ENGLISH HUB
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Supporting schools to improve teaching of phonics, early language and reading in Reception & Year 1
ENGLISH HUB - SHOWCASE EVENTS 2022/23
EXPLORE. BE INSPIRED. LEARN.
Our English Hub showcase events are practical, half day workshops designed to promote and share best practice in relation to the teaching of early language, reading and phonics. They have been carefully structured with inputs from school leaders, literacy and EYFS specialists and will include opportunities for lesson and teaching observations, action planning and facilitated, professional discussion.
The showcase events will consider implications for curriculum intent, implementation and impact as well as providing the opportunity for schools to find out more about the work of the English Hub and how their schools can access support, funding and further engagement.
SHOWCASE EVENT DATES:
23rd November 2022
12th January 2023
2nd February 2023
1st March 2023
25th April 2023
23rd May 2023
Showcase Events will be held at Whiston Worrygoose Primary School, S60 4AG
Schools are only required to attend one Showcase Event.
NEW - ENGLISH SUBJECT LEADER NETWORK
Learners First is delighted to offer a series of new networking opportunities for English Subject Leaders in primary schools. The sessions, facilitated as face-to-face events, aim to provide a professionally facilitated forum through which colleagues from different schools, MATs and geographical areas with responsibility for leading English in their settings can come together.
English Hub Updates
As the educational landscape continues to change and develop there is an ever increasing amount of information for school staff to keep up to date with. This is particularly so in relation to phonics and early reading and here at the English Hub we are committed to supporting schools in navigating this successfully.
These regular English Hub updates, delivered by Liz Kenny who is the English Hub Lead here at Whiston Worrygoose, will provide schools with current key messages related to the teaching of phonics and early reading, vocabulary development and reading for pleasure. There will be opportunity to hear about any newly published documentation and to share helpful resources and information. In a new development for this year, sessions will also include contributions from guest speakers who will share advice and information from their particular organisation.
There will also be opportunity to hear about some of the support and funding streams available to schools (including those now available for schools previously not eligible for funding). Please see below for details of the English Hub updates for the Autumn Term:
26th September 2022
3.30 – 4.30pm
Live Online Webinars
7th December 2022
3.30 – 4.30pm
Live Online Webinars
Supporting Early Language Development
Session 1: What is language and how is it developed?
17th January 2023
Session 2: Supporting Talk in Schools
7th February 2023
Session 3: Teaching Words and Making them Stick
28th March 2023
Session 5: Making Change: Sustaining Change
5th June 2023
OU/UKLA Teachers Reading Group
Whiston Worrygoose English Hub invites anyone committed to developing young people’s desire, delight and engagement as readers to join our online Reading Group. These groups provide free evidence–based CPD for all teachers to enrich their understanding of reading for pleasure (RfP) and how to support it.
The aims of the sessions are:
- To foster children’s reading for pleasure through supporting teachers’ own RfP and research-informed practice
- To support the profession by building a professional community around RfP locally and online
- To share teachers’ resultant development work on the OU RfP website
The five sessions are informal, friendly and supportive and will be used to help develop evidence-informed practice, widen our knowledge of high-quality literature and other texts written for children, enrich our RfP pedagogy and document the impact on the young people as readers.
Course Dates (Remote Sessions)
3.30 – 5.00pm – Please note that attendance is required at all sessions
21st September 2022
3rd November 2022
8th March 2023
24th May 2023
26th June 2023
Reading for Pleasure: Transforming your Schools Reading Culture (TSRC)
The TSRC programme is a sustained, research based CPD programme aimed at primary English or Reading Leads. The programme will provide opportunities for participants to consider how to develop and embed their reading for pleasure pedagogy and leadership. Participants will be expected to attend all sessions and to undertake short gap tasks in between sessions.
Programme Aims:
- Understand the research underpinning RfP practice and pedagogy
- Widen knowledge of children’s literature
- Transform whole school reading culture in your school
- Develop the leadership skills to initiate and sustain change
- Become advocates for RfP and share experiences and best practice
Session 1
READING FOR PLEASURE: A WHOLE SCHOOL CULTURE
FACE TO FACE
02/11/22
1.30 – 4pm
ONLINE
09/11/22
2.30 – 4.30pm
Session 2
CREATING WHOLE SCHOOL CHANGE
FACE TO FACE
01/12/22
1.30 – 4pm
ONLINE
08/12/22
2.30 – 4.30pm
Session 3
CREATING A READING SCHOOL: STRUCTURAL CHANGES
FACE TO FACE
18/01/23
1.30 – 4pm
ONLINE
25/01/23
2.30 – 4.30pm
Session 4
CREATING A READING SCHOOL: BEHAVIOURAL CHANGES
FACE TO FACE
14/03/23
1.30 – 4pm
ONLINE
21/03/23
2.30 – 4.30pm
Session 5
CELEBRATING IMPACT AND SUSTAINING CHANGE
FACE TO FACE
20/06/23
1.30 – 4pm
ONLINE
27/06/23
2.30 – 4.30pm
LETTERS AND SOUNDS ONLINE LESSONS
DAILY LESSONS CONTINUE!
