Take advantage of the CPD opportunities available to learn about the latest research and develop your practice ready for the autumn.  There are conferences, courses and webinars covering all aspects of the literacy curriculum for primary practitioners. Find an event to suit your needs in our summer term roundup.

Conferences

• Let’s Talk about Dyslexia – Creating empowering classrooms (online): Explore resources and effective approaches that will enable practitioners to support and empower young people with literacy difficulties. This online conference hosted by the British Dyslexia Association will cover adaptive teaching, cost effective technology tools and practical strategies to engage dyslexic learners and foster a positive learning environment for all.
  • Date: 22nd May.
  • Cost: £45/£55 for members and non-members. Tickets to access a recording of the event also available.
• International Reading Conference (online): Michale Rosen, Professor Teresa Cremin and Professor Tim Rasinski are just some of the literacy experts discussing the latest reading for pleasure and reading for learning research and best practice at this three-day online conference.
  • Date: 10^th-12^th June.
  • Cost: Free
• EA Conference (in-person):  Explore innovative teaching approaches across English language, literature and creative writing with a focus on poetry and visual media at this year’s EA Conference taking place in London. Hear from keynote speaker Michael Rosen and a range of expert practitioners with lots of opportunities to network with fellow practitioners.
  • Date: 14th June.
  • Cost: £70/£90 for members/non-members.
• Beating the Odds, Changing Futures (in-person): Explore the role of literacy education in overcoming challenges, promoting health and wellbeing, and improving life chances for all young people at the UKLA’s annual International Conference taking place at John Moore’s University, Liverpool.
  • Date: 27th-29th June.
  • Cost: £270/£355 for UKLA members/non-members for the full weekend course. Single and two-day tickets also available.
• English Grammar Day (in-person): Join researchers and expert practitioners at the British Library in London to explore the cultural significance of English language knowledge, the role of English grammar teaching in schools today and the resources available to learn more about English grammar.
  • Date: 7^th July.
  • Cost: £15 (£10 concessions)
• NATE 2025 Annual Conference (in-person): This year’s National Association for the Teaching of English Conference will take place at Kingston University, London, offering a programme of presentations, interactive workshops and panel discussions with leading voices in English Education. Submissions for the conference are open until 12^th May.
  • Date: 1^st July.
  • Cost: £49/£59 for members/non-members. Early bird discount of 25% available until end of May.

CPD Courses and Webinars

English Leadership

• OU Reading Schools – Building a Culture of Reading (online): The Reading Schools Programme is a one-year programme developed by the OU RfP team to support schools who are looking to embed a whole-school Reading for Pleasure strategy in their setting. Find out more about how this research-based programme can help primary schools build a rich reading culture that engages all students at this introductory briefing.
  • Date: 21st May.
  • Cost: Free
• Subject Leader Update (online): Learn about the latest literacy developments, approaches and guidance with the opportunity to share best practice and innovative strategies with fellow practitioners at the final session of this webinar series from Literacy Counts.
  • Date: 22^nd May.
  • Cost: £60 per person.
• Literacy Leader Forum (online and in-person): CLPE’s Lead Advisory Teacher Anjali Patel shares the latest research and developments in literacy education at this termly event that takes place online and in-person.
  • Date: 5^th June (online) and 6^thJune (in-person).
  • Cost: £30 (free for CLPE School Members).
• Leading Primary English in Current Times (online): The final session in this webinar series from HFL Education will explore effective adaptations within writing.
  • Date: 12^th June.
  • Cost: £46 + VAT per person.
• Power of Reading EEF Trial: Register your interest to be part of a heavily subsidised research trial to evaluate the impact of CLPE’s Power of Reading training and resources on Year 5 pupils’ writing. CLPE is recruiting 140 schools in London, Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham to take part in the trial in the new academic year.
  • Date: Register by 30^th May.
  • Cost: £300 + VAT (Power of Reading training usually costs £1450).

