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Help and support with cost of living

Parents and home school liaison

International new arrival (INAs) parents, like all parents, are part of the school community and ensuring that they are receiving all the support they can to get involved with school life and their child's learning is really important. There are many ways that schools can facilitate this.

Two smiling adults and two children, facing a person holding a piece of paper

Home school communication  

Schools need to ensure that INA families can understand the communication from school and can also respond. The following suggestions will help:

  • Ensure your website can be translated into the languages that are relevant to your school and make it clear on the website how to do this
  • Documents and letters that go out should be in plain English or translated when possible
  • Increase your use of visuals in all communication and signage in the school and reception area
  • Communicate with EAL  parents via text or WhatsApp so that translation can be used
  • Encourage bi-multilingual parents and staff to support interpretation and translation
  • Use interpreters for important meetings such as when discussing SEND, behaviour or other sensitive issues
  • Use a bilingual phoneline service for 3 way interpreting calls 

Understanding the UK education system, Safeguarding and SEND

  • Organise INA parent meetings or coffee mornings to explain UK Education system and important safeguarding/SEND issues - EMTAS can support with this  

Useful documents 

How INA parents can help children learn at home

  • Reassure INA parents that  speaking their first language at home is fine but stress the importance of reading and accessing literacy in all languages
  • Promote the use of Dual Language Reading books at home
  • Encourage attendance at supplementary schools (if the opportunity exists) 

Community cohesion and English classes

  • Encourage INA parents to get involved in the life of the school through volunteering or offering some language support
  • Encourage INA parents to attend assemblies, parent/teacher groups/governors
  • Fundraise for local charities which involves all parents
  • Invite parents to share their culture with the school through talks, events and special assemblies
  • Work with partners to provide Talk English classes in your setting for EAL parents 

Ethnic minorities and travellers

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