Introduction

ERW is one of four regional consortia established to improve schools in Wales. The consortium includes six local authorities - Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys and Swansea and over 520 schools.

ERW’s vision is for a consistently high performing school network across the region with every school offering high standards of teaching and leadership resulting in all learners achieving their maximum potential.

The service that is led by ERW is based on three hubs within the six local authorities, namely:-

  • Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire (Western Hub)
  • Ceredigion and Powys (Northern Hub)
  • Neath Port Talbot and Swansea (Eastern Hub)

This model has been developed to ensure its effective implementation across a large geographical area, to reflect the diversity of schools across the six counties and to acknowledge the bilingual nature of the area.

The consortium was established to improve learner outcomes in a very significant way in all schools in the region. Although the region is performing well in comparison with other regions, ERW believes we need to move quickly and purposefully in terms of improving learner outcomes.

ERW's Business Plan was approved by the Welsh Government in early 2014 and became operational on 1 April, 2014. The following two outcomes are given priority in the Business Plan and are integral to ERW's aims and objectives:

  • Improving the quality of learning and teaching in the schools of the region
  • Improving the quality of leadership across the consortium

ERW's Mission

ERW’s mission is to ensure effective performance in all schools across the region by:

  • Robustly and consistently challenging the performance of schools and the outcomes achieved by all their learners
  • Developing a differentiated system of professional support for schools in proportion to need that is identified through a nationally agreed assessment and categorisation framework applied consistently across the region
  • Supporting the deployment of national and regional strategies to develop the literacy and numeracy skills of learners and to improve outcomes for disadvantaged learners
  • Facilitating and developing effective school-led improvement through school to school support, in order to improve performance and outcomes, through the development of experienced and successful lead practitioners
  • Managing and deploying well trained Challenge Advisers change advisers across the region and within the hubs to challenge performance and signpost appropriate and relevant support
  • Triggering formal interventions in schools that fail to perform to the required standard.

Linguistic Equality

ERW has adopted the principle that it will treat Welsh and English on the basis that they are equal. This Language Scheme describes how ERW will implement that principle when providing services to stakeholders across the region.

ERW recognises Iaith Pawb's visionin 2003 of creating a bilingual Wales, that is, a Wales "where the Welsh and English languages are flourishing and treated on a basis of equality ...... where people can choose to live their lives through the medium of either or both Welsh or English and where the presence of the two languages is a source of pride and strength to us all."

ERW also recognises the Welsh Government's Welsh-medium Education Strategy (2010) which underlines the importance of an education and training system "which enables an increase in the number of people of all ages and backgrounds who are fluent in Welsh and able to use the language with their families, in their communities and in the workplace."

The Strategy notes that the Welsh Assembly Government "expects that the characteristics and contribution of Welsh-medium education will receive early and thorough attention in all policy developments at national, regional and local level. We expect to see local authorities and their regional consortia developing effective methods of cooperating on planning, training and resources with each other and with all relevant partners and providers ... Ensuring the availability of Welsh-medium provision is dependent on strategic planning, effective joint working, systematic analysis of demand and a commitment to act on the evidence of demand where appropriate. This applies to all phases of education, from the early years and throughout primary and secondary provision."

Language Schemes of Local Authorities

ERW's Language Scheme is based on the Language Schemes of the six local authorities that are part of the south-west consortium. These Language Schemes were approved by the Welsh Language Board prior to its abolition in 2012, and have been running for several years and have long established the practice of affording the public the right to choose which language they want to use when dealing with the authorities concerned.

The Welsh Language Board's statutory power has since been transferred to the Welsh Language Commissioner. In accordance with the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, the Commissioner in conjunction with Welsh Ministers, will be able to set standards of conduct relating to the Welsh language in five specific areas, namely:

  • service delivery
  • policy making
  • internal operations
  • promotion of the Welsh language
  • record keeping

Standards will gradually replace the current system of Language Schemes and all local authorities will have to prepare compliance strategies for each of these five standards by the end of 2015.

