Take advantage of the CPD opportunities coming up over the next few months to learn about the latest research and develop your practice. There are courses and webinars covering all aspects of the literacy curriculum for primary and secondary practitioners. Find an event to suit your needs in our updated roundup.

Conferences

• The Link Live Speech and Language Day: This online speech and language conference hosted by Speech and Language Link takes place on 21st November and will explore the latest research and best practice to help you support pupils with SLCN.
  • Cost: Free with registration for The Link Community (also free).
• Festival of Inclusive Education: Explore ways to use technology to design an inclusive learning environment that works for all learners at this online conference on 26th November.
  • Cost: Free.
• National Primary English Conference 2025: The theme for HfL Education’s annual primary conference is Powerful Pedagogy: Say it, Read it, Write it. Join academics, expert practitioners and authors for a day of keynotes and workshops exploring innovative teaching strategies to support all learners across the literacy curriculum at this online conference on 6th February. 
  • Cost: £154.00 + VAT per delegate.

CPD Courses

English Leadership

• Leading the English Curriculum with the Power of Reading: Find out more about CLPE’s flagship Power of Reading training and how it can help schools structure and develop a book-based English curriculum at a free online event on 7th November.
  • Cost: Free
• Leading English Effectively: Develop a whole-school approach for literacy that meets the requirements of the Statutory Framework for EYFS and the National Curriculum with this four-day, in-person course from CLPE starting on 12th November in London.
  • Cost: £1200 (includes a subscription to CLPE’s School Membership)
• Leading Primary English: This webinar series from HFL Education is designed to help primary English subject leaders keep up to date with the latest guidance and research and build expertise across the Primary English Curriculum. There are six sessions across the year, each covering a different topic. The next session is on 14th November and will look at developing a whole school approach to supporting children with EAL.
  • Cost: £46 (+VAT) per session.

Reading and Writing – Primary

• CLPE Webinar Subscription: Sign up for a subscription that gives all members of staff access to CLPE’s online training programme for the autumn term. Each recorded session will be available to view for 30 days from the release date and the sessions cover all aspects of primary literacy, including Teaching Phonics to Support Reading and Writing, Teaching Reading, Teaching Writing, Choosing and Using Poetry, Understanding Spelling, Planning Literacy Around a Text, and Nurturing Reader and Writer Identities. Recordings released from the end of September.
  • Cost £500. Recordings of individual webinars available for £60.
• Foundations of Writing – The Fundamental of Learning in EYFS: Explore the key experiences and teaching approaches that will support and empower children in Nursery and Reception at the start of their writing journey at this in-person course from CLPE held at their London offices on 5th November.
  • Cost: £250 per person.
• Moving On – Making Progress in English: Sign up for a series of three in-person workshops looking at ways to support pupils to make progress in English from Year 1 to Year 6. Led by Just Imagine, each workshop will focus on a different genre (poetry, non-fiction and visual texts) and is organised around a set of principles centred around dialogic teaching. The workshops take place at Scott Wilkie Primary School in London  – UKLA Literacy School of the Year 2024 – and participants will have the opportunity to visit classrooms and engage in reflective discussions with practitioners. The workshops take place on 7th November, 13th February and 19th June.
  • Cost: £450 + VAT. (Discounts available for multiple bookings from the same school.)
• The Write Stuff: 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  a series of in-person training events taking place across the country, starting on 8th November.
  • Cost: £215 per person.
• Success for all in Year 6 writing: Explore practical strategies and activities to support all learners to achieve the expected standard for writing at the end of Year 6 with a two-part online training course led by experienced Year 6 specialists from HFL Education on 5th and 26th November.
  • Cost: £160 +VAT per participant.
• An Introduction to Talk for Reading: Sign up for a series of four webinars that explore the key reading strategies and approaches that inform this whole-school approach to the teaching of reading, starting on 11th November.
  • Cost: £195.00 + VAT per person for all four sessions. (Discounts available for multiple bookings from the same school.)
• Enhancing Reading Experiences in KS2: Learn how to transform reading habits and embed a culture of reading for pleasure using the principles outlined in the Reading Framework and the latest evidence-based approaches with this series of webinars from Wandle Learning Partnership. Featuring expert guest speakers and ‘on the ground’ case studies from primary school across the UK, the webinars take place between 12th November and 6th June.
  • Cost: Free.
• Developing Greater Depth Writers: Understand the features of writing at ‘greater depth’ and how to evidence it, and explore strategies to support the development of young writers with this series of online sessions from Wandle Learning Partnership and the National Literacy Trust. There are sessions for Year 2 teachers (13th November), Years 3 & 4 teachers (22nd November) and Years 5 & 6 teachers (27th November).
  • Cost: £100 per session or £200 for all three sessions . Schools can send multiple delegates.
• Power of Reading: Online and in-person training courses are available for CLPE’s whole-school, book-based literacy programme. Covering all aspects of the primary literacy curriculum, the training supports schools to plan and deliver an engaging curriculum using high-quality children’s literature and proven creative teaching approaches. In-person courses run over four sessions with locations in the North West (14th November) and London (29th November). Online courses run over eight sessions and the next course starts on 21st November.
  • Cost: £1300/£1450 per person for online/ in-person courses. Both include access to the bank of Power of Reading teaching sequences for one year. (Discounts available for multiple bookings.)
• Read for Empathy – Supporting Relationships: Understand the science behind reading for empathy and explore ways to use empathy-rich books to help develop children’s understanding of relationships with this online course from Empathy Lab on 14th December.
  • Cost: £70 per person. (Discounts available for multiple bookings from the same school.)
• The Power of a Poetry Rich Primary School: Explore practical approaches to support children in reading, discussing, peforming and writing poetry across the primary years with this online course from Literacy Counts on 5th December.
  • Cost: £60 per person.
• Inspiring Writing Through Shared and Short-burst Writing: Book now for this four-part online course from the team at Talk for Writing that looks at how to use short-burst writing to develop young writers’ ability to create different effects to engage their readers. The course starts on 7th January.
  • Cost: £198.00 + VAT per person for all four sessions. (Discounts available for multiple bookings from the same school.)
• Greater Depth Writing at KS2: Explore key approaches and strategies that will support children in KS2 to develop their writing to greater depth with this four-day, online course from the team at Talk for Writing starting on 8th January.
  • Cost: £198.00 + VAT per person for all four sessions. (Discounts available for multiple bookings from the same school.)
• Using a Novel to Inspire Writing: Learn how to use a novel  to inspire high-quality writing at this one-day conference from the Talk for Writing team. The model text will be the award-wining novel Varjak Paw and author SF Said will be available to sign copies of his book. The conference takes place in London on 5th February.
  • Cost: £195.00 + VAT per person.

