What are English Hubs?

Supporting Excellence in Reading

The English Hubs Programme was launched by the Department for Education (DfE) in October 2018, establishing 34 English Hubs based in schools across England. Each Hub was selected for its strong track record in the teaching of early language, phonics and reading.

Since then, the work of English Hubs has continued to develop and grow. We now support schools across Reception and Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, helping them to build a strong, coherent approach to reading that develops confident, fluent and enthusiastic readers.

Our support extends from securing the foundations of early language and phonics to developing reading fluency, comprehension and wider reading. We work alongside schools to strengthen reading provision, develop staff expertise and create a culture in which reading is valued, enjoyed and embedded across school life.

Through free expert support, professional development and, where eligible, funding, English Hubs help schools identify their priorities and make sustainable improvements to the teaching of reading.

Our work includes:

• Early language and communication – supporting high-quality provision in Reception and helping schools develop children’s vocabulary, language and communication.
• Phonics and early reading – supporting the effective implementation of a validated systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme, including appropriate use of fully decodable books and approaches that enable children to become accurate and fluent readers.
• Reading fluency and comprehension – helping schools build on strong early reading foundations so that pupils develop the fluency, understanding and confidence needed to engage successfully with increasingly complex texts.
• Wider reading and reading for pleasure – supporting schools to develop rich reading cultures through reading aloud, access to high-quality and diverse texts, reading at home and developing teachers’ knowledge of children’s and young people’s literature.
• Supporting reading across Reception and Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 – helping schools ensure that reading development continues beyond the early stages, including support for pupils who need additional help to become confident, successful readers.

At the heart of our work is a simple ambition: to ensure that every child develops the reading knowledge, skills and enjoyment they need to succeed at school and beyond.

Jerry Clay English Hub at Jerry Clay Academy

Jerry Clay English Hub is based at Jerry Clay Academy, Wakefield. We are a an outstanding primary school, passionate about early literacy. As a National Support School we have experience in providing high-quality CPD and support to drive school improvement.

We are passionate about reading and teaching children to read fluently and for enjoyment.

Watch the video below to find out more.

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