This interactive course offers an introduction to the key ideas and terminology of post-16 phonics. You will explore important guiding principles to apply to your practice to optimise the influence phonics can have on learners.

The course lays the foundations to give you the knowledge, confidence and motivation to go on to attend other phonics courses. English teachers know that many learners re-sitting exams want to improve their reading and spelling, and it is not always the case that learners studying GCSE feel more confident in reading and spelling than those studying Functional Skills.

This interactive course aims to help teachers plan and deliver holistic learning activities that connect English to the learner's vocational area. All of the activities use the vocational area as the starting point.

The workshop focusses on two key areas: how to use the vocational area as the foundation for all English teaching and learning activities; and how to ensure that, as far as possible, activities are holistic and representative of what learners might find themselves undertaking in the workplace.

This course considers strategies for identifying gaps, and areas that learners struggle with, to use as a starting point for their learning. English learners tend to be returning learners that don't wish to sit the qualifications in this subject again. By pinpointing these specific areas of difficulty, we can aim to make their learning experience different for them. Providing learners with a metacognitive understanding of their learning, so they are able to decipher what works for them, is invaluable to their experience.

This interactive course will explore ways to build learners' confidence and resilience around creative writing. It explores strategies for supporting learners to see themselves as writers, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to spark their creativity and imagination (especially when working with GCSE style picture and word prompts) and produce writing which consciously develops theme and narrative perspective.

The course activities give participants the opportunity to try out and evaluate suggestions for creative writing activities for themselves before using them with learners.

Many of the learners in our sector begin their English courses with little confidence in their writing ability. This course explores the difference between writing for GCSE and Functional Skills. Also, the process of writing, developing ideas, turning ideas into plans, developing detail and preparing for writing is examined through a range of activities. In addition, we look at a range of integrated skills activities which help learners to evaluate their non-fiction writing skills and explore ways in which they can improve and refine specific aspects of their written work.

This course explores ways of using phonics to identify and plan for the needs of learners. You will reflect on common errors learners on FS and GCSE English courses make and be guided to explore phonics strategies for improvement.

It will be beneficial for teachers who have a basic knowledge of the key terminology and concepts involved in phonics and the principles and practices underpinning them.

This interactive webinar aims to explore how knowledge and skills in grammar can be taught in imaginative ways through the active exploration of everyday and vocational texts.

It is the first of two linked webinars that explore the teaching of grammar and introduce ideas and teaching strategies that are then developed in the follow up webinar Investigating grammar: Supporting your learners to understand how texts work.

This interactive course will explore a range of strategies and activities designed to support learners during the formative stages of the writing process. These will include teacher modelling, collaborative writing and activities which help learners revise and refine their writing.

This course is a practical session to provide English teachers with strategies and ideas for using phonics in ways that are accessible, relevant and useful to learners. Tried and tested activities using phonics to improve reading and spelling in Functional Skills and GCSE English classes will be shared. You will work with other practitioners to evaluate their usefulness for your learners.

These interactive sessions, free for those who have participated in other paid for CPD, will provide a chance for participants to share ideas of effective practice around an English topic.

This course looks at the Functional Skills English content for Speaking, Listening and Communicating to help you understand language requirements at different levels of the exam and why it needs to be taught separately. It will explore examples of practical activities for supporting learners with opportunities to share ideas. It will include not only what to say in different circumstances but how to say it, how to listen in ways that communication flows and language features to help learners make choices in their own usage helping them with further study, assessment, and employment.

This course will support technical and vocational tutors, trainers and assessors to understand that assessment of English GCSEs and Functional Skills is a process of gathering data to better understand the progress of the learner and how to use this data to inform planning that lead to improvements in learning.

Learners often have low self-esteem and resilience to reading. Many feel that they have already 'failed'. This course explores how to develop learners' active reading skills by explicitly teaching some of the process and problem-solving strategies that proficient readers use automatically e.g. when good readers read, they consider what they are reading and how it fits with what they already know. You will try out and evaluate strategies through which support learners to build upon the schema that they have already developed and better understand and engage with the texts they encounter.

Session will include a case study of the different delivery modes used at Weston college including a tour the alternative classroom, 1:1 intervention techniques, social enterprise and how to embed "lightbulb" moments in all lessons in regard to English. Specialists will share with practitioners key concepts on "talking for writing", "the art of Orase" and "communication games" to help improve teaching practices in the classroom. We will also focus on key agendas such as "reading for pleasure" and "no pens Wednesdays" to help build confidence towards English.

This interactive course will help you to explore the importance of teaching learners more about the differences between speech and writing so that they can use language purposefully and make informed communicative choices.

With a focus on practical activities, and using real samples, you will explore how speaking and listening skills can be used to inform ad improve writing. You will have the opportunity to discuss themes and experiences and to share ideas with each other.