Schools and learning

How does MECSS work?

Partnership with schools

MECSS works in partnership with schools to enable them to:

• fulfil their responsibilities to deliver race equality and inclusion
• reach their targets for raising the achievement of minority ethnic groups
• promote and support linguistic and culture diversity
• support the learning of pupils with English as an Additional Language
• promote and facilitate the participation of minority ethnic parents/carers in their children’s education
• develop their role working with diverse communities in the Hertfordshire Children’s Trust Partnership

Partnership with communities

MECSS works in partnership with diverse minority ethnic communities across Hertfordshire to:

• develop services that meet community needs
• facilitate links between communities, CSF and schools
• seek the views of parents/carers to inform policy and practice
• be responsive to parents’/carers’ concerns regarding race equality
• facilitate the engagement of communities in the education system

How MECSS supports schools

MECSS is able to support schools in a wide range of ways. Advisers and consultants work across the County to advise and guide schools in their policy and practice, for example:

• advice to governors, managers and teachers on statutory
responsibilities relating to race equality and to minority ethnic pupils
• whole school development programmes, parallel with the national strategies, for raising minority ethnic achievement, English as an Additional Language (EAL) and race equality
• support for dealing with racist incidents
• support for working with minority ethnic groups

Specialist teams focus variously on:

• pupils learning English as an Additional Language (EAL)
• the achievement of African Caribbean pupils
• the achievement of Traveller pupils
• provision for asylum seeking and refugee pupils
• family learning to enhance parental involvement
extended schools and out of school hours learning