Secondary training
Literacy for Learning is a secondary school improvement programme, providing professional development for school leaders and teachers on literacy within the curriculum. Our training is aligned with evaluation and research from the Education Endowment Foundation and emphasises the practical application of research in the classroom.
The programme was recently featured in leading publication SecEd, as our Secondary School Improvement Programme Manager Nisha Tank was invited to write a feature on how disciplinary literacy is the key to the transition from year 6 to year 7.
Nisha has also written a guest blog for EEF titled Co-constructing disciplinary literacy: Rethinking literacy leadership in secondary schools in which she shares the gains that can be made through purposeful literacy leadership, built around disciplinary literacy.
Our training offer
- Scheduled live online ticketed events. Please note that we do not record these events.
- Live online group or whole-school training on request
- Face-to-face group or whole-school training on request
Why should I book training with the National Literacy Trust?
Teachers and educators will receive high-quality training which will improve and inform their teaching practice. Our courses have a proven track record of success with previous attendees noting a change in their own confidence and understanding as well as identifying positive behaviour changes within their students as a result of implementing their learnings.
In addition, you will be directly supporting the National Literacy Trust in its mission as an independent charity to change the stories of children living in poverty. All the profits from our CPD workshops and courses are invested back into the National Literacy Trust to fund vital activity in communities where the lowest levels of literacy are most prevalent and impactful.
Secondary national conference 7 July 2025
Hear from a range of exciting and diverse voices, including Professor Alice Deignan, on how literacy sits at the heart of improving academic outcomes and the life-chances of young people.
Training events 2025
Get 15% discount when you book 10 tickets or more by the end of January 2025. To book, contact kate.warde@literacytrust.org.uk
You will find a range of literacy pathways below. Each pathway suggests a sequence of courses to build skills and understanding for a specific literacy priority. The courses in the pathway can be purchased as either a scheduled ticketed course or as a group booking on a date that suits you.
Please see below for our exciting offer on disciplinary literacy within subject areas.
Enquiries
- For all ticketed events contact Jess Hirst, Project Officer, jess.hirst@literacytrust.org.uk
- For all group or whole-school training enquiries contact Nisha Tank, Head of School Improvement, nisha.tank@literacytrust.org.uk
- For any other secondary training enquiries please call 07742 768406
Explore our literacy training pathways
Choose from four literacy training pathways:
- Introduction to disciplinary literacy
- Developing reading within the curriculum
- Developing disciplinary literacy within subject areas
- Supporting English teachers
Pathway one
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New to, or developing your understanding of the concept of disciplinary literacy? This course introduces the concept and explores practical classroom strategies.View details about What is disciplinary literacy?
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This training explores the role of talk as a tool for learning and promotes different ways of implementing exploratory talk activities in the classroom.View details about Talk for learning
Pathway two
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Examine the role of academic language in the secondary curriculum and promote ways of teaching different tiers of vocabulary in a range of subjects.View details about Building vocabulary in the secondary curriculum
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Explore disciplinary reading, active reading strategies, and how to support struggling and EAL learners.View details about Reading for learning
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Explore ideas around reading motivation, the use of digital reading platforms and the importance of valuing and promoting all types of wider readingView details about Reading for pleasure
Pathway three
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Explore the role of academic language and literacy in the secondary mathematics curriculum, and how to promote ways of developing talk, reading and writing in this subjectView details about Developing literacy in mathematics
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This professional development course is for teachers of mathematics at KS3 who teach groups with weaker communication skills. It may also support higher-level teaching assistants...View details about Disciplinary literacy in KS3 mathematics
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Using evidence from research and theory, this course investigates effective literacy strategies for teaching and learning in scienceView details about Developing literacy in science
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Learn how to make reading in geography interactive, improve extended writing and help students unpack exam questionsView details about Developing literacy in geography
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Explore the role of academic language and literacy in the secondary history curriculum, and how to promote ways of developing talk, reading and writing in this subject.View details about Developing literacy in history
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This professional development programme is for teachers or coaches of physical education at KS3 (part one only) or teachers of GCSE PE and BTEC at KS4 (parts one and two)View details about Developing literacy in physical education
Pathway four
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Explore the use of reading strategies to support active reading of fiction, non-fiction and 19th century literary textsView details about Developing literacy in English
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This professional development programme is for teachers of subjects with extended writing at KS3 or 4, supported by literacy leaders.View details about Disciplinary writing in the secondary curriculum
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Join acclaimed spoken-word artist and award-winning poet and writer Steven Camden - aka Polarbear - for a hands-on workshop, which draws on his own practice of using collaborative...View details about Telling Stories: Using Talk to Develop Creative Writing
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Access a new toolbox of techniques to support students’ creative writing.View details about Developing narrative and descriptive writing in English
