I am the Strategic Lead for the English Hub and the Headteacher of St Wilfrid's School. It has been a pleasure to be part of the English Hubs programme so far and to see the impact that this is having on children beyond our own. The partnerships we are building through our work with partner schools and with a range of experts and agencies have been transformative for our own reading offer, and it is a privilege to support and work with schools throughout the region.

I have been in the position of Hub Lead since 2018 and have loved supporting schools, with their early reading and phonics, ever since. It has always been a passion of mine to ensure we do everything in our power to get children reading, in order to set them off on the right path for life. Previous to this role I was Reading Lead and Early Years Lead at St Wilfrid’s for a number of years and have seen the difference that a dedicated team of reading teachers can make to a child’s love of reading. I am passionate about supporting schools in their mission to make every child a reader.

Hello, my name is Lizzy. I am a full time class teacher at St Catherine's Primary Academy in Sheffield. I absolutely love my job! During my teaching career, I have been lucky to have the opportunity to teach children across KS1, and this year I am excited to begin my first year teaching in Reception. I'm extremely passionate about early reading and promoting a love of reading. When I heard about the English Hub, I knew it was something that I really wanted to be a part of. I am looking forward to my second year as a Literacy Specialist with St Wilfred's English Hub. I love visiting and supporting my partner schools. Seeing the teaching go from strength to strength and the children's reading progress through the support of the English Hub programme is just wonderful!

Hello, my name is Amy. Since September 2023, I have worked as a Literacy Specialist with St Wilfrid's English Hub, coaching teachers, supporting reading leaders and improving early reading provision across a range of schools. I am delighted to now join the English Hub's Early Language and Literacy Team as Phase Leader, enabling me to extend my expertise in early language development, literacy and school improvement while continuing to champion high-quality Early Years practice. My love for Early Years has shaped my career, leading me to hold a range of EYFS and Early Reading leadership roles across schools with diverse contexts and communities for over 20 years. During my time teaching reception aged children I have developed a pedagogy informed by child development research and underpinned by the understanding that secure relationships, a play-based curriculum and high-quality adult interactions are fundamental to children's learning. I am passionate about developing others and have supported colleagues through coaching, modelling best practice and high-quality professional development to strengthen teaching and learning in Early Language and Literacy.

Hi I’m Claire Clayton. This is my seventh year at St Wilfrid's English hub, working as the finance lead, hub administrator and events coordinator.

It is great to be able to offer support to schools in our local area and see the progress they are already making through the work of our Literacy Specialists.

We have had some fantastic events over the last year, it is great to be part of such a committed team. I am looking forward to another year supporting school improvement.

Hello, I'm Mattie and I am now in my second year at St Wilfrid's English Hub. I assist Claire with the administration of the Hub.

We have a great team here and I am very proud of the work that we do. I love being able to support our Literacy Specialists and it's lovely to see the difference they make.

Hello, my name is Mary and I am the headteacher at St Patricks Catholic Primary School, Bircotes. I am passionate about school improvement and believe that the effective teaching of reading is fundamental in driving positive change and equipping children with the best possible start to their learning journey.

My role of literacy specialist at St Wilfrid’s English Hub is something that I find particularly rewarding. I am committed to supporting other schools on their own reading journeys. I aim to empower both students and staff through high quality professional development. I have a particular passion for reading for pleasure research and pedagogy; I have witnessed first hand just how transformative this can be within practice.

Hello, my name is Maria. I have been teaching for many years. I have loved my career in teaching and never cease to feel the sheer pleasure when a child first takes those first steps in early reading. It’s that goosebump moment when a child realises they are reading. I am passionate about sharing books with children and going on a journey with them into different worlds. When I joined the English Hub I was so excited as it really is a wonderful programme. I love visiting partner schools and helping more staff to support more children to crack the phonic code and develop a love of reading. I am thrilled to be starting my second year and supporting more schools to go from strength to strength.

Hi, I'm Helen Grant and I teach at St Marie's Academy, Sheffield. I have taught at St Marie's for almost all of my teaching career, too many years to mention, and I still love the job. I have been lucky enough to teach across the school from Year 6 to Reception. I currently job share in Reception, my favourite place to teach as I love the opportunity to see the children blossom over the year, there's never a dull day!  I have two passions; one is teaching dance and the other is reading and I thoroughly enjoy having the opportunity to share both with the children. I am the Phonics Manager at St Marie's and have the pleasure in seeing the children's love of reading grow from Reception through Key Stage 1. This is my first year working with the English Hub and I am both excited and nervous but I'm certain that once I meet the staff and children in my partner schools my nerves will disappear and it will be fantastic to work together and see the progress the children make during our time together... you never know there might be a bit of celebratory dancing.

Hi, my name is Rachael and I’m currently a Year 2 teacher and Assistant Head at Kiverton Park Infant School in Rotherham. When I started teaching in 2008 I barely knew anything about phonics, and as an NQT in a Y1 class I had to learn how to teach it well pretty quickly! I read everything I could about Systematic Synthetic Phonics, starting with the Rose Review, and became very passionate (although my colleagues may call it ‘obsessed’!) about the high quality teaching of phonics and early reading. A few years later I became phonics and reading leader at my school, and then an SLE for reading and phonics. As soon as I heard about the Literacy Specialist I knew I wanted the opportunity to support other schools with their teaching of phonics and early reading. I absolutely love the role, and seeing the progress children make and receiving positive feedback from staff is wonderful.

Hi, I’m Rebecca. I am a Literacy Specialist and reading lead at St Wilfrid’s Primary. Last year, I also delivered the ‘Early Language Development’ course that the English Hub provides. This is running for a second year and it’s been rewarding to equip schools with the knowledge of those key language foundations.