Reading and Writing – Secondary

• Developing Literacy in …: The National Literacy Trust offers a range of online training courses that explore practical strategies to develop effective talk, reading and writing in specific subject areas of the secondary curriculum. Courses available for the rest of this term cover History (4th November), KS3 Mathematics (5th November) and Geography (19th November).
  • Cost £140 per person.
• Finding your Storytelling Voice: Acclaimed spoken-word artist Steven Camden leads a hands-on workshop exploring how student-led approaches and collaborative talk can help develop students’ creative writing process in this online event from the National Literacy Trust on 6th November.
  • Cost: £70 per person.
• Developing Narrative and Descriptive Writing in English: Enhance your teaching of creative writing for students in KS3 and 4 with this online training event from the National Literacy Trust on 13th November.
  • Cost: £70 per person.
• What Matters in English… NOW!: Barbara Bleiman reviews some of the key issues facing English teachers in the current educational environment in this online webinar from the English & Media Centre on 13th November.
  • Cost£45 per person.
• Teaching with Confidence – A Day for ECTs: Develop your subject knowledge, explore new teaching strategies and share your experiences with fellow ECTs at this one-day course from the English & Media Centre, available online (11th December) and in-person at their London office (27th November).
  • Cost: £175/£245 per person for online/in-person event.

Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation

• Grammar – Getting the Balance Right at KS3: Join this online webinar from the English & Media Centre on 6th November that explores the benefits of a contextualised approach to teaching grammar at KS3 and ways to balance the demands of grammar teaching against those of the wider English curriculum.
  • Cost: £45 per person.
• Success in Spelling: Explore a range of evidence-based strategies and approaches to support the teaching of spelling across the primary age range, including how to use a range of quality children’s texts to build vocabulary and provide spelling models, at this in-person course from CLPE at their London office on 6th November.
  • Cost: £250 per person.
• English Grammar for Teachers: Develop or refresh your grammatical subject knowledge and explore engaging ways to teach English grammar to primary and secondary pupils with this live webinar from the Englicious team at UCL on 15th November. The course is also available to complete in your own time on FutureLearn.
  • Cost: £49 per participant (£25 for Trainee Teachers)
• Securing full stops at KS1: HfL Education are running a two-part online session for KS1 teachers on sentence structure and punctuation starting on 19th November.
  • Cost: £198 +VAT per participant.
• Teaching Grammar in Context: Explore the benefits of a contextualised approach to teaching grammar and learn how grammar can be integrated into analytical and creative teaching activities with this interactive workshop from the Englicious team at UCL on 22nd November. The course is also available to complete in your own time on FutureLearn.
  • Cost: £49 per person (£25 for Trainee Teachers)
• KS2 Spotlight on Phonics and Spelling: Learn how to support KS2 pupils who are struggling with phonics and spelling with this webinar from HFL Education on 27th November. Participants will come away with practical strategies to implement in the classroom and advice on how to adapt lessons to accommodate all learners and close learning gaps.
  • Cost: £80 +VAT per person.

