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Teaching Secondary Pupils To Read In 3 Simple Steps - Hayley Pyrah (Hub Lead) - 7th Apr 2026

Teaching pupils to read, particularly those who have reached secondary school with ongoing reading needs, can feel like a very complex task, however, it doesn’t need to be. With a clear approach, is can be simplified into three key steps. Step 1- Find out who Many secondary schools have systems in place for screening pupils as soon as they enter Year 7. Whichever screening assessment you decide to use, the first step is to identify which pupils are not meeting age-related expectations in reading.
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Throw the Whiteboards in the Bin!? Why EYFS Children Do Not Need to Sit at Tables All Day - Hayley Pyrah (Hub Lead) - 16th Mar 2026

“I can’t have 30 chairs in EYFS!” “EYFS children still need to play!” Since the Writing Framework was released in July 2025, many schools have voiced worries that it signals the end of play and the beginning of more formal, table-based learning for our youngest children. The idea of filling an EYFS classroom with rows of tables and chairs understandably feels at odds with everything we know about early years practice. And schools are right to question it, because the Writing Framework never suggests this. In fact, it makes the opposite point.
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What Does the DfE White Paper Mean for English Hubs? Jodie Matthews (Strategic Lead) - 6th Mar 2026

The recent DfE white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, sets out the government’s long term vision for education. While English Hubs are not mentioned explicitly throughout, many of the priorities described feel very familiar. In many ways, the direction of travel set out in the white paper reflects the work that English Hubs have been doing with schools for a number of years. For schools working to improve early reading, there is a clear message running through the document, strong foundations in literacy matter, and early success in reading opens the door to success across the curriculum.
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Spring into Reading. Going All In for World Book Day and the National Year of Reading - Jodie Matthews (Strategic Lead) - 2nd Mar 2026

March brings longer days, the first signs of spring and a renewed sense of energy across schools. It’s the perfect moment to celebrate growth, renewal and, of course, reading. This spring, we encourage schools to embrace the National Year of Reading and its Go All In theme, making reading visible, exciting and a central part of everyday school life. World Book Day provides the ideal opportunity to combine these celebrations, bringing stories, books and shared reading to the forefront of school life.
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A love letter to early reading and writing - Jodie Matthews (Strategic Lead) - 14th Feb 2026

Valentine’s Day is often associated with cards, flowers and expressions of love, but in education, care is shown in quieter and more lasting ways. It appears in the choices we make every day, in the time we give to children’s language and learning, and in the belief that early reading and writing matter deeply. For those working in literacy, this commitment to early literacy is a reflection of what we value most. Early literacy is not about rushing children towards formal outcomes.
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A Best Start in Life, Strengthening Early Literacy and Language in the Early Years - Jodie Matthews (Strategic Lead) - 3rd Feb 2026

The early years are a critical period in every child’s educational journey. Long before children encounter formal reading and writing instruction, their early language experiences, interactions and exposure to stories shape the foundations on which all future literacy learning is built. Getting this stage right matters, not for statutory outcomes, but for children’s confidence, communication and long term success. Nationally, this importance is reflected in the government’s Best Start in Life programme and the ambition for 75 percent of children to achieve a Good Level of Development by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
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A Fresh Chapter for a New Year: Let’s Make 2026 the Year Every Child Becomes a Reader - Jodie Matthews (Strategic Lead) - 5th Jan 2026

January always feels like a fresh page and here at Roade English Hub it brings an exciting sense of renewed purpose. As schools look ahead to the year, there is a wonderful opportunity to place reading at the heart of everything we do. A new year reminds us that every child deserves the chance to become a confident reader and that with the right support this is something every school can help to achieve. The evidence is overwhelming and deeply motivating.
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From Playground to Parliament What Independent Schools Get Right About Oracy (and How Any School Can) Jodie Matthews (Strategic Lead) - 29th Dec 2025

Have you ever noticed how many politicians, business leaders, and media figures seem to have that effortless confidence when they speak? They hold eye contact, make their point clearly, and can charm a room full of people while remembering everyone’s name. Now, it’s not that they were born better speakers (though some might like you to think so). The truth is, many of them were taught how to speak: systematically, purposefully, and confidently, in schools that made oracy (the art of speaking and listening well) a top priority.
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From Scribbles to Sentences. Getting It ‘Write’ with the DfE Writing Framework - Jodie Matthews (Strategic Lead) - 1st Dec 2025

Top 4 Takeaways from The Writing Framework. The new DfE Writing Framework is full of useful detail, but in case you snowed under I wanted to bring you my top 4 takeaways. The good news is that these four key ideas do most of the heavy lifting. If schools really get these four right, they’ll feel the biggest difference in children’s writing.
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Talk Strategies in the Classroom - Janet Thompson (Literacy Specialist) - 7th Nov 2025

Talk really matters! It’s not just a background hum in the classroom, it’s the heartbeat of learning, connection, and wellbeing. Through talk, children make sense of new ideas, build relationships, and develop the confidence to share their thinking. Purposeful classroom talk boosts vocabulary, strengthens reading and writing, deepens understanding, and encourages collaboration.
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