LETTERS AND SOUNDS UPDATE
The DfE have recently announced that they will not now be publishing the previously promised update to the Letters and Sounds progression. Schools will continue to be able to access the original 2007 framework online. Following this announcement, schools will naturally have questions regarding the continuation of Letters and Sounds and the DfE have provided the following reassurance:
- There is no suggestion that Letters and Sounds will disappear.
- Current L&S accredited training will continue until July 2023, so there will be continuity for schools who are already using the current programme.
- The new validated list (following a re-validation process to begin Summer 2021) means there will be more high-quality choice for schools looking at which SSP to use.
- There will be no expectation that schools using Letters and Sounds well, and achieving excellent results, will have to change to a new programme.
- There is no need to rush any decision about choosing an SSP; schools will be provided with support and guidance about the range of options.
22/23 Ofsted Update Phonics & Early Reading Briefing Led by Kirsty Godfrey
Learners First is delighted to welcome back Kirsty Godfrey to lead this live webinar briefing for school leaders.
Kirsty has worked in senior leadership positions in a wide range of schools for over 15 years and as an
educational consultant. Her most recent post, before joining Ofsted, was as the head of primary in an
all-through school and this post involved setting up the primary provision from scratch and developed her
interest and expertise in early years.
In this online webinar Kirsty Godfrey, HMI, will provide delegates with a valuable insight into what inspectors
will be considering when they look at how well schools teach children to read, what high quality reading
provision looks like and how schools can better prepare. The webinar content is designed to be informative and
practical, and to help school leaders to navigate successfully the current key messages regarding early literacy.
13th October 2022
10.15am – 11.30
Live Online Webinar
FOUNDATIONS FOR PHONICS WITH KIRSTIE PAGE
A short programme of events to support pupils in the earliest stages of their education
Kirstie Page qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist before retraining as a teacher. Kirstie taught within KS1 and the EYFS, before shifting her focus to the training and support of other practitioners, whilst continuing to work ‘hands-on’ within schools and settings.
She founded and developed ‘Launchpad for Literacy’, which is child focused and sits alongside the curriculum and current good practice, giving you a more specific and targeted approach to identifying and closing skill gaps, embedding speech and language interventions and creating a firm, broad-base of skill readiness for all aspects of literacy, including Phonics.
FACILITATING LANGUAGE SKILLS
Tuesday 15th March 2022
1.30 – 3pm
This session explored how having a greater understanding of children’s gaps can be used to inform our interactions and approach to language enrichment and help practitioners to create targeted opportunities and focused activities within the learning environment. In doing so, we can ensure that specific skills are developed, gaps are closed and accurate interventions are embedded through targeted practice.
Tuesday 22nd March 2022
1.30 – 3pm
Throughout this session Kirstie examined which skills feed directly into phonic readiness and look closely at improving how targeted and incremental existing practice can become. The session also provided the opportunity to explore other skill strands that feed directly into readiness such as sequential auditory memory, conceptual understanding and visual skills. Participants heard how we can develop a broader base for phonic readiness in our youngest pupils, taking into consideration their starting points and language needs.
Wednesday 4th May 2022
1.30 – 3pm
HOW TO SPOT A CHILD AT RISK OF FALLING BEHIND IN READING
LIVE ONLINE CPD WEBINAR LED BY DAVID MORGAN
David is the Co-Author of Amazon Best Seller, ‘The 9 Main Causes of Reading Difficulty’
“You have to pinpoint what is CAUSING reading difficulty before you can fix it”
Do you know a struggling reader consistently guessing short, common words instead of reading them? Or perhaps you have seen some word skipping? Or maybe reading practice often ends in a battle, or tears? DM Education suggest these are clear symptoms of different underlying neurological patterns. Their research suggests that if we can better understand what is going on and can target the underlying cause of the reading difficulty, we are better able to apply the right solution and fix the issue.
The Learners First English Hub @ Whiston Worrygoose is delighted to welcome David Morgan, founder and CEO of DM Education and co-author of the Amazon best seller, ‘The 9 Main Causes of Reading Difficulty’ to lead this live online webinar and explore these challenges in more detail. During the session, David will share his research informed insights and experiences of helping struggling readers based on a neurological analysis of what happens in the brain when someone reads or spells.
The session aims to support delegates to better identify and support children at risk of falling behind in reading by providing an overview of some of the possible causes of reading difficulty and the corresponding, practical solutions to overcome them. This includes references to whole word sight readers (or the “Guessers”), children who have eye tracking difficulties (the “Skippers”), for people with auditory processing difficulties, for children who develop a very high stress response, people with visual stress symptoms and several other patterns that can cause reading and spelling difficulty.
HOME LEARNING
Here at the English Hub we are determined to continue to offer support and advice to schools throughout these difficult and unusual times. With this in mind we have produced a resource which provides access to a selection of resources and websites which can help ensure that children are accessing high quality content which is both educational and engaging. Use the materials as a stimulus for speaking and listening activities, engaging with high quality texts or to motivate children to write down their own ideas or responses. If you would like any further help or advice, please do not hesitate to contact us.
