Strong literacy is not just an English department responsibility. Every subject has its own language, conventions and ways of communicating, and students need to understand these to access the curriculum.

That is the principle behind disciplinary literacy: supporting teachers in every subject to help students read, write and communicate effectively within their discipline. The Education Endowment Foundation recommends prioritising disciplinary literacy across the curriculum, with training that supports teachers to understand the specific literacy demands of their subject.

So, how can schools make literacy CPD meaningful for every teacher – and turn it into consistent classroom practice?

A student can understand the content of a lesson but still struggle to access it because they don't understand the language used to communicate it.

A Maths question might depend on a student's understanding of a word such as constant. A Biology question might contain both highly specialised Tier 3 terminology and less obviously difficult Tier 2 vocabulary such as adjust.

These aren't simply English problems. They are barriers to accessing subject knowledge.

This is why whole-school literacy CPD needs to move beyond generic advice about reading and vocabulary. Teachers need opportunities to identify the specific literacy demands of their subject and consider how they can make those demands explicit to students.

The EEF similarly describes disciplinary literacy as recognising that literacy is both general and subject-specific, with each discipline having its own language and ways of reading, writing and communicating.

A useful whole-school approach should help teachers answer three questions:

Not every unfamiliar word needs to become a vocabulary lesson.

Teachers should identify the words that are essential to understanding their curriculum: subject-specific Tier 3 terminology, alongside Tier 2 academic vocabulary that students need to understand questions, instructions and explanations.

This makes vocabulary teaching more coherent. Instead of asking teachers to teach more words, CPD should help them decide which words will have the greatest impact on students' ability to access their subject.

Knowing a definition is only the beginning.

New vocabulary needs to be encountered in meaningful contexts and revisited over time. Teachers can:

• Model new vocabulary when speaking to students
• Introduce words in sentences and subject-specific examples
• Connect words to diagrams, images or prior knowledge
• Ask students to use new vocabulary in their own explanations
• Revisit important terminology regularly
• Encourage students to replace vague language with more precise subject-specific terms.

Recent EEF guidance highlights a similar approach to vocabulary instruction: pronunciation, definition, morphology, word families, example sentences, independent use and subsequent revisiting can all contribute to developing students' understanding and word consciousness.

This is where disciplinary literacy becomes particularly important.

Reading a History source isn't the same as reading a Biology textbook. Writing a scientific explanation isn't the same as writing an English essay. Students need to understand the ways language is used to construct and communicate knowledge within each discipline.

As part of CPD, ask departments:

• What vocabulary is particularly important in our subject?
• Which words or phrases are commonly misunderstood?
• What does it mean to read like an expert in our subject?
• What does successful subject-specific writing look like?
• Where might students struggle with the language of our curriculum?
• How can we explicitly teach students to use the language of our discipline?

These conversations help make literacy relevant to every teacher's classroom, rather than something that sits alongside the curriculum.

Tier 2 vocabulary often appears across subjects but may not feature regularly in everyday conversation.

Teachers can deliberately model more precise language when speaking to students.

Instead of:

"How should this slide be changed?"

try:

"How could you adjust this slide?"

Instead of:

"Watch and see what happens."

try:

"Let's monitor what happens."

Small changes like these give students repeated exposure to academic vocabulary in meaningful contexts.

Subject-specific terminology is essential, but simply displaying a definition isn't enough.

When introducing a new term, consider:

• How is it pronounced?
• What does it mean in this subject?
• Can its roots or affixes help students understand it?
• What does it look like in a diagram, example or model?
• Can students use it in their own sentence?
• When will you revisit it?

For example, breaking down photosynthesis into photo (light) and synthesis (putting together) can help students make connections within the word itself.

Morphology can also support students beyond the word currently being taught, helping them approach unfamiliar vocabulary with greater confidence.

Vocabulary becomes more useful when students have opportunities to use it.

Rather than asking students to copy definitions, ask them to:

• Explain a concept using the new vocabulary
• Discuss a question with a partner
• Identify the vocabulary used in an academic text
• Write their own subject-specific explanation
• Improve a piece of writing by replacing vague language with precise terminology.

This gives teachers a clearer picture of whether students can actually use the language – not simply recognise it.

A one-off INSET session is unlikely to change classroom practice on its own.

Effective whole-school CPD needs to connect professional learning with the curriculum teachers are already delivering. It should give staff time to discuss the literacy demands of their own subjects, apply strategies in context and revisit those ideas over time.

It also needs to be consistent without being identical.

The aim isn't for every department to teach vocabulary in exactly the same way. Instead, there should be a shared understanding of why vocabulary and disciplinary literacy matter, alongside approaches that make sense for each subject.

This is an important distinction in disciplinary literacy: schools can establish a coherent whole-school approach while still allowing subjects to reflect their own ways of reading, writing and communicating.

For literacy to become embedded across a school, someone needs to bring the different strands together: building staff confidence, connecting evidence with classroom practice and keeping the focus on what will make a difference for students.

That's the role of a literacy leader.

The Literacy Leaders Programme is a free, five-week digital CPD course designed to give educators the knowledge, practical tools and confidence to lead literacy in their setting.

The next cohort starts in November 2026, with two streams: one for Literacy Coordinators, Heads of Department and teachers, and a new stream for members of SLT.

You'll develop:

• Deep literacy expertise rooted in the latest research
• Practical strategies for driving whole-school improvement
• Confidence to lead change in your setting
• A practical literacy reflection pack to apply your learning in school
• Support from national literacy experts
• A network of educators working to improve literacy in their settings
• A Literacy Leader certificate from Bedrock Learning, a CPD UK member.

The programme is completely free, self-paced and delivered online, with live expert support.

Register your interest for the autumn 2026 Literacy Leaders Programme →

Whole-school literacy doesn't depend on every teacher becoming a literacy specialist. It depends on every teacher understanding the language demands of their subject – and having the knowledge and confidence to help students navigate them.