Partnering with Multilingual Families to Foster a Love of Reading at Home

Session Overview

This session will begin with a brief recap of key messages from the previous webinar, including:

• The multilingual learner (ML) context: who multilingual learners are, current DfE guidance and relevant national data
• Understanding Proficiency in English (PIE) and the role of a learner’s Home Language (HL)
• A reminder of why oracy and reading are essential for language development and academic success

Working with Families to Support Language and Reading Development

The main focus of this session will be on strengthening partnerships with families to support multilingual learners at home.

We will explore:

• Why it is important to understand the unique contexts, experiences, strengths and challenges of the families you work with
• How language backgrounds, home language use and levels of English proficiency can influence family engagement and learning at home
• The important role of home language in supporting children’s language, literacy and cognitive development
• Why reading together in the home language is valuable and how reading support does not need to be delivered in English to be effective
• Practical, easy-to-implement strategies that schools and teachers can use to help multilingual families feel confident supporting reading at home

Participants will also receive a handout containing links to useful resources.