Jerry Clay English Hub is proud to be one of 34 English Hubs nationwide, funded by the Department for Education to support schools in achieving excellence in the teaching of reading and early language development. We work in partnership with schools across Wakefield, Barnsley and Leeds, providing fully funded support, expert guidance and high-quality professional development to help every child become a confident, fluent and enthusiastic reader.
Based at Jerry Clay Academy, an outstanding school in Wakefield, our Hub is driven by a simple but ambitious belief: every child deserves to learn to read well and to develop a lifelong love of reading. We are passionate about supporting schools to create strong reading cultures and to ensure that children receive the highest-quality teaching at every stage of their reading journey.
Our support begins in the Reception year, helping schools to strengthen early literacy, language and communication and establish the foundations children need to become successful readers. We provide expert support for the effective teaching of phonics in Key Stage 1, helping schools develop consistent, evidence-informed approaches that enable children to learn to read accurately and confidently.
As children move beyond the early stages of learning to read, our work continues. In Key Stage 2, we support schools to develop reading fluency and strengthen the teaching of reading beyond phonics, ensuring that pupils continue to build the accuracy, automaticity, vocabulary and comprehension they need to access an increasingly ambitious curriculum.
Our reach also extends into Key Stage 3, where we work with secondary schools to support pupils who need additional help with reading. By strengthening approaches to reading across the transition from primary to secondary education, we aim to ensure that reading difficulties do not become a barrier to pupils' learning, confidence or future success.
As a National Support School, Jerry Clay Academy has considerable experience and expertise in providing high-quality CPD, school-to-school support and bespoke approaches to school improvement. Through Jerry Clay English Hub, we bring this expertise together with a strong understanding of the challenges schools face and the importance of finding solutions that work within each school's individual context.
We work alongside teachers, English and phonics leaders, senior leaders and wider school teams to build knowledge, confidence and sustainable practice. Our approach is collaborative and supportive: we help schools identify their priorities, celebrate what is already working well and determine the next steps that will have the greatest impact on pupils.
From the foundations of language and literacy in Reception, through phonics and early reading, to developing fluent, confident readers in Key Stages 2 and 3, Jerry Clay English Hub is here to support schools at every stage of the reading journey.
Together, we want to ensure that every child has the reading skills, confidence and enjoyment they need to thrive in school and beyond.