Administrative Arrangements

In order to develop the principle that it will treat Welsh and English on the basis that they are equal, ERW has established that the Welsh language is an integral part of the organisation's administrative procedures. The staff will receive training on the implications of the Scheme and will be supported in its operation by the Managing Director.

Guidelines will be prepared on the implementation of the Plan and links to

software, dictionaries, glossaries, templates, resources etc will be available on ERW's in-house IT systems. ERW's staff will also receive training on how to use Cysgair/Cysill and electronic dictionaries.

Dealing with individuals who speak Welsh

ERW welcome letters, e-mails and other written correspondence inWelsh and English. A brief statement is given on official stationery andERW publications to confirm that correspondence is welcome in both languages. All correspondence received in Welsh will receive a signed reply in Welsh when an answer is required. Welsh correspondence will not be delayed as the Welsh responses will also follow the same expectations as those written in English.

All general correspondence sent by ERW will be bilingual. ERW will correspond in Welsh following a conversation in person or over the phone in Welsh. If the preferred language of the recipient is unknown, the correspondence will be bilingual.

When an individual, school or organisation wishes to conduct business in Welsh, then

all subsequent correspondence will be in Welsh. ERW will create a database of people, schools and organisations that wish to communicate through the medium of Welsh.

All circulars and general letters/e-mails sent to ERW's stakeholders will be bilingual.

ERW will be issuing guidance to staff on the above procedures including guidance on receiving translations of correspondence or documentation that comes into ERW's office and is sent out.

Telephone Communication

ERW welcomes telephone calls in Welsh and English. Since allstaff who answer telephone calls are bilingual, they will greet the caller with a bilingual greeting with the Welsh greeting first.

The above procedures are supported by strategies to encourage Welsh speakers to increase their confidence where appropriate. Anyone who contacts ERW by phone is able to do so in Welsh and this is welcome.

Electronic Communication

ERW welcomes electronic communication in Welsh and English. Each member of staff will have a bilingual signature at the end of each e-mail message.

All out of office messages will be bilingual with the Welsh first. All members of staff will give the sentence Happy to communicate in English or Welsh at the end of their e-mails.

ERW encourages any communication through its social networks such as Twitter,

Facebook and so on and welcomes any comments or communication by these methods in Welsh or English.

Public meetings and other meetings

When public meetings are being organised by ERW, it will ensure that those present can contribute through the medium of Welsh, and that they are welcome to do so. ERW will advertise the possibility of contributing in Welsh in all publicity relating to public meetings.

Simultaneous translation facilities will be available at meetings, unless it is obvious from the responses received from participants that the service will not benecessary. In such events, ERW will ensure that Welsh speaking staff members will be present to welcome the public and deal with any enquiries on arrival. Staff who can converse in Welsh will display a logo indicating their ability to speak Welsh.

Whenever public communication occurs through other means of oral communication such as video-conferencing where simultaneous translation is unsuitable, then an additional note will be added to the written correspondence concerning the meeting to say that no translation will be available. However, any presentation material will be available bilingually.

ERW welcomes meetings with individuals or groups of people in Welsh and English. Simultaneous translation equipment will be provided in all ERW's internal meetings where necessary, for example the meetings of the following committees:-

The Joint Committee

Management Board

Implementation Board

Headteacher Board

Chief Education Officers

Hub Co-ordinators

Team Meetings

Unions

The Public Face of ERW

The corporate identity of ERW, including the logo, will be fully bilingual. All of ERW's official signs will be bilingual, with equal prominencegiven to both languages. The Welsh will be found first, above the Englishor to the left.

All materials published by ERW will be bilingual, for example, reports, strategies, policy documents, leaflets, posters, invoices, receipts, invitations, ID cards and so on. The Welsh and English versions will appear together in one document. If, in exceptional circumstances, the Welsh and English versions have to be published separately, for example because of size, then both versions will appear simultaneously. They will be distributed together, and be equally accessible.

