diff --git a/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-shader-boilerplate.h b/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-shader-boilerplate.h
index 1ed3519e2..f9a817fc6 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-shader-boilerplate.h
+++ b/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-shader-boilerplate.h
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
   "#define cogl_modelview_matrix gl_ModelViewMatrix\n" \
   "#define cogl_modelview_projection_matrix gl_ModelViewProjectionMatrix\n" \
   "#define cogl_projection_matrix gl_ProjectionMatrix\n" \
-  "#define cogl_texture_matrix gl_TextureMatrix\n" \
+  "#define cogl_texture_matrix gl_TextureMatrix\n"
 
 #define _COGL_FRAGMENT_SHADER_BOILERPLATE \
   _COGL_COMMON_SHADER_BOILERPLATE \
@@ -79,11 +79,28 @@
 
 #else /* HAVE_COGL_GLES2 */
 
+/* This declares all of the variables that we might need. This is
+   working on the assumption that the compiler will optimise them out
+   if they are not actually used. The GLSL spec for GLES at least
+   implies that this will happen for varyings but it doesn't
+   explicitly so for attributes */
 #define _COGL_VERTEX_SHADER_BOILERPLATE \
   _COGL_COMMON_SHADER_BOILERPLATE \
   "#define cogl_color_out _cogl_color\n" \
-  "#define cogl_point_coord_out _cogl_point_coord\n" \
-  "#define cogl_tex_coord_out _cogl_tex_coord\n"
+  "varying vec4 _cogl_color;\n" \
+  "#define cogl_tex_coord_out _cogl_tex_coord\n" \
+  "#define cogl_position_out gl_Position\n" \
+  "#define cogl_point_size_out gl_PointSize\n" \
+  "\n" \
+  "attribute vec4 cogl_position_in;\n" \
+  "attribute vec4 cogl_color_in;\n" \
+  "#define cogl_tex_coord_in cogl_tex_coord0_in;\n" \
+  "attribute vec3 cogl_normal_in;\n" \
+  "\n" \
+  "uniform mat4 cogl_modelview_matrix;\n" \
+  "uniform mat4 cogl_modelview_projection_matrix;\n"  \
+  "uniform mat4 cogl_projection_matrix;\n" \
+  "uniform float cogl_point_size_in;\n"
 
 #define _COGL_FRAGMENT_SHADER_BOILERPLATE \
   _COGL_COMMON_SHADER_BOILERPLATE \
diff --git a/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-shader.c b/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-shader.c
index 15f926d3b..8bc7c1f60 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-shader.c
+++ b/clutter/cogl/cogl/cogl-shader.c
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ _cogl_shader_set_source_with_boilerplate (GLuint shader_gl_handle,
   GLint *lengths = g_alloca (sizeof (GLint) * (count_in + 2));
   int count = 0;
 #ifdef HAVE_COGL_GLES2
-  char *tex_coords_declaration = NULL;
+  char *tex_coord_declarations = NULL;
 #endif
 
   GET_CONTEXT (ctx, NO_RETVAL);
@@ -219,10 +219,28 @@ _cogl_shader_set_source_with_boilerplate (GLuint shader_gl_handle,
 #ifdef HAVE_COGL_GLES2
   if (n_tex_coord_attribs)
     {
-      tex_coords_declaration =
-        g_strdup_printf ("varying vec2 _cogl_tex_coord[%d];\n",
-                         n_tex_coord_attribs);
-      strings[count] = tex_coords_declaration;
+      GString *declarations = g_string_new (NULL);
+
+      g_string_append_printf (declarations,
+                              "varying vec4 _cogl_tex_coord[%d];\n",
+                              n_tex_coord_attribs);
+
+      if (shader_gl_type == GL_VERTEX_SHADER)
+        {
+          int i;
+
+          g_string_append_printf (declarations,
+                                  "uniform mat4 cogl_texture_matrix[%d];\n",
+                                  n_tex_coord_attribs);
+
+          for (i = 0; i < n_tex_coord_attribs; i++)
+            g_string_append_printf (declarations,
+                                    "attribute vec4 cogl_tex_coord%d_in;\n",
+                                    i);
+        }
+
+      tex_coord_declarations = g_string_free (declarations, FALSE);
+      strings[count] = tex_coord_declarations;
       lengths[count++] = -1; /* null terminated */
     }
 #endif
@@ -243,7 +261,7 @@ _cogl_shader_set_source_with_boilerplate (GLuint shader_gl_handle,
                       (const char **) strings, lengths) );
 
 #ifdef HAVE_COGL_GLES2
-  g_free (tex_coords_declaration);
+  g_free (tex_coord_declarations);
 #endif
 }