What We Do Minority Communities Achievement Service

The service focuses on children and young people for whom English is an Additional Language, Refugees, Gypsies, Roma and Travellers. By working collaboratively with Local Children's Service Partnerships, schools and other agencies the Service enables the development of inclusive policies, provision and practice reflecting and celebrating the cultural and linguistic diversity in Kent. The Service supports vulnerable Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Refugee children and young people, at risk of not accessing education or of underachievement. At a strategic level the Service contributes to Corporate and Directorate actions linked to the statutory duty for the LEA and schools to promote race equality.

Key Strategic Priorities:

1. To ensure access, inclusion and equality of educational outcomes for Minority Ethnic and bilingual children and young people by setting challenging targets and focusing resources at the lowest attaining groups where access to education is vulnerable.
   
   
2. To promote race equality by challenging unlawful racial discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity through the KCC Equality and Diversity Policy and promoting good race relations.
   
   
3. To build capacity in Kent Schools to enable school staff to meet the needs of Minority Ethnic and bilingual children and young people (including advanced learners of EAL and isolated learners) through the National Strategies, Continuous Professional Development of staff and promoting collaborative practice between schools within the Clusters. 

Business Plan:

• Annual Operating Plan 2007/08