Oracy

• The Whys and Hows of Great Dialogic Learning in English: Explore the benefits of using dialogic learning in the English classroom, what it means and strategies to help implement it effectively in this online webinar from the English & Media Centre on 26th November.
  • Cost: £45 per person.
• The Wandle Oracy Series: Sign up for a series of three webinars from the Wandle Learning Partnership and Bookmark Reading Charity that explores the latest research and effective approaches to help primary schools plan and deliver a whole-school oracy curriculum. The webinars take place on 3rd December, 27th February and 27th March.
  • Cost: £50 per session or £90 for all three sessions. Schools can send multiple delegates.
• Oracy – Learning Through Talk: Join the HFL Education team to explore effective approaches and strategies to empower primary schools to develop an engaging, creative and progressive speaking and listening curriculum at this one-day online course on 22nd January.
  • Cost: £144 + VAT per person.

Media Literacy

• Teaching the News: Get advice and practical teaching tips on how to manage discussions about sensitive and complex topics and build news literacy with pupils aged 10+ with this online CPD course from the Economist Education Foundation. Each module comes with a fully-resourced lesson plan to implement in the classroom and the course can be accessed at any time.
  • Cost: Free
• Navigating the News: Help primary pupils navigate the news safely and explore ways to use the news and non-fiction texts to engage readers and build key literacy skills with this series of free webinars from First News and The Primary Education Advisors.
  • Cost: Free

Supporting students with EAL

• EAL Teaching – Top Tips and Strategies: Discover how to overcome common language challenges and learn innovative teaching methods and practical techniques to support EAL learners of all ages with this online webinar from Across Cultures on 7th November.
  • Cost: Free
• Introduction to the Learning Village (Primary and Secondary): Sign up for an introduction to the Learning Village, a blended EAL vocabulary, language structure and reading programme for learners who are new to English on 13th November.
  • Cost: Free
• Supporting Learners with English as an Additional Language: Join HfL Education for this online afternoon training session on supporting KS1/KS2 learners with EAL on 5th December.
  • Cost: £96 + VAT per person.
• Leading a Whole-School EAL Strategy: The Bell Foundation is offering a new online, flexible training course for primary and secondary school leaders who are looking for evidence-based guidance and practical tools to help them implement a whole-school EAL strategy. The course starts on 15th January and there are three modules, including an interactive webinar.
  • Cost: £45-£67.50 for state-funded/independent schools.

Supporting students with SEND

• Ambitious About Inclusion: Sign up for this online course from the Whole School SEND consortium designed to address some of the most common SEND training needs across the education sector. There are four modules, each with six role-specific ‘routes’ to ensure content is relevant and useful to everyone. All the training can be done at your own pace with an auto-save function that allows you to pick up where you left off at a later time.
  • Cost: Free
• 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.
• Dyslexia Action: Explore the range of accredited courses for primary and secondary practitioners from leading dyslexia training provider Dyslexia Action. Level 4 and 5 courses cover topics such as  ‘Developing Literacy Skills in Learners with Dyslexia’ and ‘Dyslexia in the Multilingual Settings’ and require between 20 and 30 hours of self-paced study over eight weeks. The courses run six times a year and the next start date is 13th November.
  • Cost: From £295 + VAT.
• Supporting Children with SEND: Develop your understanding of the literacy needs of children with SEND and learn how to create a positive and supportive environment to ensure that all children make progress in reading and writing at this half-day online course from Literacy Counts on 14th November.
  • Cost £60 per person.
• Supporting Autistic Learners in the Mainstream English Classroom: Autism education expert Jude Ragan discusses practical ways to help autistic learners engage fully with the English curriculum and achieve their potential in this online webinar from the English & Media Centre on 19th November.
  • Cost: £45 per person

For Librarians:

• Book Club Brilliance: Join the SLA for an online webinar looking at ways to maximise the impact of your book club on 5th November.
  • Cost: £20 + VAT for members/£25 + VAT for non-members.
• Celebrating the Library: Join fellow primary librarians at an in-person event in London on 26th November to celebrate the role of the school library, with author talks, the latest research and an opportunity to network.
  • Cost: £45 + VAT for members/£55 + VAT for non-members.
• Publisher Roadshow: Join The Reading Agency for their online Children and Young People’s Publisher Roadshow on 27th November to hear from authors and publishers about upcoming releases.
  • Cost: Free.