IoE to host first meeting of new Berkshire & Hampshire group supporting children with English as an additional language

On December 1st, the Institute of Education (IoE) will host the first meeting of a new cross-county group that supports school children with English as an additional language.

The group, aimed at school practitioners and academics in Berkshire and Hampshire, is a regional part of the leading national charity NALDIC (National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum), which supports the teaching of children with English as an additional language (EAL). The new group will bring together local teachers, education authorities and academics. Its first meeting is set to take place at the University of Reading’s London Road campus from 4.30 – 6.00pm on Thursday, 1st December. 

Pupils learning English as an additional language in the mainstream classroom raise issues not only of teaching, but also of rights and entitlements, social integration and equality of access to public provision. This is an important area for all involved in education and child welfare, so NALDIC’s work supporting the teaching and learning of EAL children in schools is already well-established nationally. This new local network is a welcome development, bringing with it many possibilities at a time when resources are declining but numbers of children with EAL are rising.

The convenor for the new NALDIC Berkshire/Hampshire group is Naomi Flynn, Associate Professor in Primary English Education at the IoE, who has a research profile in teaching strategies for children with EAL. Explaining the reasoning behind launching the new group Naomi said:

“Through my research activity in Hampshire and Berkshire, I have been lucky enough to get to know the excellent teams supporting EAL learners at local authority level and in schools. The establishment of the NALDIC RIG [Regional Interest Group] for Berkshire and Hampshire will generate a cross-region network of practitioners and academics who can pool ideas and share resources. In our first meeting EAL leads will report on their experiences using the new DfE English proficiency scales. We look forward to interesting and informative discussion on what is a hot topic for teachers of EAL learners this academic year. In addition Professor Ludovica Serratrice, Reading’s new Director of Bilingualism Matters, will introduce the work of this organisation and chat with practitioners about how research at Reading can support them.”

For information and joining details, please contact Naomi:

Telephone:  +44 (0)118 378 2770 / Email: n.flynn@reading.ac.uk