Free Teaching Resources

Below are free English teaching resources for teachers in UK schools to help you save time spent on lesson planning for Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4. Primary or secondary school English Language and Literature teachers may find these websites useful for developing their own lesson plans or for signposting their pupils to innovative online content.

Key Stage 1

The Literactive Reading site has a range of reading games and activities, including downloadable worksheets.

CBeebies Fairy Tales is designed for early years and KS1 level, with stories such as Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella.

Talking Point Communication Cookbook is a range of activities that children can download or use online to enhance their communication skills.

Key Stage 2

The Children's Poetry Archive enables pupils to listen to online audio recordings read by the author. It includes work by celebrated poets, such as Roald Dahl and Spike Millligan.

The Writing Fun site gives tips and advice on writing in a range of styles.

A phonics teaching tool is Letters and Sounds from the Primary National Strategy in England.

Key Stage 3

The Poetry Zone allows pupils to send in their poems to be published online. There are tips on poetry lesson planning for teachers and interviews with acclaimed poets.

BBC Big Toes Books contains audio books from famous authors, such as Terry Pratchett and Jaqueline Wilson. Pupils can listen online. The site is aimed at children aged 6 to 12 years.

E2BN Clips enables pupils to publish videos and animations online. Designed specifically for schools, it has been developed with security in mind.

Key Stage 4

Bright Knowledge Essay Writing can help pupils to test and enhance their use of words and phrases.

The Making a Speech resource from Curriculum Bits gives advice on speech delivery. It is ideal for use with an interactive whiteboard.

SSF - Shakespeare Schools Festival is held every other year. The organisers bring together teachers and pupils, and encourages participation by 11 to 18 year olds in staging local theatre performances.

We hope you find these free teaching resources for English teachers to be very useful when lesson planning for Language or Literature at Key Stage 1, 2, 3 or 4.