The English offer is commissioned by Professional Development Leicester (PDL) & Whatever it Takes (WiT). As both of these initiatives are funded via de-delegation, all opportunities are offered at a free, or subsidised cost for Leicester City maintained primary schools. Non-maintained and Leicestershire schools are very welcome to participate, but a full charge will apply. Maintained Leicestershire schools can use their allocated £500 funding from the LA towards these opportunities.
How to book:
Individual booking links for each training opportunity can be found within the course information below. Please contact beth.dixon@sdsa.net if you have any queries.
Writing
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. £360 for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
Course Leads: Mel Hendy & Jo Puttick
No. of sessions: 4x half day sessions
Target Audience: English subject leaders. If colleagues did not attend these meetings last year, this will not be a problem.
Overview
The focus of these half-day sessions during the academic year 2026-27 is to strengthen the leadership of teaching strong foundations in writing: handwriting, spelling and sentence structure. These sessions will build on the subject knowledge and pedagogy from year one of the programme and develop its effective use to adapt teaching for pupils of differing abilities.
Content will include: the use of diagnostic assessment to identify pupil needs; the effective use of scaffolding such as shared and guided writing, oracy and dictation; monitoring of progress and feedback. The sessions will also provide opportunities to share good practice and network with other schools.
The Strategic Leadership of English Meetings will continue to be closely linked to the publication, Strong Foundations in the First Years of School, Ofsted report. Gap tasks will be set for English leaders to lead developments in school.
Course Content:
Session 1: Identifying pupil need and implementing scaffolding to adapt teaching
Session 2: Adaptive teaching: guided writing
Session 3: Monitoring of progress and provision of effective feedback
Session 4: Developing the leadership of strong foundations in English
Session Dates:
Session 1: Tuesday 29th September 2026, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 2: Thursday 26th November 2026, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 3: Friday 22nd January 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 4: Thursday 15th April 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. £395 for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
Course Lead: Emma Spiers
No. of sessions: 1x full day session and 3x half day sessions
Target Audience: Nursery and Reception teachers (who are second year ECTs and beyond) and Early Years or English Leads who have not attended this course before. This course is also appropriate for Special School English Leads and Special School Teachers.
Overview:
Follow the journey from sensory mark making to writing a series of simple sentences with accuracy and ease. This is essential CPD for Nursery and Reception Early Years teachers and Leaders of Early Years or English.
Attendees will:
- Secure a clear understanding of the most recent research underpinning best practice in early writing
- Develop a thorough, lasting, step-by-step approach through a progression in writing with high expectations
- Deconstruct the act of writing for tailored activities, with a clear focus on language for learning and the physical act of becoming a writer
- Reflect on the many ways writing can be developed through high-quality formal and informal EYFS provision
- Use a strategic framework for writing development across the EYFS
- Apply simple and effective best practice principles in classrooms straight away
- Achieve notable progress through a structured, engaging, language-rich approach
Each session will include:
- A combination of subject knowledge and a strong pedagogical element for instant practical application
- Intrinsic links to phonics programmes
- Networking and shared examples
- Worked examples and case studies of the Early Years writing process in action
- Gap tasks to develop practice and develop new ideas
Evidence-based publications referenced throughout this programme:
Strong Foundations in the First Years of School (Ofsted, 2024)
The Writing Framework (DFE, 2025)
Course Content:
Session 1: Creative composition through high-quality interactions, adult as scribe and structured, meaningful talk activities, terrific transcription from big moves to accurately formed letters
Gap task: Trial at least 1 new compositional and 1 transcriptional activity, to evaluate in session 2
Session 2: Writing words and sentences
Session 3: Successful scaffolding through simple and highly effective shared and guided writing approaches
Gap task: Video an example of your teaching of shared and guided writing to analyse and evaluate in session 4.
Session 4: Planning for progression. Creating a structured, systematic plan for long-term engagement in writing through a holistic and immersive approach
Session Dates:
Session 1: Monday 12th October 2026, 9am - 3pm, NSPCC
Session 2: Thursday 19th November 2026, 1pm - 4pm, NSPCC
Session 3: Tuesday 2nd February 2027, 8.45am - 11.45am, NSPCC
Session 4: Monday 15th March 2027, 1pm - 4pm, NSPCC
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. £395 for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
Course Lead: Jo Puttick
No. of sessions: 1x full day session and 3x half day sessions
Target Audience: KS1 teachers (who are second year ECTs and beyond) and subject leaders who have not previously undertaken the course. Also appropriate for Y3 teachers to support lower ability pupils.
Overview:
KS1 teachers will have a clear understanding of the research and rationale underpinning best practice in the teaching of early writing. Training will be broken down into small steps so that practitioners have the opportunity to apply each aspect in their classrooms, before reflecting on its impact during follow-up sessions.