Reading

• Teaching Phonics to Support Reading and Writing (online): Learn how to use high-quality children’s literature to support children’s application of phonics in their reading and writing across KS1 and KS2 with these two pre-recorded webinars from CLPE.
  • Date: Available to view now until 3^rd June.
  • Cost £60 per person.
• Informal Book Talk: Shaping positive reader identities (online): Understand the characteristics of informal book talk, how to facilitate it, and its impact on children’s reading engagement at this online webinar hosted by the OU RfP team and the Centre for Literacy and Social Justice.
  • Date: 20^th May.
  • Cost: Free
• The Power of Poetry with Valerie Bloom (in-person): Work with award-wining poet Valerie Bloom to understand how poetry supports the development of language, reading fluency and comprehension; explore a range of creative teaching approaches to engage pupils in EYFS to Year 6 with a variety of poetic styles and forms; and look at ways to help pupils discover their own voices through writing poetry at this one-day course at CLPE’s offices in London.
  • Date: 20^th May.
  • Cost: £250 per person.
• Teaching Reading in KS2 (online): Explore practical and creative approaches to improve pupils’ reading comprehension and develop a bespoke action plan to help implement an effective reading comprehension strategy in your setting at this two-part online course from the National Literacy Trust.
  • Date: 23rd May and 16th June.
  • Cost: £280 per person (discount available for NLT premium members).
• Choosing and Using Poetry in the Classroom: Understand the place of poetry as part of the primary English curriculum; develop your knowledge of poetic forms and devices; and explore creative teaching approaches that use poetry to support children’s oracy, reading fluency, comprehension and composition with this pre-recorded webinar from CLPE.
  • Date: Available to view from 3^rd June – 23^rd July.
  • Cost: £60 per person.
• Reading Fluency Across the Primary Curriculum (online): Unlock learning across the primary curriculum with this online course from HFL Education that offers an evidence-based approach to teaching reading fluency across the curriculum with practical, easy-to-implement strategies to help pupils develop subject-specific reading skills.
  • Date: 5^th June.
  • Cost: £160 + VAT per person.
• Terrific Teaching Assistants (online): Explore techniques that TAs can use to support pupils to develop independent learning skills, including the use of questioning to move children’s thinking forward and strategies to encourage high-quality discussion and interaction in group work at this one-day online course from Dandelion Learning.
  • Date: 10^th June.
  • Cost: £75 + VAT per person (with the option to include one other TA or teacher from your school).
• Developing Reading Fluency and Comprehension (online): Gain a firm understanding of what reading fluency and comprehension involve alongside effective strategies to develop pupils’ fluency and comprehension skills at this half-day course from Literacy Counts.
  • Date: 10^th June.
  • Cost: £75 per person.
• Teaching Literacy Using Picture Books EYFS-KS2 (online): Develop your knowledge and understanding of how to choose and use picture books across the primary age range to increase children’s motivation and attainment as readers and writers with this pre-recorded webinar from CLPE.
  • Date: Available to watch from 10^th June – 23^rd July.
  • Cost: £60 per person.
• Success in Reading at UKS2 (in-person): Explore best-practice strategies to ensure pupils in UKS2 develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to become fluent, independent readers at this one-day course at CLPE’s London-based offices.
  • Date: 13^th June.
  • Cost: £250.
• Reflecting Realities in Your Classroom (online): Understand the role that high-quality, inclusive literature plays in shaping a positive reader and writer identity, and explore key features of high-quality, ethically representative literature to use with pupils from EYFS – Year 6 with this pre-recorded webinar from CLPE.
  • Date: Available to view from 16^th June to 23^rd July.
  • Cost: £60 per person.
• Supporting Struggling Readers at KS2: Learn about the latest research and best practice in supporting pupils that are struggling or reluctant to read at KS2 at this half-day webinar from Dandelion Learning.
  • Date: 17^th June.
  • Cost: £75+ VAT for an unlimited number of staff from your school.
• Schemas and Learning in KS1 (online):  Understand why schemas are central to young children’s learning and learn how to integrate schematic awareness into your practice to help children develop linguistic, mathematical and scientific concepts with Early Years consultant Dr Stella Louis at this webinar from the National Literacy Trust.
  • Date: 22^nd July.
  • Cost: £50
• Developing Reading for Pleasure: Engaging Young Readers Sign up for this free online course from the OU that explores the latest Reading for Pleasure research and outlines an effective framework to promote reader engagement.  You can start the course at any time and do it at your own pace.
  • Cost: Free.

