Find out:

·      How long has Jacek been attending nursery?

·      More about his background: Was he born here or did he move to Scotland?

·      Has he been to any early years setting before?

·      Which languages has Jacek been exposed to?

·      Are there any other children in nursery who speak the same language as Jacek?

·      Does Jacek have any siblings?

·      Does he have any friends or know other children in the nursery?

 

Advice:

·      It can take time for children to settle into the new environment. If this is Jacek’s first experience of an early years setting it will all be very new to him and could be overwhelming.

·      There is also the fact that Jacek is in a new language environment with lots of different sounds and perhaps no one who speaks a language he understands.

·      Speak with Jacek’s parents, through an interpreter if required, to let them know how he is doing and find out how he is doing at home. Reassure them that Jacek will be OK.

·      Help Jacek to feel at ease and welcomed by including items and books with familiar content, such as familiar items from the child’s home culture in the role play area and stories from the child’s home country, translated into English. Use stories and songs in first language including audiobooks. Parents could be invited to read a story in first language with staff reading the English version, maybe regularly for a few weeks. Parents could also provide a video in which they read a story.

·      Based on parents’ comments on Jacek’s likes, offer opportunities to play with familiar toys and activities. Jacek could bring a toy from home or something else familiar for example his mum’s scarf. Scent is the sense that triggers memories most subconsciously and can provide a sense of security.

·      Arrange for a parent to stay a little later after drop off or arrive a little early so they can play with Jacek in the nursery before pickup so he can become used to playing and being more relaxed in the nursery setting.

·      Show Jacek activities such as Playdoh and invite him to play through gesture accompanied by words.

·      If you are in a school setting and Jacek has older siblings, or if there are other children who share the same first language, they could pop in to talk to Jacek and play a game.

·      If the stress and upset go on too long, discuss with the parents perhaps giving Jacek a break and beginning again at a later stage. The child will not learn anything if he is stressed and will only have a negative experience of the setting, which we do not want.

·      The use of pictorial communication cards could be considered. What are we doing now, what are the choices next?

·      You can find lots more tips and advice on how to support Jacek in the ‘General advice’ section.

Further advice:

Learning in 2+ Languages p18 (Importance of finding out key information from parents/carers), p19 (use of interpreters)

Bilingual Families p30 (How to support multilingualism in daycare & education), p40 (Communication with parents)

Primary Teachers’ ALDO Course (EAL Training)

HGIOS Inclusion and Equality Series Part 4: EEPBL p20 (Examples of good practice when working with parents)

See also:

HGIOS 4

·      2.7 – Partnerships

·      3.1 – Ensuring Wellbeing, Equality and Inclusion

UNCRC Article 3, 30

Aberdeenshire guidelines

Aberdeenshire guidance on interpreting and translation