We are very proud to be one of only 34 schools nationally to have been designated an English Hub by the Department for Education. Only schools who consistently reach above national standards in phonics and reading, and who are dedicated to promoting a lifelong love of reading amongst their pupils are selected to become English Hubs. We have held this position since the programme’s beginning in 2018.

What does it mean to be an English Hub?

As an English Hub, we support other schools in Hackney, north London and in the east of England, as far as Peterborough, to improve their phonics, reading and early language provision, particularly for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

We do this by:

• Offering grants for schools to purchase phonics training and resources

• Auditing schools to help them identify what they are doing well and their next steps

• Providing intensive support to some through our Literacy Specialist team

• Modelling best practice by inviting schools to visit Grazebrook

• Running webinars and in-person training for teachers and school leaders

What benefits does it bring to Grazebrook?

Being part of the English Hub programme has benefitted Grazebrook and the other schools in the Federation in many ways:

• Firstly, it has given our team access to the best quality training about phonics, reading and language, which we have implemented in our day-to-day practice. 

• Secondly, it has meant we have joined a national network of literacy experts, whose research informs our approach and ensures our teaching is of the highest quality.

• Finally, we have been able to recruit skilled teachers from outside of our Federation, who are attracted by the training we can provide. 

To find out more about the work of our English Hub, visit www.newwaveenglishhub.co.uk, follow us on Twitter (@wave_english) or ask the school office to make an appointment with one of the Hub team.