Bridging the Gap: supporting children and families learning English as an additional language, led by Julie Cigman Early Years Consultant

Aim: to develop an understanding of how children learning EAL can be supported in the EYFS

During the afternoon we will:

• Consider how you can help children with EAL to bridge the language and cultural gap between home and the early years setting
• Explore the importance of maintaining the child’s first language
• Share ideas and resources to help children learning EAL to develop spoken English
  and access the EYFS curriculum

1: The child in the context of their family and culture

2: Maintaining the child’s first language and learning EAL

3: Observation / assessment / next steps

4: Reflection: what next?

Julie Cigman is an independent Early Years consultant and author. She has taught in maintained Nursery Schools in Oxford and throughout the Primary age range.

She spend a number of years as Early Years lead for a PGCE SCITT based at Oxford Brookes University before working as an advisory teacher with Oxfordshire County Council. In this later role, she took a countywide lead on Equalities and
Literacy.

She now works as an independent Early Years consultant and author. She has written well-received books on supporting boys’ learning and development and early writing, and she created and has led early writing projects in over 300 schools and Early Years settings.