Amy Thompson

Current role & relevant experience

I am an Education Consultant and Teacher Trainer. I have been involved in the field of EAL as teacher, trainer, and adviser for over 25 years. I have managed EAL/ethnic minority achievement teams in three local authorities. I have also been a local authority advisor and school improvement partner. I am a founder member of NALDIC, and the UK Federation of Chinese Schools and a long-serving member of its Education Committee. I am an accredited trainer for the Language in Learning Across the Curriculum (LiLAC) course. My main research interest is in bilingual development, and in particular, the use of dual language approaches in the mainstream classroom to support EAL learners. I have designed and delivered courses from OCN level to MA level. I have contributed to the development of materials for the National Strategies. I carry out mother-tongue assessment in Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) for schools. I am a member of A.L.L.’s World Languages Special Interest Group, the All Parliamentary Party Group on Languages at the House of Lords, and Treasurer for the Speak to the Future campaign for languages. I am a visiting tutor at Goldsmith College, University of London. I was NALDIC's Treasurer before becoming Chair in 2010. I am a published author.