CPD for English teachers and trainers

These modules consider aspects of English as a subject, combined with pedagogical aspects of teaching, learning and assessment. They are suitable for teachers currently teaching GCSE and/or Functional Skills in the Further Education and Training Sector. They would also be useful for vocational staff supporting the delivery of English. 

The modules can be packaged and delivered in-house and tailored to meet the needs of the organisation, either online or face-to-face. 

For an in-house group booking, discounts are available for packages of modules – contact us for details. 

• Developing Speaking and Listening for Functional Skills English
  This course looks at the Functional Skills English content for Speaking, Listening and Communicating to help you understand language requirements at different levels of the exam and why it needs to be taught separately. It will explore examples of practical activities for supporting learners with opportunities to share ideas.
• Introduction to assessment for learning for English
  This course will support technical and vocational tutors, trainers and assessors to understand that assessment of English GCSEs and Functional Skills is a process of gathering data to better understand the progress of the learner and how to use this data to inform planning that lead to improvements in learning.
• Assessment in English: knowing your learners’ starting points
  This course considers strategies for identifying gaps, and areas that learners struggle with, to use as a starting point for their learning. English learners tend to be returning learners that don’t wish to sit the qualifications in this subject again. By pinpointing these specific areas of difficulty, we can aim to make their learning experience different for them.
• Success in speaking and listening
  This interactive course will help you to explore the importance of teaching learners more about the differences between speech and writing so that they can use language purposefully and make informed communicative choices. With a focus on practical activities, and using real samples, you will explore how speaking and listening skills can be used to inform ad improve writing.
• Words are magnificent: increasing learners’ word building and vocabulary skills
  This interactive course is for you if your learners may have limited vocabulary and this impacts negatively on their performance. You will consider ways to assess your learners’ vocabulary and be introduced to, and evaluate, some practical strategies to help your learners develop their vocabulary.
• Marking, assessing and feeding forward in English
  This course will discuss the importance of effective marking and ways of feeding forward and plenty of opportunities to share ideas will be given. We will then move onto setting accurate and realistic targets for your learners that present sufficient challenge for them with actionable feedback that should help fuel progress.
• Teaching how to plan and write non-fiction text for GCSE and Functional Skills exams
  This course explores the difference between writing for GCSE and Functional Skills. Also, the process of writing, developing ideas, turning ideas into plans, developing detail and preparing for writing is examined through a range of activities.
• Using formative assessment for planning English
  This course offers an insight into the effectiveness of using formative assessment techniques when planning for both Functional Skills and GCSE English teaching. Methods for ensuring that impact is measured are covered plus the tracking of learners’ incremental progress and encouraging them to take responsibility for their targets.
• Giving your ESOL learners the best chance to pass Functional Skills English
  This two part course is for you if you support learners with ESOL needs who are learning Functional Skills English and you want to identify ways to maximise the learners’ chances of passing their assessments.
• Improving Reading in Functional Skills English
  This course explores some of the key areas of reading that learners on Functional Skills courses find challenging. You will be guided to reflect on examples of common learner errors and consider strategies that could help them to improve.
• To PEE or not to PEE?: helping GCSE learners to write about reading
  This course will explore the crossover between reading and writing and how to help learners to develop the skills of writing about their reading. We will investigate the much used PEED/L approach and consider and try out other strategies for helping learners to succeed in this area of English.
• Creative writing in GCSE English and the challenges
  This interactive course will explore ways to build learners’ confidence and resilience around creative writing. It explores strategies for supporting learners to see themselves as writers, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to spark their creativity and imagination and produce writing which consciously develops theme and narrative perspective.
• Helping GCSE resit learners to craft and control creative writing
  GCSE English learners need to see themselves as writers who craft, manipulate and control language and structures for effect if they are to be successful in the examination’s creative writing task. This course explores how teachers can support learners to make decisions and control narrative voice, structure and time for effect in their creative writing.
• Developing grammar for reading and writing
  This interactive webinar aims to explore how knowledge and skills in grammar can be taught in imaginative ways through the active exploration of everyday and vocational texts.
• Developing our learners’ phonics skills
  This course explores ways of using phonics to identify and plan for the needs of learners. You will reflect on common errors learners on FS and GCSE English courses make and be guided to explore phonics strategies for improvement.
• Developing problem-solving, investigative and collaborative approaches to reading
  Post 16 learners often have low self-esteem and resilience when it comes to their reading skills. Many feel that this is an area in which they have already ‘failed’. Teachers also frequently experience a gap between learners’ decoding and comprehension skills.
• Developing writing: teacher modelling and collaborative writing techniques
  This interactive course will explore a range of strategies and activities designed to support learners during the formative stages of the writing process.
• Helping post-16 learners to read with understanding and resilience
  This course explores how to develop learners’ active reading skills by explicitly teaching some of the process and problem-solving strategies that proficient readers use automatically e.g. when good readers read, they consider what they are reading and how it fits with what they already know.
• Integrating English into vocational training
  This interactive course aims to help teachers plan and deliver holistic learning activities that connect English to the learner’s vocational area.
• Investigating grammar: supporting your learners to understand how texts work
  This interactive course aims to explore how knowledge and skills in grammar can be taught in imaginative ways through the active exploration of everyday and vocational texts.
• Phonics: an introduction to the key principles of post-16 phonics
  This interactive course offers an introduction to the key ideas and terminology of post-16 phonics. You will explore important guiding principles to apply to your practice to optimise the influence phonics can have on learners.
• Phonics: strategies for improving reading and writing – coming soon
  To provide participants with an opportunity to share ideas for phonics activities that can be used to help learners to improve their reading or spelling and give teachers the tools to design useful phonics activities to support learners to achieve their goals in reading and spelling, as needed.
• Planning for deep learning in English
  This course looks at how this knowledge can help to improve curriculum design and planning for deeper learning.
• Post-16 English learners: how to meet their needs
  This interactive introductory course is designed to help you get a better picture of how your learners’ backgrounds may have influenced their behaviour, motivation and language development.
• Problem-solving and Creative Thinking in English
  This course explores English learning activities and looks at how they can be maximised to develop learners’ problem solving and creativity skills. This course will shine a spotlight on the skills and demonstrate how to make them explicit to learners.
• Words are crucial: developing vocabulary for fluency in reading
  This course is for you if you support learners of English Functional Skills and GCSEs (including those with ESOL needs) and you want to identify ways to develop your learners’ fluency in reading.