Biography

Julie Cigman has had a varied career in education, since her first job as a young teacher in a village primary school, younger than the children’s parents, wondering why they were coming to her for advice about their children. After gaining an M.Ed in Literacy at the University of Sheffield, she worked as a reading intervention teacher, and wrote parents’ leaflets for PEEP (Peers Early Education Partnership) while running early literacy groups for young children and their parents. She worked her way up, then down the age range, finding her home in Early Years as a Nursery teacher and then in promoting high quality Early Years provision through her writing, training and consultancy.

She spent 3 years in initial teacher training as Foundation Stage lead on a post-graduate Early Years teacher training course in Oxford, designing and delivering training and co-ordinating school placements and support.

Most recently, Julie has worked as an advisory teacher for Oxfordshire County Council, offering support and training to schools and early years settings. She has trained in all aspects of the EYFS, specialising in early Communication, Language and Literacy, Equality and Diversity, English as an additional language, and boys’ learning.

Julie offers conference workshops and presentations and bespoke training and consultancy to Early Years practitioners in schools, day nurseries, pre-schools, children’s centres, and childminders.

She is currently chair of the Gloucestershire branch of Early Education 

Testimonials

"Julie's work in Gloucestershire and Bristol, to improve children's communication and writing skills contributed greatly to improved outcomes, particularly for boys and children with EAL. Her sensitive and positive approach builds practitioners' confidence and encourages them to be more reflective and self-evaluative in relation to their provision and practice."

- Elizabeth Fee, Senior School Improvement Officer, Bristol County Council

"Julie Cigman's considerable expertise is in the fusion of practical strategies with a robust theoretical underpinning of child development."

- Julie Fisher, Independent Early Years Consultant

"I have worked with Julie for many years on racial equality issues. She is calm, sensitive, informed, committed and passionate about helping all children to learn to respect and value one another equally To this end she works with the many adults who play key roles in putting this objective into practice. It is an objective that is vital for the future well being of our society, a society that is at ease with itself." 

- Jane Lane, Advocate worker for racial equality in the early years