The focus of these sessions is to develop effective teaching of strong foundations in writing across KS1, ensuring that all pupils make progress. There will be a strong focus on supporting learners to develop fluency and automaticity in the transcriptional elements of writing to reduce the cognitive load required of young writers in writing composition.
These sessions will include a mix of subject knowledge and pedagogy and will be closely linked to the recent Ofsted publication, Strong Foundations in the First Years of School (2024) and the DfE's Writing Framework (2025). A range of scaffolding techniques, including oracy, to support young writers will be introduced alongside advice on the removal of scaffolding to lead to independence. Gap tasks will be set for teachers to ensure development of teaching practice in the planning and teaching of writing for all learners in KS1.
The sessions will also provide opportunities to develop generic subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge in writing, share good practice and network with other schools.
Course Content:
Session 1: Understand the teaching of writing and the cognitive load required to write effectively. Teach strong foundations in handwriting and phonics for spelling to build fluency and automaticity. Use dictation as a tool. Understand end of year expectations for Y1&Y2 and how to support lower ability writers and stretch and challenge able writers. Use scaffolds to support accurate writing of sentences and build strong foundations in age related grammar expectations. How to plan sequences of lessons to support the focus on building strong foundations in writing.
Session 2: Develop effective teaching of strong foundations in writing through linked shared and guided writing.
Gap task: Video an example of your teaching of shared and guided writing
Session 3: Develop the teaching of strong foundations in English through video coaching of shared and guided writing. Reflect and build on strategies to develop independent writing.
Session 4: Develop composition through the use of oracy. Reduce the complexity of tasks required of young writers: planning for progression.
Session Dates:
Session 1: Tuesday 6th October 2026, 9am - 3pm, NSPCC
Session 2: Thursday 3rd December 2026, 8.45am - 11.45am, NSPCC
Session 3: Tuesday 9th February 2027, 8.45am - 11.45am, NSPCC
Session 4: Tuesday 27th April 2027, 8.45am - 11.45am, NSPCC
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. £395 for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
Course Lead: Mel Hendy
No. of sessions: 1x full day session and 3x half day sessions
Target Audience: KS2 teachers (who are second year ECTs and beyond) and subject leaders who have not previously undertaken this course.
Overview:
Teachers will have a clear understanding of the research and rationale underpinning best practice in the teaching of early writing for lower achieving pupils, including those with SEND and new arrivals. Training will be broken down into small steps so that practitioners have the opportunity to apply it in their classrooms, before reflecting on its impact during follow-up sessions.
The focus of these sessions is to develop effective teaching of strong foundations in writing for lower achieving pupils across KS2, ensuring that all pupils make progress. There will be a focus on supporting learners to develop fluency and automaticity in the transcriptional elements of writing to reduce the cognitive load required of writers in writing composition. The training will include a mix of subject knowledge and pedagogy and will be closely linked to the recent publication, Strong Foundations in the First Years of School, Ofsted report. Content will include diagnostic review of lower achieving pupils' writing to identify need and provision of scaffolding to meet them. A range of scaffolding techniques, including oracy, will be introduced alongside advice on the removal of scaffolding to lead to independence. Gap tasks will be set for teachers to ensure development of teaching practice and impact on their lower achieving pupils' writing, including those with SEND.
This course will also provide opportunities to develop generic subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge in writing, share good practice and network with other schools.
Course Content:
Session 1:
- Diagnosis of writers' needs
- Understanding of the teaching of writing and the cognitive load required to write effectively. Teaching of strong foundations in handwriting and phonics for spelling to build fluency and automaticity
- Understanding end of year expectations for KS2 pupils and how to support lower ability writers and stretch and challenge able writers
- Use of scaffolds, including dictation, to support accurate writing of sentences and build strong foundations in writing
Session 2: Development of effective teaching of strong foundations in writing through linked shared and guided writing.
Gap task: videoing of your teaching of shared and guided writing.
Session 3: Development of the teaching of strong foundations in English through video coaching of shared and guided writing. Time to reflect and build on strategies to develop independent writing.
Session 4: Development of composition through the use of oracy and planning. Presentations of impact.
Session Dates:
Session 1: Monday 5th October 2026, 9am - 3pm, NSPCC
Session 2: Tuesday 1st December 2026, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 3: Thursday 11th February 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 4: Thursday 22nd April 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. £270 for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
Course Lead: Hannah Cooper
No. of sessions: 3x half day sessions
Target Audience: Teachers (ECT2 and above) who have not attended this training before, looking to develop sequencing of lessons to ensure progression within a unit of work, alongside support for effective unit planning.
Please note: Colleagues who would benefit from this course are encouraged to complete it before enrolling onto the Teaching Strong Foundations in Writing programme.
