Access Support

As an English Hub, we are working closely with local authorities, the Regional Schools Commissioners, Educational Investment Areas, Priority Educational Investment Areas, National Leaders of Education and Multi-Academy Trusts to identify schools that would most benefit from support, with a focus on schools with high numbers of disadvantaged children.

As the English Hub Programme grows, we offer different levels of support for school. The support will allow schools to find out the most up to date information on the three aims of the hub and an opportunity to evaluate their own school practice.

Prioritise

As an English Hub, we have to prioritise the support that we offer based on the below criteria:

  • Below national Phonics screening check results (79% met the expected standard in 2023)
  • Lower than average PSC scores for disadvantaged pupils
  • Schools with the lowest phonics scores for disadvantaged pupils
  • Primary schools where the bottom 20% of children are not on course to reach the expected standard
  • Primary schools with a higher than average proportion of children eligible for pupil premium (2022/23 the pupil premium national average is 24.3%)
  • Primary schools with a high proportion of groups considered hard to reach such as EAL, FSM, travellers. • Schools referred by local partners (e.g. NLEs, RSCs, LAs)
  • Ofsted rating of Requires Improvement or Inadequate
  • Primary schools where standards in phonics are identified as areas for development through Ofsted inspection findings
  • Primary schools that sit in an education investment area (PEIAs/EIAs).
  • Wave 1 and Wave 2 partner schools in PEIAs who have experienced significant systemic change since leaving the programme and who have failed to realise and/or maintain improvement in SSP scores.
  • Primary schools where there is a risk of declining standards in phonics.

The schools that hit these criteria are eligible for more intensive support. If your school doesn’t meet this criteria, you can still complete a self-referral form to show an interest in the hub. We can support via the medium level support.

Support We Offer

To engage with the English Hub programme schools should complete a self referral form, this will allow us to assess what support we can offer.

This year, we will offer:

  • Open Events
  • Medium Level Support
  • Audits
  • Accelerator Fund
  • Partner Schools

Self- Referral

If you would like to see what support the English Hub can offer you, please click here to complete the self-referral form. This will allow us to look at individual schools and offer them support in different areas.

Open Events

We are running a series of free Open Events at St. Michael’s C of E Primary School which will include observations of Phonics teaching, CPD on the three areas of the Hub, time for reflection and information on what support the English Hub can offer schools.

To find out more information click here

Medium Level Support

As an English hub, we run free CPD based on the three aims. This CPD is based around the latest training and information available. We also have free, engage events for people to attend. To find out more click here.

Audits

As part of the English Hub programme, we carry out audits on schools. This audit allows us to support schools to reflect on practice, look at their phonics provision and give them advice on next steps. From the audits, we will identify Partner Schools that we work with.

Accelerator Fund

This year, the English Hub will continue its Accelerator Fund support. This allows schools to embed a Systematic Synthetic Phonics system in thier school, with the support of the English Hub. This support is different to the main English Hub offer, to find out more click here

 

Accelerator Fund

The Accelerator Fund is another way schools can access support from the English Hub. It will allow the English Hub to support schools to embed a Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) programme, from the approved DfE list.

The Accelerator Fund, offers schools:

  • An initial audit
  • Support to embed a Systematic Synthetic Phonics System
  • Financial Support, if appropriate

If you would like to see what support the English Hub can offer you, please click here to complete the self-referral form. This will allow us to look at individual schools and offer them support in different areas.

We are able to offer support to the following schools:

  • Infant schools
  • Primary schools
  • Junior schools
  • Special schools
  • Pupil Referral Units with primary school aged children

When accessing support from the hub, priority should be given to schools who match the following criteria,
which falls in-line with the English Hubs programme funding criteria:

  • Lower than the national average percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check in their most recent results.
  • A higher-than-average proportion of pupils reading below age-related expectations.
  • A higher-than-average proportion of children eligible for pupil premium.
  • Ofsted judgment of Requires Improvement or Inadequate
  • A high proportion of groups considered hard to reach, such as EAL, FSM, travellers, etc.
  • Schools referred by local partners (e.g., NLEs, RSCs, LADs, EIA teams/boards.)

We can also support schools who:

  • Have Ofsted ratings “good” or “outstanding”, but whose English practice indicates a risk of declining standards
  • Have a Pupil Premium percentage equal to or below the national average.
  • Schools with children at KS1/KS2 but do not complete the Phonics Screening Check.

If you have any questions, please e-mail us on AFenglishhub@stmicsce.uk‎

If you are interested in what support the Accelerator Fund can offer, complete the self-referral form.

The below list shows the fifty-five areas selected as Education Investment Areas to raise school standards. The areas we support are in bold.

  1. Bedford
  2. Blackpool
  3. Bolton
  4. Bradford
  5. Bury
  6. Cambridgeshire
  7. Central Bedfordshire
  8. Cornwall
  9. County Durham
  10. Coventry
  11. Darlington
  12. Derby
  13. Derbyshire
  14. Doncaster
  15. Dorset
  16. Dudley
  17. East Sussex
  18. Halton
  19. Hartlepool
  20. Isle of Wight
  21. Kirklees
  22. Knowsley
  23. Leeds
  24. Lincolnshire
  25. Liverpool
  26. Luton
  27. Manchester
  28. Middlesbrough
  29. Norfolk
  30. North Northamptonshire
  31. North Somerset
  32. North Yorkshire
  33. Nottingham
  34. Nottinghamshire
  35. Oldham
  36. Peterborough
  37. Plymouth
  38. Portsmouth
  39. Rochdale
  40. Rotherham
  41. Salford
  42. Sandwell
  43. Sefton
  44. Somerset
  45. South Gloucestershire
  46. South Tyneside
  47. St. Helens
  48. Stoke-on-Trent
  49. Suffolk
  50. Sunderland
  51. Swindon
  52. Tameside
  53. Wakefield
  54. Walsall
  55. Wirral

The below list shows the Priority Education Investment Areas

  1. Blackpool
  2. Bradford
  3. Derby
  4. Doncaster
  5. Fenlands and East Cambridgeshire
  6. Halton
  7. Hartlepool
  8. Hastings
  9. Ipswich
  10. Knowsley
  11. Liverpool
  12. Middlesbrough
  13. North Yorkshire Coast
  14. Norwich
  15. Nottingham
  16. Oldham
  17. Portsmouth
  18. Rochdale
  19. Salford
  20. Sandwell
  21. Stoke-on-Trent
  22. Tameside
  23. Walsall

 

Literacy Specialists

Our Literacy Specialists support our Partner Schools to help embed Phonics. The Literacy Specialists have had  training from the English Hub Training Centre, the DfE and official training from any programme we support. To find out more information about our team, click here.

Partner Schools

From the audit, we will choose schools to become a Partner School. This is a school that is committed to embedding a Systematic Synthetic Phonics programme in their school. They will receive 6 days worth of support during the first year and 3 days worth of support in the second year.

Currently, we are working with 4 Wave 3 Partner Schools and 20 wave 4 Partner Schools. Across the year, our Literacy Specialists will carry out 120 days worth of support.

Priorities chart