Embedding English in vocational lessons
Integrating literacy development for all, improving: expert learning skills and resit grades.
Available in-person or online. Next open, online session:
- Location Zoom
- Date tbc (please contact for bespoke options)
- Time
- Cost
Typical inspection issues
- Teachers in vocational areas do not routinely develop learners’ English skills so that they fully understand the importance of these skills and how to apply them.
- Too many teachers do not link the development of English skills to their vocational subjects. As a result, students do not improve their English knowledge, skills and confidence quickly enough.
Duration
Embedding English in vocational lessons is offered in two formats: 2 hours and 3 hours.
Information for providers
Summer 2026 gave us the worst set of resit pass rates for GCSE English in decades, if not ever. Standards have been in a downward spiral, from an already low 42%, since Gove’s reforms in 2010. Now at just 19.8%, things have to change.
While the content exam boards set to assess students’ abilities is clearly inappropriate for resit learners, the assessment objectives themselves are excellent. Every one is a vital expert, independent learning skill we all want our learners to achieve. The importance of this cannot be overstated. The nine GCSE English outcomes are the essential skills every vocational tutor prizes highly. But how many vocational tutors even know what they are?
This session is something of a revolution in the delivery of training for embedding English. It recognises that some teachers, particularly those who have had a professional career in their discipline, may lack either the confidence, knowhow, or willingness to spend time looking at how to embed the work they may feel is the responsibility of others.
The resources teachers are introduced to in this session resolve each of these issues. Initially, I’ve taken 24 level-2 qualifications spread across the 15 sector subject areas and created a set of bespoke resources for each.
The embedding document. In this resource, I’ve taken every mandatory and every option unit from a qualification (such as L2 Bricklaying), then mapped every learning outcome to the English AOs that most easily fit. I’ve then written an embedding task for every sub-outcome to augment the lessons teachers have already planned to deliver. Finally, I’ve written a carefully-crafted prompt teachers can use to produce the resources they may need for the tasks. In other words, to embed English skills (or rather expert learning skills) in their lessons, everything is now done for them. They no longer have an excuse not to.
Glossary of English language terms. To compliment the embedding document, I’ve produced a glossary of over 100 terms for learners. However, rather than just being a list of definitions, each is accompanied by an example that is related to the subject, i.e. bricklaying.
Information for delegates
The jewels in the FE & Skills system are the vocational experts who’ve decided to give something back by becoming teachers. But an all-too-common self-preservation comment from them can be: ‘I didn’t come into FE to teach English’.
While the title of this session is: ‘Embedding English in vocation areas’, that really isn’t what it’s about. Whether GCSE or Functional Skills, the English assessment objectives are wonderful; they beautifully articulate the essential expert, independent learning skills we all want our learners to develop; the skills they need to do well on our vocational programmes. And if they do develop these skills? Then teachers have a much, much easier life.
This session may challenge some established approaches to curriculum design, and to achieve its aims, an initial, but small investment of time is required, but the payoff for teachers can be huge.
This session is designed to show you how, with minimal input, you can change learners’ world, and maybe yours too.
This session will enable delegates to:
- see where English skills can be developed in every unit and sub-unit of their qualification
- value and invest in the development of learners’ expert learning skills
- explore and evaluate a range of strategies with which to embed the development of English skills in their curriculum plan
- use AI to automate the production of the resources needed for this integration
- select an upcoming lesson on which to experiment with this approach.
Linked training
This session is aimed at vocational teachers. It is accompanied by a sister session aimed at English specialists. Imagine if every text they learners to develop their skills, even the 19th Century texts, was related to the vocational area, i.e. Painting & Decorating? More details here:
Contact
To discuss your requirements in detail, please phone or drop us a line.