English and Literacy Scotland

Wow! Five years ago, we set up this Twitter account to share ideas and resources. Great that it's still going strong. Check out our MS Team with thousands of members (and even more resources!) #EnglishScotland #MyXAnniversary

@EnglishScotland @HolyRoodEnglish @Booktrust @ByLeavesWeLive @Literacy_Trust Young Writers Competition - Association for Scottish Literature share.google/yT0hMkEqYbum53… youngwriters.co.uk/?override_coun… copfs.gov.uk/resources/for-…

Welcome to 240 minutes of JOY! Did you know you can watch BBC Live Lessons anytime after the first broadcast, and still take part in all the activities with your class?! Explore the 2025/26 collection of 30-minute episodes here: bbc.in/4eFXM5Y

Teachers, schools, librarians - have you entered the @HarperCollinsCh Reading for Pleasure Awards yet? Recognition for the work you do + winners receive £250 of books from HarperCollins Children’s Books, @FarshoreBooks @BarringtonStoke. Deadline 14 June booksforkeeps.co.uk/entries-open-f…

@HolyRoodEnglish @Booktrust @ByLeavesWeLive @Literacy_Trust We try to repost competitions here when they come up.

Question for school users: How do you know about current competitions being run across Scotland and the UK for young people? Is there a decent X page or website to follow?✏️ @EnglishScotland @Booktrust @ByLeavesWeLive @Literacy_Trust

The ‘science of reading’ conversation has gotten weird when app designers for toddlers are suddenly positioned as authorities on literacy instruction.

The visualiser is one of the most powerful instructional tools in the classroom. From live modelling expert thinking to whole-class feedback and dual coding, it helps make thinking visible for every student. This FREE one-page guide breaks down the WHAT, WHY, and HOW of using visualisers effectively.

@MaryMyatt Reading develops abstract thought - it also has an impact across the curriculum. It builds knowledge alongside words... and in the end, children with bigger vocabularies are more likely to do well. All of this from the start. Read to and with children a huge amount.

Handwriting is BETTER for learning than typing. But we all knew that. The challenge is, what do we do for pupils with SEND? (Marano et al., 2025, p. 23) - featured in #GuideToLearning mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/3…

An excellent blog by @EnserMark on ‘Teaching and learning vocabulary’ in geography. “Once we begin to look for morphology in geography, it becomes impossible not to notice how saturated the discipline is with these patterns. open.substack.com/pub/enserm/p/t…

Suggested reads for 6th formers - ideal to provoke uni interview discussion points. Novels and poems by Tom Pollock, John Updike & Sylvia Plath 🢂 uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-fo… 🢀 #ad #teachertwitter #ukedchat #sltchat

Thinking about working in ASN or already in an ASN teaching role? Our 12-month programme supports teachers to build inclusive practice and ASN expertise. 🔗 Submit your expression of interest: ow.ly/mZ0k50YT68v Closing date – Midnight Sunday 31st May 2026

My very personal list of ninety favorite books, as of about ten minutes ago. Middlemarch will almost certainly be near the top once I finish it.

Who doesn’t love a late night Sunday blog? :) Link below ⬇️

@jonnybid @EnglishScotland @MarieZarro97723 @RuddickRichard bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

What do English grads do with their 'useless' degrees? Oh right! They become politicians, lawyers, execs in tech firms, civil servants, academics. They teach, write books, do journalism, work in advertising & communications, the Health Service and, oh yes, become top diplomats!

'Let's comic-ise the classroom' (@MarieZarro97723) On Thursday 21st May (3:45pm-5:00pm), the brilliant @RuddickRichard and I will be delivering a session about how graphic novels and comics can become an integral part of the primary classroom. eventbrite.co.uk/o/jon-biddle-9…

Writing For Pleasure is the difference between being ‘schooled’ in writing and being truly educated in the craft of being a writer.

‘So much homework and reading has been migrated on to screens without anybody thinking about the consequences,’ says children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, reflecting on why fewer children are reading for pleasure – and how to turn this trend around tes.com/magazine/teach…

And that’s the ‘Teacher Hacks: English’ book launch done! Thank you to everyone who tuned in. You can catch up here - m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfb6aF… You can order the book here - #secondary_view_1778925785702" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">amazon.co.uk/Teacher-Hacks-… @HughesHaili @HLearningPD