A round-up of some of the deadlines and key events for the first half of this Spring term to help you access all the literacy resources that are on offer.

Don’t miss….

• Registration is now open for the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway shadowing scheme ahead of the announcement of the 2021 shortlist in March. Even if you have taken part in previous years, you will still need to re-register for this year. If you would like to receive a free publicity pack, the registration deadline is Friday 12th February.
• Register now for Bournville Bookfest’s free online schools programme which will run during World Book Day Week (1st – 5th March, 2021). There is a star-studded line-up of best-selling authors, poets and illustrators for KS2. The videos will last under 30 minutes, will all have an interactive element, and are supported by free teacher resources and lesson plans.

Upcoming CPD courses

One of the few benefits of lockdown is that, with many CPD courses now running online, you can access courses that you wouldn’t have been able to attend in person. Costs tend to be lower too!

•  The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education is running a programme of online webinars through the Spring term. The programme covers many different aspects of the primary literacy curriculum, from planning and progression, to poetry and non-fiction. It also includes a series of eight webinars introducing CLPE’s flagship programme, The Power of Reading, starting on Friday 15th January. All webinars are delivered via Zoom.

  Cost: From £20.

• Choose from 18 webinars offered by the English and Media Centre over the Spring term. Topics covered include Teaching Writing for GCSE, Remote Learning and English Teaching, and Teaching Grammar in Context. All webinars are delivered via Zoom.

Cost: From £20.

• Just imagine is running an online course looking at practical class approaches for teaching with non-fiction in primary history, geography and science. Subject Matters will run over three x 90-minute twilight sessions starting on January 26th.

  Cost: £75 + VAT (discounts available for multiple teachers.)

• The National Literacy Trust is running two virtual conferences in January, one for primary and one for secondary teachers.
  • The Secondary School Virtual Conference runs from 21st January to 29th January and offers a wide range of events for teachers and students. These include live teacher webinars on disciplinary literacy; a roundtable event on literacy, diversity and equality; author events for students; and Words for Work workshops to develop CV writing and interview skills. Cost: £50 to give access to all events for an unlimited number of teachers and students. Events can be accessed at school or from home.
  • The Primary Conference 2021: Literacy by Stealth will consist of eight twilight sessions over the course of a week, starting on Tuesday 9th March. The sessions will look at how sport, culture and technology can enrich children’s lives, providing valuable social capital, and nurturing creativity and empathy. Cost: £65 for full members of the National Literacy Trust (one booking extends to all school colleagues), £75 for non-members.

Ideas for the classroom

A selection of ideas and resources to tie in with events in the wider world or the literacy calendar.

• Commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day on Wednesday 27th January with a free resource pack from award-winning author Tom Palmer and the National Literacy Trust. The resources  are suitable for home learning and contain a five-part read aloud original story, videos and writing resources. The resources are designed to be used throughout the week commencing Monday 25th January and are suitable for use with students aged 9-14. You can find more resources designed for schools on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website.
• National Storytelling Week runs from 30th January to 6th February and the Society for Storytelling has put together a series of resource packs for primary and secondary schools, which include audio recordings of storytelling, story games and storytelling tips. You can also find further free online storytelling videos, challenges and recordings at the sites below:
  •  Lauren and the Story Box
  • Talking Tales
• International Book Giving Day always takes place on Valentine’s Day. Why not encourage children to have a go at making their own book to give to a loved-one? The British Library has a selection of creative videos that includes how to make your own mini book and pop-ups on its Discovering Children’s Books website. Or check out the Big and Small section where you will find examples of miniature books created by some popular authors.
• To mark Universal Letter Writing Week (10th January to 17th January) author PG Bell of The Train to Impossible Places series has partnered with the National Literacy Trust and The Postal Museum to create a Kids of 2020 Letter Writing Project that runs until 4th April. The project invites children to share their experiences of 2020 by writing to a child in 2030. A selection of the letters will become part of The Postal Museum’s collection and will be exhibited in digital format and in a display at the museum, once venues can reopen. To find out more and download supporting resources click here.
• Young Writers run national writing competitions for young people all through the year. They have three competitions running over this half term with a closing date of 12th February:
  • Poetry Safari for KS1
  • Peculiar Pets Poetry for KS2
  • Unsolved: a mini saga inspired by the crime and mystery genre for KS3/4

We hope that you find something here to inspire and chase away the gloom of a winter lockdown.

Don’t forget

You can find lots more resources to help you meet the demands of the literacy curriculum on the Literacy Hive website. Start your search here.