Overview:
These sessions will support teachers' understanding of planning progressive teaching sequences using their own curriculum and texts, and will:
- Secure teachers' understanding of the teaching sequence using 'reverse' planning principles
- Ensure outcomes and expectations are appropriately pitched for the class
- Provide an input on year group relevant subject knowledge for foundational writing skills
- Give opportunity to write examples of appropriately pitched text to use for modelling and demonstration
The focus of the planning workshops is sequencing of lessons to ensure progression within a unit of work and will support teachers' unit planning.
Group size is small to ensure maximum support from the course leader. Teachers can attend individually, or with year group teams and subject leads to plan collaboratively. There will be a focus each session followed by an opportunity to plan own units of work with support from colleagues in the room and the course leader.
Course Content:
Session 1: Teaching sequence overview
Session 2: Foundational writing skills
Session 3: Children's planning for writing
Y3&Y4 session dates:
Session 1: Friday 2nd October 2026, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 2: Thursday 10th December 2026, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 3: Thursday 4th March 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Y5&Y6 session dates:
Session 1: Thursday 8th October 2026, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 2: Friday 11th December 2026, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 3: Friday 5th March 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Oracy
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. £360 for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
Course Lead: Hannah Cooper
No. of sessions: 4 x half day sessions
Target Audience: Oracy and English leads or any individual with a responsibility for oracy. You don't need to have been part of Voice Leicester previously to attend.
Overview:
The aim of these sessions is to support oracy leaders/champions and will include:
- Developing oracy practice
- A focus on using oracy to enhance and elevate the teaching of writing
- Support with action plans and cascading practice back in school
- Networking opportunities
Each network will be supported by an oracy expert lead teacher who will support discussions, share additional resources and deliver a masterclass on an identified area based on real classroom practice.
Course Content:
Each session will include aspects of the below:
- Oracy in the curriculum
- Developing practice around oral composition and oral rehearsal for teaching writing
- Leading oracy in school
- Showcasing own practice
Session Dates:
Session 1: Friday 6th November 2026, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 2: Friday 29th January 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 3: Thursday 18th March 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 4: Thursday 20th May 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Reading
Cost: Free to Leicester City maintained schools. £270 per delegate for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
Course Leads: Jo Puttick, Emma Spiers & Monika Singala
No. of sessions: 3x half day sessions
Audience: Early reading leaders, reading leaders, EYFS leads, teachers (EYFS/Y1/alternative specialist provision)
Overview
This year, the Early Reading Hub will focus on inclusion and adaption in teaching reading and aims to:
- Continue to develop teacher and leader understanding relating to best practice in reading development in the Early Years and Y1.
- Support leaders with their knowledge and skills in monitoring and evaluating current practice and making decisions about change and embedding change.
Session 1:
- Assessing and understanding every lower achieving pupil: in word reading.
- How to ensure parents understand how to support their learner in phonics and word reading.
- And what about children who learn to read differently?
- Case sampling: who is chosen and why?
- Developing leadership: Case sampling: Phonics and phonics interventions.
Session 2:
- Assessing and understanding every lower achieving pupil: in fluency and comprehension/book match.
- Guided reading and one to one reading to meet the needs of the lowest 20%.
- Metacognitive prompts to support early readers.
- Developing leadership: Case sampling: Guided reading and one to one reading.
Session 3:
- Early screening for all learners
- Working memory development: what to look for and how to support it.
- Whole class book sharing and reading teaching.
- Developing leadership: Case sampling: When adults are sharing books or whole class reading teaching.
Gap tasks will be provided after each session.
Session dates
Session 1: Wednesday 28th October 2026, 8.45am - 11.45am, NSPCC
Session 2: Thursday 28th January 2027, 8.45am - 11.45am, NSPCC
Session 3: Wednesday 5th May 2027, 8.45am - 11.45am, NSPCC
Contact: hayley.carter@sdsa.net
Please note: Both the Early Reading Hub and the Reading Leaders’ Network will focus on the core principles of inclusion and adaption in teaching reading. However, both programmes will be tailored to the different audiences and will differ. We recommend that schools attend both programmes to support whole school focus.
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. £270 per delegate for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
Course Leads: Jo Puttick & Mel Hendy
No. of sessions: 3x half day sessions
Audience: Reading leaders (primary and junior schools)
Overview
The Reading Leaders' Network will focus on inclusion and adaptation in teaching reading and aims to:
- Develop subject knowledge for Reading Leaders to support learners in the lowest 20%.
- Use case sampling of lower attaining learners in KS2 in all aspects of the reading curriculum to identify best practice to support these learners to make progress.
Session 1:
- Understanding every lower achieving pupil.
- Screening to identify needs of the most vulnerable readers: fluency at word and sentence level.
- Case sampling: who is chosen and why?
- Developing leadership: Case sampling: How are their needs being met in shared reading and when stories are read aloud?
