Supporting children learning English as an additional language: Guidance for practitioners in the Early Years Foundation Stage

There are increasing numbers of children entering Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) settings for whom English is not the dominant language in the home. Many practitioners in settings across the country already work successfully with children and families who speak languages other than English. For some there will be one or two language groups represented in their setting; for others the population may be linguistically and culturally very diverse. For growing numbers of settings, providing care and learning opportunities for children and families new to English, or at various stages of proficiency, is a new experience.
Practitioners in every setting want to ensure that their provision matches the development and learning needs of all their children. This advice and guidance booklet is drawn from existing good practice developed by practitioners working with babies, young children and their families. This guidance is set within the themes, principles and commitments of the EYFS and should be read in conjunction with the Principles into Practice cards.
This is quite an old document (2007) but contains valuable guidance on the importance of supporting home language while teaching second/additional language