Documents, reports, strategies, guidelines etc by individual stakeholders will be issued bilingually. ERW will ensure that these materials will be translated if they are not already available bilingually.

ERW's official posters to be placed on notice boards will be bilingual with equal prominence given to both languages with the Welsh first, either above or to the left of the English.

Videos and electronic messages displayed in public areas will be bilingual, with equal prominence given to both languages. In PowerPoint slides, the Welsh language will be seen first, above the English or to its left. In formal presentations, any accompanying documentation will be distributed bilingually.

Letterheads, compliment slips, fax sheets, business cards, identification badges and general information will all be bilingual. The Welsh will be found first, above the English or to the left.

ERW will ensure that the language of all its publications is suitable and understandable. ERW will also ensure that a proofreading service is available to ensure the accuracy of language before records, action plans, policy documents or information leaflets are distributed.

In all areas of activity, the quality of service in Welsh will reach the same high and consistent standard as provided in English.

Campaigns, Publicity Material and Press Releases

Each press release issued to the media will be bilingual. ERW will respond to media enquiries in the language of the enquiry.

All advertising and publicity material is published in bilingual form. Information display stands to stakeholders and the public will be bilingual.

Advertisements in the Welsh press will be in Welsh only and bilingual in the English press in Wales. Response systems related to publicity and marketing activities will allow communication in Welsh or English.

All job advertisements will appear bilingually except in Welsh language publications where they will appear in Welsh only. The advertisements will note that the ability to speak Welsh is essential. Interviews for posts will be conducted in Welsh only. However, simultaneous translation equipment will be provided if, for example, a member of the interview panel did not speak Welsh.

The Website

ERW's website will be bilingual. The content will treat both languages equally and both versions will match each other. ERW is committed to developing and maintaining the website to ensure updates in both languages. There will be procedures in place to ensure that no new information is placed on the website unless it is bilingual and Welsh and English pages of the website are reviewed and updated at the same time. All reports, documentaries and advertisements on the web will be available bilingually. All of ERW's electronic design work will be bilingual.

Written guidelines will be provided to all staff, consultants, designers and publishers to deal with bilingual materials and their design.

Promotion

ERW will encourage staff and stakeholders to use the Welsh language in the workplace as much as possible, including the use of Welsh-medium information technology systems.

In official and formal situations (for example, team meetings, workshops, seminars, training sessions, internal correspondence, electronic communications, telephone communications, consulting, writing official documents and guidelines, etc) ERW will encourage as much use of Welsh as possible.

ERW will try to raise the confidence and improve the competence and skills of bilingual staff and stakeholders by encouraging them to use the language more often when speaking and writing. The result will be to normalise the use of Welsh in the internal administration of the body. Where assistance is necessary, ERW will provide training and development opportunities to staff and stakeholders alike.

Monitoring the Language Scheme

The Managing Director shall be responsible for arranging that this Scheme is monitored robustly and thoroughly. ERW will have systems in place to ensure that each one of the Scheme's commitments is monitored regularly.

Provision of Translation Service

All of ERW's written and simultaneous translation work will have to be done by an external translation company. Although occasionally, it would be possible for ERW's own internal staff to undertake some translation work, usually simple translations, the vast majority of the work will be commissioned externally. The work of checking and editing documents produced in Welsh will also be done by external recognised experts.

The financial implications of this means that we will have to allocate a sum of money annually for providing translation services of the highest order. At present, the overall rate for written translation is £75 per thousand words and the cost of simultaneous translation is £40 per hour plus £60 for hiring a set of 20 earphones.

ERW will conduct a review of the organisation's translation service costs at the end of this financial year to see whether it would be more cost effective to appoint a part-time translator internally as opposed to commissioning external translators to undertake this work.

September 2014

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