“James was intelligent, clearly experienced in high quality teaching and engaged us in a new way of thinking about the practicalities of teaching reading. He reminded me that all children can really be challenged in whole class reading and that we should strive to hold higher expectations of them. Inspiring, brilliant and a very funny man!”
“James is exceptional. He is able to cleverly show what excellent reading teaching should look like whilst sharing the underpinning secrets behind it. So I always felt like each idea was practical and applicable. Such a huge amount to think about.”
“One of the best courses I have attended. I have taken so much from it and there was so much that could easily be implemented to bring back the love of reading and engagement in the classroom. Absolutely loved it!”
“Absolutely inspirational and extremely valuable and thought provoking. You’ve reassured me that the way I have taught reading in the past has been good and now I have the tools to be even better!
“Inspirational and really made me think about questioning when teaching reading. Excellent knowledge and ideas to take away!“
“Excellent training – fantastic ideas and insights. Totally inspiring!“
“Excellent delivery. Superb sharing of knowledge.“
“Learnt a lot and very thought provoking. Thank you!“
“Fantastic session. So many things to take away.”
“Very passionate and knowledgeable.“
“Thank you, James. I feel inspired again!“
Feedback from delegates to ‘Unlocking every reader: strategies for whole-class success’ – training for LEAD Teaching School Hub, 2026
“James came to work with our staff team in KS1 and KS2 at the beginning of the year with a focus on whole class reading. Throughout the whole day, James was very engaging and kept the whole staff team involved. The training was very practical and gave staff a real sense of purposeful learning experiences that they can plan and deliver to support children to strengthen their reading. There was a real focus on enjoyment and promoting a love of reading, whilst also being aware of securing an improvement in standards. It has been really inspiring and a great platform for us to continue to further develop and strengthen our practice.”
Amy Tallentire, Head of Primary Phase, The Priory Witham Academy, Lincoln, 2024
“There are very few training sessions I have attended that have impacted as much as James Durran’s disciplinary literacy and oracy sessions. Since he delivered to us more than a year ago, instances of colleagues referring back to the expertise and resources he shared, from across the secondary disciplines, have remained consistent and have directly influenced our curriculum development. Not only was his facilitation practical and evidence based, it was also engaging and interactive. Countless successful lessons have been attributed to a ‘James Durran idea’; his sessions are just the right combination of innovation and common sense.”
Joanne Alderson, English teacher and Literacy Lead at Tadcaster Grammar School
“Great training. The day flew by!”
“Excellent content which can be instantly applied into the classroom.”
“James was brilliant, really engaging and funny but very informative.”
“Very informative and gave lots of practical elements to take away from the session.”
“He was very engaging and knowledgeable, and the delivery was clear and memorable.”
“James was very engaging and delivered a very good day of ideas for CPD.”
“A fantastic day! Thank you.”
“It was excellent.”
“He was ace.”
Feedback from delegates to ‘Purposeful Writing’ – training for LEAD Teaching School Hub, 2024
“James delivered an excellent session on disciplinary literacy at King James’s school. Staff now know the different components of reading and use this to better understand the barriers to reading that students have. As a school, we are using lots of effective strategies in our lessons to support and extend our students’ reading and use of vocabulary, that we learnt in the training session. Staff tell me that they feel more confident supporting students to read challenging texts in their subjects as a result of the training. We look forward to working with James again on developing our writing strategy and improving literacy more widely in school.”
Paula Eastaugh, Assistant Headteacher (Teaching and Learning), King James’s School, Knaresborough, 2023
“We recently invited James to Meridian Trust to speak to all primary colleagues about reading. The presentation was packed with thought-provoking ideas about developing effective reading, and it offered practical strategies that teachers could implement in their classrooms right away. Staff walked away with a new understanding and ideas of how to foster emotional engagement in books with children, while also helping them develop the skills to analyse and question what they read. We recommend James to colleagues looking to enrich their teaching approach and inspire their pupils to become passionate, insightful readers”
Shelley Flynn, Executive Principal, Meridian Academy Trust, 2023
“James delivered some superb training around oracy to our staff at Tadcaster Grammar School. His sessions always make you think hard and ultimately support in developing your own practice. He delivered on a range of brilliant strategies that teachers can use in the classroom the next day.”
Matt Gill, deputy Headteacher, Tadcaster Grammar School, 2022
“James is an excellent and engaging trainer.”
“Thank you so much. Lots of great, practical ideas to take back to school.”
“James is very knowledgeable and delivers in a clear engaging way.”
“Thank you, James. I feel inspired!”
“A really engaging session, again.”
Feedback from delegates to ‘Purposeful Reading’ – training for LEAD Teaching School Hub, 2024
“James delivered writing training for us at Selby Abbey Primary School last year. He tailored the session according to the needs of our setting, understanding how we wanted to move forward with developing writing across school. He supported the staff to explore ideas in a relevant and easily accessible way. He shared real life examples and led a discussion which all staff attending the session felt equipped to join in with. James demonstrated methods to inspire all children and shared resources to help us. He stayed after the training session itself had finished to answer individual questions. James is extremely knowledgeable in his area of expertise and was inspiring in the way he came across. Following on from the training, staff were able to implement his ideas and suggestions and noted the positive impact in their children’s writing as a result.”
Rachel Ray, Headteacher, Selby Abbey Primary School, 2024
James Durran 