Secondary School Pilot
Supporting All Readers in Secondary School
Ramsbury Primary School is proud to be part of the government's secondary school pilot.
Reading is the gateway to learning. It is the key to pupils’ future academic achievement and well-being. Pupils who struggle to read words accurately quickly fall behind their peers. They read less and do not accumulate the necessary background knowledge and vocabulary from reading. To fulfil the demands of the secondary school curriculum, pupils need to be able to read age-appropriate texts fluently. Pupils who cannot read well are not able to access the curriculum and are disadvantaged for life.
Aims of the Secondary Pilot AY25-26
- To support secondary schools to take a whole school approach to reading.
- To support secondary schools to improve outcomes for pupils with reading needs
- To increase knowledge on supporting reading in secondary schools
Pilot Overview
In the 2025/26 academic year the Department for Education (DfE) will expand the support currently offered by the English Hubs programme to include a secondary pilot. Partner secondary schools will receive support through collaboration with English Hubs, which will be supported by associate secondary schools and an expert advisory group consisting of secondary practitioners, school leaders, and researchers with expertise in reading.
The pilot will support partner secondary schools to approach reading as a whole school priority and provide evidence-based support to pupils with reading needs. In 2024, 26% of pupils did not meet the expected standard in KS2 reading assessments, a slight improvement from 27% in 2023. This percentage has fluctuated between 25% and 28% since 2017.
Expanding English Hub support to secondary schools will create opportunities for primary and secondary schools to collaborate, share expertise and embed robust processes to identify, diagnose and support the reading needs of secondary pupils.
This collaboration will also support the transition from primary to secondary school.
The DfE Training Package
This evidence-based online training package is for all secondary practitioners and aims to build capacity and confidence to enable staff to support reading in all secondary students.
There are two training pathways; one suitable for all secondary staff and another for secondary school leaders.
The course can be completed in around an hour, either individually or in groups. Both pathways include:
- a series of videos for:
- guidance and workbook for reflecting and making notes
The training outlines theory and research findings, and provides practical strategies that can be implemented in any secondary classroom.
The course was developed for DfE by Professor Jessie Ricketts of Royal Holloway, University of London. It was created in collaboration with teachers and school leaders with expertise in reading and secondary contexts.
The English Hub Pathway
Our Mailing List
Subscribe to our mailing list for updates on the secondary reading pilot.
Refer your secondary school to our Hub programme
Further information on the national English Hubs programme
