Annual Report 2004/5
SSEMTA is an umbrella organisation providing support, advice, training and consultancy to existing and prospective Supplementary and Mother Tongue schools (SMTs) in the London Borough of Southwark with the aim of raising the quality and profile of supplementary and mother tongue teaching, encouraging development and sharing of good practice between SMTs and developing partnerships with mainstream schools to ensure integrated learning experiences for local children in need of educational and cultural support. SSEMTA believes that raising the profile of SMTs will lead to improved motivation and morale of the staff and act as a catalyst to enable SMTs to provide excellent highly motivational learning to children of all ages, cultural backgrounds and needs.
SSEMTA was set up in 1999 as a response to research carried out by Southwark Council and University of London et al which identified that SMTs frequently operate in isolation, under-resourced, under-funded and with lack of training opportunities for teachers and staff. Quality of teaching and learning is variable and there is no guarantee that the national curriculum is adequately supported. SMTs had expressed need of assistance in fundraising and raising standards and to become part of a collective voice with raised profile to achieve credibility with mainstream providers with whom partnerships should be formed for the benefit of the children' s education.
There are around 50 SMTs known to SSEMTA serving the educational and cultural needs of children of disadvantaged community groups in Southwark (around 3000 people are involved in supplementary education across Southwark including teachers, pupils, families and volunteers). SSEMTA supports the projects to improve the educational achievements of these children and thus to give them a better chance in life.
Contents
- SSEMTA's aims and beliefs
- Monitoring Officer's Report
- Treasurer's Report
- Statement of Financial Activities
- Co-ordinator's Report
- Children's Fund Project
- Future Plans
- Management Committee and Staff
Supporting Communities to deliver Quality Education
SSEMTA is an umbrella organisation providing support, advice, training and consultancy to existing and prospective Supplementary and Mother Tongue schools (SMTs) in the London Borough of Southwark with the aim of raising the quality and profile of supplementary and mother tongue teaching, encouraging development and sharing of good practice between SMTs and developing partnerships with mainstream schools to ensure integrated learning experiences for local children in need of educational and cultural support. SSEMTA believes that raising the profile of SMTs will lead to improved motivation and morale of the staff and act as a catalyst to enable SMTs to provide excellent highly motivational learning to children of all ages, cultural backgrounds and needs.
SSEMTA was set up in 1999 as a response to research carried out by Southwark Council and University of London et al which identified that SMTs frequently operate in isolation, under-resourced, under-funded and with lack of training opportunities for teachers and staff. Quality of teaching and learning is variable and there is no guarantee that the national curriculum is adequately supported. SMTs had expressed need of assistance in fundraising and raising standards and to become part of a collective voice with raised profile to achieve credibility with mainstream providers with whom partnerships should be formed for the benefit of the children' s education.
There are around 50 SMTs known to SSEMTA serving the educational and cultural needs of children of disadvantaged community groups in Southwark (around 3000 people are involved in supplementary education across Southwark including teachers, pupils, families and volunteers). SSEMTA supports the projects to improve the educational achievements of these children and thus to give them a better chance in life.
SSEMTA actively supports Article 30
of the Rights of the Child adopted by the
United Nations General Assembly
which defines a child's right to
‘enjoy his or her culture,
to profess and practice his or her religion
and to use his or her own language'
Please note that although this report describes activities for the period Feb 2004-Feb 2005, due to the accounting year, the accounts describe the financial situation up to 31 March 2004
Monitoring Officer's Comments
2004 / 2005 has been a year of high aspiration for SSEMTA.
I believe the return SSEMTA has seen for it's efforts has been a little unfair. Much time and energy has been spent developing the management capacity of the organisation, fundraising and making contact with new & existing groups.
Hopefully most of you have been reading SSEMTA's twice termly news bulletins and would have kept abreast of SSEMTA's various activities including its conference in June 2004.
SSEMTA has made much progress in the creation of its new business & marketing plan which will facilitate the submitting of major funding bids which will see a significant extension of SSEMTA's service and setting out a new vision for supporting supplementary schools in the borough.
The vision of a resource centre for supplementary & mother tongue schools and greater for support for all voluntary sector out of school hours study support providers remains on track.
Hugh Stultz
Treasurer's Annual Report 2003/4
Once again we have worked very hard to sustain our finance and ensure that SSEMTA continues to function. The past year has been very difficult, due to the small number of people involved in the management and development of SSEMTA. However, with the support of Southwark Council we were able to have the help of a consultant who is currently working with us to complete our business plan and produce a fundraising strategy.
Our attempt to become a register charity is still incomplete, we hope to achieve this very soon to enable us to expand our funding opportunities.
Our account at the end of March 2004 shows a significant reduction on our bank balance in comparison to the previous year's audited account. Our main funder continues to be Southwark Council who currently funds the part-time Co-ordinator's position.
The Children's Fund, funded project (Children As Researcher) came to an end this year an application for further funding submitted to continue the project and produce a Best Practice guides for Supplementary schools, was unsuccessful.
For SSEMTA to become sustainable, it is important that we urgently secure additional incomes so that we can fulfil our objectives as an umbrella organisation to support Supplementary Schools and Mother Tongue classes. Our vision is to have larger premises to house training and a Resources Centre for Supplementary Schools and Mother Tongue Groups. SSEMTA can only be in this position when we have the support and committed of dedicated people who have a vision to improve the quality and standard of teaching and support provided across the borough by Supplementary schools in Southwark.
