Great Heights English Hub
Teamworks English Hub at The Greetland Academy was designated in October 2018 with a remit to promote a love of reading and support schools to provide excellent phonics and early language teaching. Literacy specialists within our hub can provide tailored support to schools.
The English Hub designation is based at The Greetland Academy site and is proud to be one of only 34 English Hubs nationally who were selected for their expertise in teaching reading and to support schools in their surrounding area. englishhub@greetlandacademy.org.uk
The English Hub works with local schools across Calderdale, Leeds and Kirklees to develop their practice. The Principal and Deputy Principal at Greetland are both SLEs in this specialist area. The Principal has a Masters to support this work and is a Research Champion. Over the past two years as the Hub programme has developed, it has offered a variety of medium and intensive level support to schools across Calderdale, Kirklees and Leeds including showcase events, a conference, in-school audits, resourcing support and in- school intensive support for reading leaders.
Notable Successes:
- Over the past 2 years we have engaged with over 150 schools through showcases, audits, conferences and intensive support to promote a love of reading and support schools to provide excellent phonics and early language teaching.
- 37 schools have received an in-school audit of provision resulting in an action plan to support the development of best practice in early reading and identifying those schools who would benefit from financial support.
- 33 schools have received financial support to purchase high quality phonics resources funded from the DfE and supported by our English Hub to select appropriate resources.
- 57 Primary schools attended a joint conference held by ourselves and The Oldham Research School.
The Head of our English Hub School is Helen Crowther
The English Hub can be contacted via englishhub@greetlandacademy.org.uk
The expertise within our English Hub is extremely valuable to both support partner schools and also provide high expectations and support for our Trust schools. We ensure best practice in early reading across our MAT by ensuring:
- A cross trust representative English Hub strategic board is in place to support delivery for all and quality assures the work of the Hub alongside providing professional challenge.
- The Hub Lead Carries out a full audit of provision in any new school joining our Trust.
- An identified reading leader is in every school and receives half termly support from the Hub to ensure best practice in early reading and interventions where children are not on track.
- Hub expertise is available when our Trust schools are writing their SDPs.
- The development of a team of 8 highly trained Hub Reading Leaders across our MAT schools to provide self-sustaining on-site support.
- A MAT wide expectations document based on the English Hub Challenge checklist is used to support all school leaders in monitoring early reading provision in their schools.
