NALDIC Regional Interest Groups (RIGs) have developed in response to requests from members who want to raise the profile of EAL and bilingualism in their local areas, provide networking opportunities and support for teachers and other professionals with an interest in EAL and promote the work of NALDIC. Like our online networking opportunities, our RIGs are ever expanding. We are always grateful for offers of help with organising or starting up regional groups, so if you are interested in joining a local group or you are interested in helping to organise a group, please email the National Co-ordinator or relevant RIG convenor below.

RIGs meet in different venues around their local areas. They are learning communities, bringing together primary and secondary colleagues, local authority advisors, researchers and supporters to share ideas and insights. Warm and welcoming, they are fantastic groups who are there to help with queries and challenges, and to celebrate successes.

To find out more about our RIGs’ activities, check them out on our RIGs Blog, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

National Regional Groups Co-ordinator

Dianne Excell

RIGs

1. North East | Convenor: Rashada Salamat & Diane Embley
2. Cumbria and Lancashire | Convenor: Catharine Driver
3. Yorkshire and Humber | Convenor: Dianne Excell
4. Greater Manchester | Convenor: Carol Hrynyk & Sharon Collins
5. West Midlands | Convenor: Mary Maybank
6. East Midlands | Convenor: Rosie Murden
7. Oxfordshire | Convenor: Joanna Borysiak & Eowyn Crisfield
8. South West | Convenor: Galye Fletcher
9. South Wales | Convenor: Vacant
10. North and North East London | Convenor: Jette Rayner
11. Berkshire and Hampshire | Convenor: Michelle Nye
12. South London | Convenor: Moira Brazil
13. Kent | Convenors: Wendy Mackenzie & Bhupinder Gill

Important information about Regional Groups

NALDIC Regional Groups are set up and organised by NALDIC members who wish to become more involved in the work of the association with the aim of promoting NALDIC’s aims. As volunteers, the role of the NALDIC Regional Group coordinators is to make links with other members in their region and to set up regular network meetings for them to come together to share and exchange information about EAL and teaching and learning practice.

The NALDIC Executive Committee is very grateful to the individual NALDIC members who, out of goodwill, have set up and maintain the regional groups. As a membership organisation, NALDIC does not pass on members’ email addresses or other contact details. Once a new NALDIC Regional Group is agreed, the regional coordinator needs to make arrangements to locate members in their region to keep in touch. To do this they may use NALDIC mailings, NALDIC Pulse and EAL Journal as well as EAL-Bilingual and social media to publicise regional meetings. A NALDIC Regional Group needs to be self-financing with costs kept to a minimum and coordinators may make a small charge to those who attend to cover costs of room hire and refreshments.

NALDIC Regional Groups run independently of local authority, school, higher education and other organisations. Meetings are not restricted to NALDIC members, though we do ask regional coordinators to encourage non-members who wish to attend meetings to join NALDIC.

NALDIC Independent Schools SIG

NISSIG Facebook Group

NALDIC International Schools SIG

NIntSIG Facebook Group

EALAW – English as an Additional Language Association of Wales

The English as an Additional Language Association of Wales (EALAW) is a not-for-profit national organisation committed to the advancement of language and curriculum development for pupils learning EAL.The general aims of the organisation are to promote good practice in the support of additional language learners and to represent the professional interests of those working with additional language learners in Wales. The association produces a bi-annual newsletter, organises national conferences and engages with policymakers and others to further development of the profession.

For further details contact : enquiries@ealaw.org.uk or
by post : EALAW c/o GEMS, 25-27 Stow Hill, Newport, NP20 1JH.

Visit their website: www.ealaw.org.uk

EEMEMA – East and East Midlands Ethnic Minority Achievement

MERGE has been reborn as EEMEMA to sustain and develop a wider regional partnership which will focus on Ethnic Minority Achievement across all phases and educational settings. The group also comprises what was the East and East Midlands EAL hub and they wish to continue to offer the regional EMA CPD opportunities that the hub provided. Founder members are: Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough and Suffolk . For further information contact Peta Ullman – petaull@hotmail.com.

NASSEA – Northern Association of Support Services for Educational Achievement

NASSEA is a professional organisation, established in 1989, to represent northern services and teams originally funded under Section 11, EMTAG and now EMAG. The association has members from 30 LEA services and teams stretching from Newcastle to Cheshire. For further information contact Annette Nelson, Ethnic Minority Achievement Service annette.nelson@trafford.gov.uk

Visit their website: nassea.org.uk

SATEAL Scottish Association for the Teaching of English as an Additional Language

SATEAL is an organisation interested in fostering and developing the teaching of English as an additional language whose membership is open to individuals and groups involved with children, young people or adults whose first language is other than English, concerned for Scotland as a multilingual and antiracist society and interested in teaching English as an additional language.

Visit their website: Currently offline

The links below will take you to our CPD > Links section where you will find links to EAL-related and education-related organisations, news, resources and blogs.

Please note that we are not responsible for content on any of the external links listed

• EAL Blogs, News & Resources
• Organisations
• Local Authority EAL Websites

Coming Soon: EAL Research Centres, Groups & Networks