diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailusers/templates/wagtailusers/formatted_permissions.html b/wagtail/wagtailusers/templates/wagtailusers/formatted_permissions.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..21855f282
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailusers/templates/wagtailusers/formatted_permissions.html
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+<table class="listing">
+    <tr>
+        <th>Object</th>
+        <th>Add</th>
+        <th>Change</th>
+        <th>Delete</th>
+        <th>Others</th>
+    </tr>
+    {% for content_perms_dict in perms_array %}
+    <tr>
+        <td>{{ content_perms_dict.object|capfirst }}</td>
+        <td>
+            {% with content_perms_dict.add as perm_tuple %}
+            <input id="id_permissions_{{ perm_tuple.0.id }}" name="permissions" type="checkbox" {{ perm_tuple.1 }} value="{{ perm_tuple.0.id }}">
+            {% endwith %}
+        </td>
+        <td>
+            {% with content_perms_dict.change as perm_tuple %}
+            <input id="id_permissions_{{ perm_tuple.0.id }}" name="permissions" type="checkbox" {{ perm_tuple.1 }} value="{{ perm_tuple.0.id }}">
+            {% endwith %}
+        </td>
+        <td>
+            {% with content_perms_dict.delete as perm_tuple %}
+            <input id="id_permissions_{{ perm_tuple.0.id }}" name="permissions" type="checkbox" {{ perm_tuple.1 }} value="{{ perm_tuple.0.id }}">
+            {% endwith %}
+        </td>
+        <td>
+        {% for perm_tuple in content_perms_dict.others %}
+            <label for="id_permissions_{{ perm_tuple.0.id }}">
+                <input id="id_permissions_{{ perm_tuple.0.id }}" name="permissions" type="checkbox" {{ perm_tuple.1 }} value="{{ perm_tuple.0.id }}"> {{ perm_tuple.0.name }}
+            </label>
+        {% if not forloop.last %}<br>{% endif %}
+        {% endfor %}
+        </td>
+    </tr>
+    {% endfor %}
+</table>
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailusers/templates/wagtailusers/groups/edit.html b/wagtail/wagtailusers/templates/wagtailusers/groups/edit.html
index 541a803f5..a98076296 100644
--- a/wagtail/wagtailusers/templates/wagtailusers/groups/edit.html
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailusers/templates/wagtailusers/groups/edit.html
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {% extends "wagtailadmin/base.html" %}
 {% load image_tags %}
+{% load wagtailusers_tags %}
 {% load i18n %}
 {% block titletag %}{% trans "Editing" %} {{ group.name }}{% endblock %}
 {% block bodyclass %}menu-groups{% endblock %}
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@
         <div class="nice-padding">
             <ul class="fields">
                 {% include "wagtailadmin/shared/field_as_li.html" with field=form.name %}
-                {% include "wagtailadmin/shared/field_as_li.html" with field=form.permissions %}
+                {% format_permissions permission_bound_field=form.permissions %}
                 <li><input type="submit" value="{% trans 'Save' %}" /></li>
             </ul>
         </div>
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailusers/templatetags/__init__.py b/wagtail/wagtailusers/templatetags/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/wagtail/wagtailusers/templatetags/wagtailusers_tags.py b/wagtail/wagtailusers/templatetags/wagtailusers_tags.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..70245718a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wagtail/wagtailusers/templatetags/wagtailusers_tags.py
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+from django import template
+
+register = template.Library()
+
+@register.inclusion_tag('wagtailusers/formatted_permissions.html')
+def format_permissions(permission_bound_field):
+    """
+        Given a bound field with a queryset of Permission objects, constructs a
+        list of dictionaries:
+
+        [
+            {
+                'object': name_of_some_content_object,
+                'add': (add_permission_for_object, checked_str)
+                'change': (change_permission_for_object, checked_str)
+                'delete': (delete_permission_for_object, checked_str)
+                'others': [
+                              (any_other_permission_for_object, checked_str),
+                          ]
+            },
+        ]
+
+        and returns a table template formatted with this list.
+
+    """
+    permissions = permission_bound_field.field._queryset
+    # get a distinct list of the content types that these permissions relate to
+    content_type_ids = set(permissions.values_list('content_type_id', flat=True))
+    initial = permission_bound_field.form.initial['permissions']
+
+    perms_array = []
+    for content_type_id in content_type_ids:
+        content_perms = permissions.filter(content_type_id=content_type_id)
+        content_perms_dict = {
+            'others': []
+        }
+        for perm in content_perms:
+            content_perms_dict['object'] = perm.content_type.name
+            checked = 'checked="checked"' if perm.id in initial else ''
+            # identify the three main categories of permission, or bung in
+            # 'others' list
+            if perm.codename.split('_')[0] in ['add', 'change', 'delete']:
+                content_perms_dict[perm.codename.split('_')[0]] = (perm, checked)
+            else:
+                content_perms_dict['others'].append((perm, checked))
+        perms_array.append(content_perms_dict)
+    return {
+        'perms_array': perms_array,
+        }