Both at school and at home with my daughter, story time is one of my favourite parts of the day. I love to share my passion for stories with children and it is especially fulfilling when the children then want to pick up the same books within the provision.

As reading lead, I have really enjoyed ensuring that all children become confident and fluent readers. Developing a team of highly skilled reading practitioners has been crucial in making this happen. It’s wonderful when you can see the children really starting to see themselves as readers.

Hello, my name is Karena, and I am the Deputy Headteacher at Brockwell Nursery and Infant School in Chesterfield. I am also a designated Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) with a focus on phonics and early years.

As a child, I was fortunate enough to have access to a wealth of story books, adults at home who enjoyed sharing stories and teachers who supported me as a learner, and because of this, I have developed a passion for, and often, read for pleasure. I want to ensure that all children develop the same love of reading.

I have always really enjoyed teaching phonics. Ensuring each lesson is delivered with pace, positivity, and praise, I witness the enthusiasm and progress of all the children. Seeing children enjoy learning to read and the joy on faces when they realise that they are becoming readers is just amazing! As a Literacy Specialist, I am rewarded by having a wider positive impact by supporting colleagues in other settings to deliver quality-first teaching of phonics. I love seeing the progress the children are making each time I visit my partner schools.

Hello my name is Kelly and I am so thrilled to have joined the team at St. Wilfrid’s English Hub. I am an experienced Year 1 teacher and Early Reading Lead at Our Lady and St. Joseph’s School in Rotherham. My passion for children to receive the very best reading experiences has recently been identified in my promotion to be reading lead across the whole school. Within this role I am thoroughly enjoying fostering the love of reading for our pupils and spreading this passion to staff, parents and the wider school community. Reading has such a profound impact on children throughout their education and into their whole lives. Seeing a child become a reader is the most amazing thing that I am proud to be a part of. Being part of the English Hub team, I am looking forward to working with partner schools and reading teams to spread my expertise, love and passion for teaching early reading. I hope that together we can develop children into fluent readers who have a real pleasure in reading.

Hello, my name is Cordy. I am Assistant Headteacher and Early Reading Leader at Pipworth Community Primary School in Sheffield. Reading and Phonics is a passion of mine as I see how many opportunities it opens for children and improves their life chances. My team and I have worked tirelessly to develop reading and phonics at Pipworth over the past few years and to see the impact this is having on our children and staff has been amazing. I began my journey with the English Hub as a Partner School and I am excited to give something back through the programme.

Hi, I'm Bryony Year 2 teacher, KS1 and English Lead throughout the school at Calow Primary in Chesterfield. As a school, we have seen first-hand the wonderful work of the English Hub as a graduated partner school ourselves and I am thrilled to become a part of the team to share the same expertise we received in our school. Working with the English Hub is a true community and relationships really matter to gain the very best for the children in all schools. 

It doesn't matter whether it's phonics, reading, writing or vocabulary, English is something I've always enjoyed learning about and delivering. The children in my class will tell you I have a love of interesting words. As reading lead in my own school, I aim to inspire and support the staff and children to have a love of reading as well as explore and discover new books. We focus on using evidence-informed practice with pace and accuracy to ensure children succeed in their learning. I enjoy working with staff to develop my own practice as well as that of others and it is always rewarding when children have 'light bulb' moments in their reading journey as they suddenly become fluent in their skills.

Hello! I am a teacher and Early Reading and Phonics Lead at Rivelin Primary School in Sheffield. I am passionate about ensuring that every child learns to read confidently and successfully through high-quality phonics and early reading teaching, as learning the skill of reading lays the foundation for everything that follows.

Alongside my work in phonics, I have a particular interest in Reading for Pleasure. I believe reading is far more than an academic skill; it helps us understand lives beyond our own, and make sense of the world around us. For me, reading is a genuine source of joy, curiosity and connection, and I am committed to creating opportunities for all children to experience that same delight in books.

Having experienced the support of St Wilfrid’s English Hub first-hand, I have seen the positive impact it can have on teachers, leaders and, most importantly, children. I am excited to work collaboratively with schools, supporting colleagues to strengthen early reading through coaching, professional learning and shared expertise, so that every child becomes a skilled, lifelong reader - who enjoys the process along the way!

Hi, I’m  Tonia, I  am a Literacy Specialist and EYFS  Lead at St Wilfrid’s Primary. I also delivered the ‘Early Language Development’ course that the English Hub provides.  I have been teaching for the past 24 years, my passion has always been Early Years, and I feel incredibly lucky  to have spent my career helping young children develop a love of learning. In January, I opened and established our school nursery creating a nurturing, stimulating environment where children feel safe, valued and excited to explore. I particularly enjoy supporting children's language, communication and early literacy, helping to build strong foundations for future learning. Outside of work, I am a proud mum to two boys, and as a family we love spending time reading together and sharing stories. Seeing how books spark conversations, build vocabulary and develop imagination at home reminds me just how important language is.

I am the Assistant Headteacher and Reading Lead at Redscope Primary School. I am passionate about helping every child discover the power of reading. From laying strong foundations in early reading to nurturing fluent, confident readers throughout Key Stage 2, I am committed to ensuring that every pupil develops the skills, confidence and enthusiasm to succeed.

I believe that learning to read is one of the greatest gifts we can give children. Reading unlocks the wider curriculum, sparks curiosity and imagination, and opens doors to opportunities that can shape a child’s future. I am particularly passionate about ensuring that children not only learn to read accurately but also develop the fluency, confidence and love of reading that enables them to fully engage with and enjoy what they read.