AAQ Teaching Toolkits

AAQ teaching toolkits...what are they?
Well I do make resources but the toolkits are online, digital platforms that you and your students use as part of lessons. They contain SOME resources, revision, practice papers, quizzes and more.
More than just a PDF or a Word doc.

If you’re teaching AAQs right now…
You’ll know there’s basically:
• very little out there
• unclear expectations
• loads of pressure to “just get on with it”
So instead of waiting around, I’ve started building my own:
• revision packs
• case studies
• exam-style resources
• and a scheme of work generator
It’s early days, but I’m testing it with real teachers.
The SOW tool is currently £5 on TES while I refine it.
If you’re in the same boat with AAQs, message me — happy to show you what I’ve done so far.

Teachers… quick question.
Why are we still manually writing schemes of work in 2026?
Genuine question.
Because:
• the structure is always similar
• the specs are already written
• the outcomes are predictable
So why are we starting from scratch every time?
I built something that does it in seconds.
And yes… I wish I’d had it about 10 years ago.
Also started building resources for the new AAQs because they are a bit of a wild west at the moment.
If you’re curious, drop me a message and I’ll show you.

It's the Easter hols for most of us.
You’ve got:
• lessons to plan
• coursework to mark
• emails you’re pretending don’t exist
• a family that needs entertaining maybe?
And someone somewhere still expects you to produce a beautifully structured scheme of work on top of everything else.
Absolutely not.
I’ve started building tools and resources that basically do the heavy lifting for you.
Because at this point, anything that saves even 30 minutes is a win.
There’s a scheme of work generator and a load of AAQ resources on my TES, amongst other bits and bobs and a few freebies to boot.
Message me if you want a look. Find my link to the TES shop on my page.

Confession…
I used to spend HOURS writing schemes of work.
Like… full evenings.
Rewriting the same structure.
Trying to align it perfectly to specs.
And then I realised…
We’re basically recreating the same documents over and over again every year.
So I built something to stop that.
It generates a full scheme of work in seconds (with spec links, structure, everything) and I’ve also started creating resources for all the new AAQs because let’s be honest…
No one has time to wait for exam boards to catch up.
It’s currently on TES for a fiver while I test it.
If you want to see it, just comment SOW or message me.

A small weekend reminder for vocational teachers
Vocational teachers often carry a workload that can be quite different from many other courses.
Not necessarily harder — just different.
Many vocational qualifications involve things like:
• large synoptic assignments
• coursework marking and feedback
• units with lots of assessment criteria
• specifications that change regularly
• new qualifications appearing every few years
All of that can mean a lot of planning, organisation and careful feedback, often behind the scenes.
At the same time, vocational teachers are usually trying to help students develop practical skills, real-world understanding and applied thinking, which can be incredibly rewarding but also quite demanding.
So if you’re teaching a vocational course and feel like the workload can sometimes be a bit relentless, you’re definitely not alone.
Sometimes the most helpful thing we can do is look for small ways to make things easier — whether that’s sharing resources, simplifying planning, or just reminding ourselves that not everything has to be perfect.
For now, hopefully the weekend brings a chance to step away from assignments, specifications and command words for a little while.
Vocational teachers do some incredibly important work helping students develop skills that really matter.
Hope everyone managing coursework, marking and planning gets a bit of well-earned rest this weekend.

A simple Sunday evening planning tip for vocational teachers
Sunday evenings can sometimes feel like the moment when the week ahead suddenly becomes very real.
One thing that can make planning vocational lessons a bit easier is focusing on one key outcome for each lesson, rather than trying to cover everything at once.
For example, instead of planning a lesson around:
“Teach this whole topic.”
It can help to ask:
What should students be able to do by the end of the lesson?
For vocational courses this might be something like:
• explain a key concept clearly
• apply an idea to a case study
• practise evaluating a situation
• plan part of an assignment response
Once that outcome is clear, the lesson activities become much easier to structure.
A simple pattern that works well is:
1️⃣ Introduce the idea
2️⃣ Explore it through examples or discussion
3️⃣ Practise applying it
4️⃣ Reflect on how it connects to the assignment or assessment
Vocational courses often involve quite complex specifications and assignments, so breaking lessons down into clear, manageable outcomes can make planning feel much less overwhelming.
If you’re teaching vocational subjects this week, hope the planning goes smoothly — and that Monday morning is kinder than it sometimes looks on a Sunday evening.

One thing vocational teachers do brilliantly
One thing I’ve always liked about vocational teaching is how practical and applied it tends to be.
Instead of learning something purely in theory, students are often asked to:
• analyse real situations
• apply ideas to case studies
• think about real-world decisions
• consider different perspectives
It can be challenging for students at first, but it’s also one of the things that makes vocational courses really valuable.
Students often develop skills like:
• critical thinking
• problem solving
• decision making
which are incredibly useful beyond the classroom.
Sometimes vocational courses don’t always get the same attention as more traditional academic routes, but they often build very important skills for further study and employment.
Always interesting to hear how others approach teaching these courses — what’s your favourite thing about teaching vocational subjects?