Co-op Academy Stoke — A 200-page ring-bound subject dictionary spanning 13 subjects

The brief

Co-op Academy Stoke came to us for one dictionary that would sit on every student's desk in every subject — a single reference for all the key vocabulary the academy teaches, with the same template applied to every word. The team wanted four things working together: a tier-2 and tier-3 vocabulary book covering all 13 subjects on the curriculum (not separate booklets per department); a consistent entry format that pushed students past definition to etymology, linked words and using the word in context; a ring-bound format so the book opens flat on a desk during a lesson; and a finished article visibly tied to the Co-op brand, with the academy's "take responsibility for this dictionary" expectation set on page one.

What we designed

Working with Co-op Academy Stoke, we built a 200-page ring-bound dictionary organised around four repeating components.

An opening manifesto and contents on the inside front: the Alex Quigley "vocabulary is like mental Velcro" quote setting the rationale, a short framing paragraph explaining that the dictionary "incorporates all the key vocabulary from all subjects" and that "the more words you know, the more successful you will be," the academy's responsibility line ("you must take responsibility for this Dictionary and look after it at all times"), and a Dictionary Subjects list naming all 13 sections.
A single repeating four-up entry template used for every word in the book — four entries per page in a 2×2 grid, each entry containing: the word as a header bar, the part of speech in italics (noun / verb / adjective…), Definition, Origin (etymology) with the source language and root, Linked words (a short list of related vocabulary), and "How do you use the word?" with a worked sentence example. The same template carries every entry from the first page to the last, so a student looking up composition in Art uses the same structure as manipulate in Maths or virus in Computer Science.
Thirteen subject sections running back-to-back through the book — Art, Business, Computer Science, Design & Technology, Drama, English, Geography, History, Maths, P.E, R.E, Science and Spanish — each tagged in the bottom corner of every page (e.g. Art, Computer science, Maths) so students can find the subject they need from the page edge. The Spanish section closes with a printed list of high-frequency vocabulary to support the language curriculum.
A comprehensive back-of-book Index and blank entry templates: the Index lists every word covered, grouped subject by subject, so a student can scan the dictionary's full vocabulary in one place; blank four-up entry templates follow, formatted identically to the rest of the book, so students can add their own words as the curriculum extends.

The finished book

200 pages, A5, ring-bound so it lies flat on a desk, ready for the classroom. Printed in the Co-op turquoise and yellow with the Co-op shield on the cover, the 13 subjects listed along the foot of the cover, and the same four-up entry template repeated on every interior page. One dictionary covering every subject the academy teaches, with a sentence example for every word and an Index at the back — so students can use it in any lesson, in any subject, throughout KS3.