The Bilingual Community Officer
Services
Benefits of purchasing this
service:The EMAS BCO Team includes skilled and highly
trained staff who speak Somali, Bengali, Turkish, Kurdish, Albanian,
Spanish or Portuguese. The BCO Team works in partnership with
schools to support the achievement of pupils with English as an
Additional Language (EAL) by:
- involving the parents of pupils more fully in their children’s
education at school and at home
- helping develop systems in schools that support parents in
gaining a clear understanding of school policies, practices and
procedures
- supporting pupil development through use of mother tongue, and
with particular attention to the five outcomes of Every Child
Matters
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Services offered under this
agreement:The main features of support to schools are
placements for one term or more of one or more BCOs, whose role is
to:
- Ensure parents feel welcomed when they first arrive at the
school
- Help parents gain a clear understanding of education provision
for their children generally in this country and specifically in
the school
- Ensure parents feel part of the school community and provide
opportunities for them to engage more fully in school life
- Ensure parents are informed of their children’s progress and
are enabled to discuss factors affecting their educational
development e.g. attendance, behaviour, attitude
- Help parents support their children’s educational progress by,
e.g., encouraging maintenance of mother tongue and advising on how
to support literacy development
- Consult with parents and represent their experiences,
feelings, opinions and concerns to school staff
- Translate essential information for parents and engage in
informal and formal interpretation
- Create opportunities for parents to improve their own English
language skills through, e.g., provision of ESOL classes
- Participate in support of identified pupils and liaise with
other teaching and support staff to raise pupils’ achievement
- Develop family learning opportunities for identified groups of
parents and their children
- Develop links with partner agencies (e.g. Home/School Links,
and Health Professionals) in order to assist them in focusing on
the needs of particular communities
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Quality Assurance SystemOur
service standards are monitored in a variety of ways to ensure
continuous improvement:
- schools are given information regarding the service, including
information and details on our service standards and how to
complain
- we have a written policy to be used by staff when handling
complaints. All comments, complaints and appeals are logged and a
response provided within 10 days. All complainants receive a
personalised response, telling them what action will be taken.If a
complainant is not satisfied, they are referred to the
CEA@Islington’s Complaints Officer
- external inspection - District Audit and OfSTED have carried
out regular reviews and action plans have been developed and
implemented in response to their recommendations
- performance indicators are routinely collected and published
- an emphasis on supervision for all staff by experienced
managers with a focus on quality assurance;
- standards are monitored through performance management and
team meetings;
- we consult other Local Authorities to benchmark our service.
Contact
Kathleen Walsh
CEA@Islington
Barnsbury
Centre
Offord Road
London
N1 1QF
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Tel: 020 7527 5627
E-Mail:
Kathleen.walsh.cea@islington.gov.uk |
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Charges and Method of
PaymentAnnual Costs are
| Days per week (term time only) |
Cost |
Daily rate equivalent |
| 0.5 |
£3,800 |
£200 |
| 1.0 |
£7,600 |
£200 |
| 1.5 |
£11,400 |
£200 |
| 2.0 |
£14,440 |
£190 |
| 2.5 |
£18,050 |
£190 |
| 3.0 |
£20,520 |
£180 |
| 3.5 |
£23,940 |
£180 |
| 4.0 |
£25,840 |
£170 |
| 4.5 |
£27,360 |
£160 |
| 5.0 |
£30,400 |
£160 | Placements are agreed on a termly
(in which case the appropriate proportion of the annual cost is
charged) or annual basis.
Placements for shorter periods and
occasional days can be arranged at a daily rate of £220.
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