportunities and capacity building projects in schools; and a disproportionate impact on less well funded schools.