ABSTRACT
The chapter concentrates on measures aimed at helping immigrant children function in the real world of British society. It is clear that many immigrant children are in precisely the situation where the danger is greatest that they will fail to acquire this language orientation or not reach the threshold. Emphasis on the mother tongue is recommended because it will facilitate the acquisition of standard English. The kindergarten is, for many children, the first point of contact between home and school; it is the place where they have their first systematic experience of secondary socialization. A problem with immigrant children is that many of them may be hostile to English, may feel threatened by it, may have parents who either do not help or even actively resist the use of English, and may come from home backgrounds where both attitudes and values, as well as physical conditions, are not conducive to good language learning.
