Ethnic Minority Achievement Service

BPSA - Bilingual Parent Support Advisors

Publications: Research: Drivers and Challenges in Raising the Achievement of Pupils from Bangaldeshi, Somali and Turkish Backgrounds Helping children to learn at home - learning aids
School Feedback (2009): - "The BPSA helped Increase the participation of the Somali community in school life " - IAMS -"TheBPSA has a positive impact on promoting community cohesion at Gillespie" - Gillespie. - "The BPSA was involved in organising numerous workshops for parents’ i.e. Healthy eating, sex education, ICT club" - Highbury Quadrant.

There are currently fifteen people working as Bilingual Parent Support Advisor( BPSAs) working with the EMAS (Ethnic Minority Achievement Service) team. They work in different schools in Islington according to their needs and are currently placed in: Ambler, Grafton, Duncombe, Pakeman, Montem, Christ the King, Highbury Quadrant, New North, EGA, Gillespie, IAMS, Robert Blair, Mt Carmel and Drayton Park.

BPSAs ensure that parents are as involved as possible in their children's education, both in school and at home. Their work in primary schools also involves some home-language work with pupils, and in secondary schools the BPSAs have more of a mentoring role.