I hope that SSEMTA will be a focus point for all Supplementary Schools And Mother Tongue Classes in Southwark.
After five years of involvement in SSEMTA, I shall be stepping down at this years Annual General Meeting. I hope that SSEMTA receive the commitment and support from other members and individuals as I feel that an organisation like SSEMTA is a valued organisation that's needed in the borough, to support Supplementary Groups.
I would like to thank Helena for her determination and commitment to SSEMTA in the short time she has been with us (since November 2003). I hope she will continue to drive the project forward. I would also like to thank Hugh Sultz our Link Officer from Southwark Council for his support and guidance throughout my involvement in SSEMTA.
Carmen Lindsay
Co-ordinator's Report
It has been an eventful year with many ups and downs but we have still managed to achieve a great deal within the various constraints that we have had to work within. The activities we have carried out include:
- Arranging an EGM in April to recruit additional management committee members
- Producing and widely distributing twice termly newsletters
- Updating SSEMTA's Directory of Supplementary Schools and successfully bidding for funds from Campaign Against Hate Crimes to have it professionally printed and for redevelopment of the SSEMTA website
- Continuing the programme of support visits to SMTs
- Locating and negotiating terms for alternative premises on behalf of groups
- Increasing volunteer assistance in the SSEMTA office
- Disseminating information about training, funding etc to groups
- Successfully bidding for funding to develop video and printed material regarding 'What makes a good Supplementary School?' to promote good practice
- Attending the launch in March of the Service Map for Young Refugees and their Families, a resource in which SSEMTA is listed as an organisation that will refer young refugees to suitable education projects.
- Facilitating two workshops, one in North London and one in central London at the invitation of Supplementary Schools Support Service
- Initiating and maintaining partnerships discussions
- Speaking by invitation at a variety of projects' events
- Skills audit of SSEMTA workers and management committee
- Funding applications: Volunteering England, Change Up, London Borough of Southwark, SELF, Campaign Against Hate Crime.
- Assisting projects with their funding bids
- Attending meetings in Southwark and other boroughs to raise profile of supplementary education and mother tongue sector
- Giving advice and guidance to new groups including policy development
- Organizing a successful Summer Conference 26 June where during the final presentations there was standing room only.
- Joining the Interactive IT project and Family Learning Network
- Developing new Business Plan with our consultant
- Continuing personal development for management and workers including Child Protection, Visual Awareness, Community Fund, Roles and Responsibilities of Trustees, Managing Volunteers, IT/web development, Basic Skills Awareness.
This is not an exhaustive list but I hope it gives a flavour of the activities that I and our volunteers have been involved in during the last 12 months.
SSEMTA's Children Researchers and Advisors on Education Project 2001/4
funded by the Children's Fund
The project was funded by Children's Fund for a period of three years (2001-2004). The project's aim was to train children aged 7 to 11 in supplementary education to research and advise SSEMTA on how supplementary school provision can be improved from the perspective of young learners.
The Project developed as follows:
Year 1
- In the first phase of the project, a small group of children were recruited from different Saturday schools to pilot the project. Together the children compiled questionnaires; interviewed children and teachers at CASP Saturday school and made their recommendations based on their findings.
Year 2
- Based on the learning from the pilot phase, a total of 27 children from two different supplementary schools (CASP and Latimer) were trained in school time, alongside three teachers who participated in the lessons. The children researched four schools and interviewed approximately 40 children. At the end of Year 2, the children researchers from the two schools were brought together to work in collaboration and present their research findings and experience of participating in the project in a presentation at SSEMTA Conference 2003.
Year 3
- As a result of the children researchers consultation exercise conducted in 2002-2003, the final phase of the project consisted in piloting the recommendations made by the children in one Supplementary School (Lighthouse) in collaboration with the children and teachers of the school.
The learning from this project over the three year period consisted in seeing the success generated by bringing together different Supplementary school children with the common objective of improving the provision of supplementary education in Southwark from the perspective of the children young learners. The skills involved in training children to be researchers and advisors on education demonstrated the role supplementary schools have in developing young people's potential, both academically in order to obtain the best opportunities in their future, as well as developing their potential as strong, confident and independent thinkers, able to overcome any obstacles in order to achieve their full potential.
SSEMTA extends thanks to Angelo Picigallo and Helen Cantone for management and development respectively of the Children Researchers and Advisors on Education project.
Management Committee and Staff
Management Committee
Unfortunately some management committee members have been unable to sustain commitment to SSEMTA for the whole period and are no longer with us, however, despite this the project has continued to provide its essential support and advice services.
- Carmen Lindsay
- Genette Thompson
- Jackie Crosby
- Joe Walakusu
- Juliet Campbell
- Sherine Smith
- Michael Maddix
Project Workers
- Co-ordinator - Helena Kowalska
Volunteers
Whether they have been able to stay with us on a long or short term basis the help of these volunteers has been invaluable in 2004/5:
- Victoria Macfoy
- Karen Phillips
- James Ogwang
- Emanuael Owusu Donkor
- Zeynep Nas
- Leon Lester
- Kerry Singleton
Future Development of SSEMTA
Plans for the future development of SSEMTA include:
- Recruiting a strong and committed management committee
- Obtaining larger premises
- Increasing income opportunities
- Employing more paid staff
- Developing a Resource Centre for supplementary schools
- Extend the outreach programme
- Identify more opportunities for partnership working
- Instigating and participating in Research and Consultancy
- Expand our range of services
The most important issue is of course to recruit committed, knowledgeable and experienced management committee members so that all the other plans can be followed through.
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