Session 2:
- What did your screening show you? What do these pupils need? Do your teachers know how to move this learning forward?
- Screening to identify needs of the most vulnerable readers: working memory, vocabulary knowledge and wider comprehension?
- Strategies to meet the needs of the lowest 20% (e.g. guided reading).
- Metacognitive prompts to support early readers.
- Developing leadership: Case Sampling: Guided Reading.
Session 3:
- What did your screening show you? What do these pupils need? Do your teachers know how to move this learning forward?
- Dyslexia: how does this impact on readers?
- What are these children choosing to read (volitional reading): why might they be choosing this?
- What do the lowest achieving learn?
- Now you have all this information: so what will you do about it?
- Developing leadership: Case Sampling: Volitional reading.
Gap tasks will be provided after each session.
Session dates
Session 1: Tuesday 13th October 2026, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 2: Tuesday 12th January 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Session 3: Thursday 8th April 2027, 9am - 12pm, NSPCC
Contact: hayley.carter@sdsa.net
Please note: Both the Early Reading Hub and the Reading Leaders' Network will focus on the core principles of inclusion and adaption in teaching reading. However, both programmes will be tailored to the different audiences and will differ. We recommend that schools attend both programmes to support whole school focus.
Overview
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. £50 per delegate (half day conference) for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools. £30 per delegate (virtual session) for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
We are planning 3 face to face Reading Champions' Conferences and 1 virtual briefing this year. Further information to follow.
Contact: nicola.gale@sdsa.net
Cost: Free for all Leicester City and Leicestershire schools.
Course Lead: Ellie Chettle Cully
No. of sessions: 5x twilight sessions
Audience: Primary teachers, librarians, ITT colleagues and school support staff
Overview
Are you passionate about:
- Developing children's pleasure in reading?
- Enriching your own knowledge of children's literature?
- Enhancing your reading for pleasure practice?
- Engaging with others to support, network and share ideas?
Then join us to enrich your knowledge and practice! Guided by OU/UKLA research, our sessions explore reading for pleasure practice and pedagogy together to develop your knowledge and support your work in nurturing young readers.
An online launch session will take place on Monday 6th July at 3.45pm
More information to follow.
Contact: nicola.gale@sdsa.net
Volitional reading initiatives
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. There are two options for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools wishing to participate:
Option 1) £300 per school (includes approximately a minimum of 5 copies of each of the shortlisted books, and resources)
Option 2) £550 per school (includes approximately a minimum of 10 copies of each of the shortlisted books, and resources)
Once registered, WiT will contact non-maintained/Leicestershire schools to confirm which option you wish to be charged for.
Overview
The Our Best Picture Book Award is especially for Year 2 children in Leicester! During Spring Term 2027, Year 2 pupils and families will be asked to read and talk together about six picture books and to vote for their favourite. Schools will be provided with books and resources to support the running of the award.
Contact: hayley.carter@sdsa.net
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. There are two options for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools wishing to participate:
Option 1) £300 per school (includes approximately a minimum of 4 copies of each of the shortlisted books, and resources)
Option 2) £550 per school (includes approximately a minimum of 8 copies of each of the shortlisted books, and resources)
Once registered, WiT will contact non-maintained/Leicestershire schools to confirm which option you wish to be charged for.
Overview
Our amazing new book award, especially for Year 3/4 children, aims to inspire curiosity, develop a love of non-fiction and encourage children to discover fascinating topics together, before then voting for their favourite book. Schools receive multiple copies of the books, resources and videos to help support and celebrate the award in school.
Contact: nicola.gale@sdsa.net
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. There are two options for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools wishing to participate:
Option 1) £300 per school (includes 1 copy of each longlist book (12 books) and approximately a minimum of 5 copies of each of the top 5 shortlisted titles, resources and virtual author talks)
Option 2) £550 (includes 1 copy of each longlist book (12 books) and approximately a minimum of 10 copies of each of the top 5 shortlisted titles, resources and virtual author talks)
Once registered, WiT will contact non-maintained/Leicestershire schools to confirm which option you wish to be charged for.
Overview
A book award, especially for Year 5/6 children in Leicester! This project will run for the duration of the 2026-27 academic year. Pupils are asked to read a range of books, shortlist their top 5 and then vote for their favourite. Schools will be provided with books and resources to support the running of the award. Cost covers multiple copies of titles, resources, videos and virtual author visits.
Contact: nicola.gale@sdsa.net
Cost: Free for Leicester City maintained schools. There will be a charge for non-maintained city schools and all Leicestershire schools.
Authors on Tour will run during June 2027 with face to face and virtual author visits for all year groups. Books will be supplied to schools to accompany their chosen author visit. More information to follow in January 2027.
Contact: sonia.dayal@sdsa.net