Writing

• Teaching Writing in the Primary Years: Enhance your knowledge and understanding of how to teach writing within the context of a rich reading curriculum with one of CLPE’s phase-specific webinars covering EYFS,  KS1 and LKS2. Learn about the skills, knowledge and attitudes that underpin progress in writing at each stage, approaches that support an authentic writing process and strategies that enable children to use and apply spelling, punctuation and grammar knowledge in real writing contexts.
  • Date: All three webinars are available to view now until 3^rdJune.
  • Cost: £60 per person.
• Teaching Spelling at KS1 (online): Explore a range of evidence-based strategies to teach spelling effectively to pupils from EYFS to KS1. Learn how to use high-quality literature to build vocabulary and provide spelling models as well as strategies to encourage an investigative approach to spelling that will enable pupils to become confident and effective spellers in a range of contexts. This is a pre-recorded webinar lasting 90 minutes.
  • Date: Available to view now until 3^rdJune.
  • Cost: £60 per person.
• Teaching Spelling at KS2 (online): Explore a range of evidence-based strategies to teach spelling effectively to pupils from Year 3-6. Learn how to use high-quality literature to build vocabulary and provide spelling models as well as strategies to encourage an investigative approach to spelling that will enable pupils to become confident and effective spellers in a range of contexts. This is a pre-recorded webinar from CLPE.
  • Date: Available to view now until 3^rdJune.
  • Cost: £60 per person.
• Teaching English Grammar in Context (online): Learn how to teach grammar by analysing authentic texts, with practical strategies to help young writers develop an understanding of how language choices make meaning, at this interactive online course from UCL’s Englicious team.
  • Date: 23rd May or 18th July.
  • Cost: £49 per person.
• Confidently Support Children’s Writing – Practical Strategies for Teaching Assistants (online): Explore research-informed strategies and practical tools to support young writers and boost their success with this half-day course for Teaching Assistants from Literacy Counts.
  • Date: 5^th June.
  • Cost £75 per person.
• Talk for Writing at KS2 – Raising Standards in Writing (in-person): Learn how to implement Pie Corbett’s popular Talk for Writing approach to develop confident and creative fiction writers at an in-person event in Norwich.
  • Date: 10^th June.
  • Cost: From £195 + VAT (discount for multiple delegates from the same school available).
• The Write Stuff (in-person): Understand the guiding principles of Jane Considine’s popular The Write Stuff programme and learn the tools and techniques to help you implement it in the classroom at one of the in-person training events taking place in Manchester and Bristol this term.
  • Date: 9^th June and 27^th June.
  • Cost: £179 + VAT per person.
• Adaptive Teaching: Explore evidence-based approaches to enable you to adapt your reading and writing teaching to meet the learning needs of all your pupils with this half-day course from Literacy Counts.
  • Date: 12^th June.
  • Cost: £75 per person.
• English Grammar for Teachers (online):  Enhance your grammatical subject knowledge and explore how grammar can be used to improve reading and writing with an online course from UCL’s expert Englicious team.
  • Date: 13th June and 11th July.
  • Cost: £49 per person.
• ESSENTIAL Writing – An Introduction: Find out more about HFL Education’s whole-school writing scheme and learn how to implement it effectively for your primary phase with one of the webinars covering the planning and core texts for Year 1-2, Years 3-4 and Years 5-6.
  • Date: 25^th – 27^th June.
  • Cost: £59 + VAT per webinar.
• Improving Writing in KS2 (online): Learn strategies and approaches to help KS2 pupils tackle writing tasks across different text types. This one-day online course from the National Literacy Trust will explore ways to support the organisation of writing in any form, develop pupil’s meta-cognitive skills and build writing confidence.
  • Date: 1st July.
  • Cost: £170 (discount available for NLT premium members).
• Securing Full Stops at KS1 (online): Explore a range of tried and tested techniques to embed a solid understanding of sentence structure and punctuation for all pupils across KS1 with this webinar from HFL Education that includes ‘teaching in action’ video footage and a two-week focused English plan.
  • Date: 2^nd July.
  • Cost: £198 + VAT.
• AI & Writing – Enhancing Learning, Reducing Workload (online): Understand how AI can be used to support children’s writing, improve outcomes for all learners, increase engagement and reduce teacher workload with this half-day course from Literacy Counts.
  • Date: 9^th July.
  • Cost: £75 per person.
• Talk for Writing (online): Book now for the autumn series of Talk for Writing online courses. Each course takes place over four sessions and provides practical ideas and strategies to help schools embed the popular Talk for Writing approach. There are courses covering EYFS, KS1 and KS2.
  • Date: September 2025.
  • Cost: From £195 + VAT (discount for multiple delegates from the same school available).

Oracy

• Teaching Oracy in the Primary Classroom: Enhance your understanding of the four strands of oracy and explore practical strategies to embed oracy skills effectively across the curriculum in an online webinar for primary teachers and TAs from Dandelion Learning.
  • Date: 21^st May.
  • Cost: £65 +VAT per person or £199 + VAT for a whole school.

Media Literacy

• The Economist Educational Foundation: Gain practical teaching tips for managing discussions on complex topics and building news literacy with pupils aged 10+. Each module of this online CPD course comes with a fully-resourced lesson plan to implement in the classroom. The course can be accessed at any time.
  • Cost: Free

Supporting EAL Students

• EAL and SEND: Find out more about The Bell Foundation’s new online, on-demand course designed to empower primary and secondary practitioners to identify EAL learners who may also have a SEND and develop a framework for integrated provision.
  • Date: 22nd May.
  • Cost: Free
• Explore the range of webinars and one-day courses available from The Bell Foundation and their approved Regional Centres of Expertise. There are online and in-person courses to support teachers, teaching assistants and EAL Leads across all areas of EAL provision. Choose from Adaptive Teaching for Learners Using EAL, Language Awareness for the Classroom, Working with EAL Learners, Embedding EAL Assessment and Leading EAL in Your School.
  • Dates: Various from 23rd May.
  • Cost: From £40 per person.
• Explore the range of short online courses offered by the EAL Academy to support EAL practitioners. The courses can be started at any time and take 12 – 15 hours to complete. Choose from topics such as EAL Beginners in the Mainstream Classroom, Leading EAL, and EAL and SEND.
  • Cost: £195 + VAT per person.

Supporting SEND Students

• Creating an Inclusive Reading Curriculum (online): Literacy and inclusion expert Dr. Sarah Moseley explores practical tools and inclusive strategies to help practitioners create a literacy-rich environment that supports all learners at this live online webinar from the FFT.
  • Date: 20^th May.
  • Cost: Free
• Supporting Children with SEND (online): Learn how to create positive and supportive environments for reading and writing, understand the principles of the Five-a-Day approach to support all learners and explore the role of assistive technology at this half-day course from Literacy Counts.
  • Date: 17^th June.
  • Cost: £75 per person.
• Developing Effective Pedagogical Practice for Pupils with SEND: Get practical advice and guidance on how to embed effective teaching practices for pupils with SEND to increase engagement and reduce the need for additional support in this webinar created by the National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen) in collaboration with The National College. The webinar can be watched at any time.
  • Cost: £60 (+VAT).

For Librarians

• Developing a successful Primary Library – Practical Strategies to Create a Brilliant Space (online): Hear how this year’s SLA Enterprise of the Year winner transformed their library and get tips on whole school community approaches and fundraising at this SLA webinar.
  • Date: 21^st May.
  • Cost: £40 + VAT with a free membership. (Free for full members.)
• Breaking Barriers: Freedom to Learn (in-person): Choose from a range of talks by authors, academics and expert practitioners exploring the different barriers to learning and effective strategies to support young people to become independent readers and learners at the School Library Association’s annual weekend conference in Northampton.
  • Date: 6th-7th June.
  • £230/£320 ex VAT for full members/free members for both days. Single day tickets also available.
• Don’t Stop Reading – Keep Your Whole School Community Reading this Summer (online): Sign up to learn more about this year’s Summer Reading Challenge and Teachers’ Reading Challenge, with tips from fellow practitioners on how to use these opportunities to help build a reading culture in your school.
  • Date: 11^th June.
  • Cost: Free with a free membership.
• Publishers Roadshows (online): Hear from a range of publishers as they present their top summer titles at one of the three SLA Publisher Roadshows for Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction and YA Fiction.
  • Date: 16^th, 17^th and 19^th June.
  • Cost: £15 + VAT with a free membership. (Free for full members)
• Developing a Successful Primary Library – It’s More Than Just Books! (online): Get tips from this year’s winner of the Primary School Library Award and other practitioners to help you build a whole school reading culture and develop approaches to support teaching and learning at this SLA webinar.
  • Date: 24^th June.
  • Cost: Cost: £40 + VAT with a free membership. (Free for full members.)