Supporting all readers in secondary school - what, who, where, why

This webinar will provide teachers and school leaders with the opportunity to find out more about the new DFE training programme from members of the core development team. There will be a chance to ask questions and make suggestions about further developments and refinements to the programme. #readingmarathonnotasprint

In advance, please consider:

• What are the challenges for secondary schools in supporting the ongoing development of students' reading skills?
• What questions should researchers be asking?

In April 2025 the Department for Education launched training developed by Professor Jessie Ricketts at Royal Holloway, University of London. The training was co-created by Professor Ricketts and teachers and school leaders with a range of knowledge and expertise in reading and secondary contexts.The training includes a package for all secondary teachers and a package for school leaders and can be completed individually or in groups. Each package comprises a set of videos with guidance and a workbook for reflecting and making notes. They outline theory and research findings, and practical strategies that can be embedded in any secondary classroom. The training is now openly available to all secondary schools and is being trialed by schools so that we can continue to develop resources to ensure that the training is as useful as possible for secondary schools.

Dr Megan Dixon has balanced a career in education and school leadership with an academic research career. She has a wealth of school leadership, school improvement and policy experience, including working for the Education Endowment Foundation, in ITE, as a MAT Executive Leader, a Local Authority English consultant, Head Teacher and a teacher. Her research interests are informed by her school experiences and include the acquisition of literacy, spoken language development, curriculum development, SEND and the translation and implementation of research into educational practice.

Lucy Floyer has over 25 years of experience as a teacher, including 18 years of leadership and advisory work in schools. She has led at school and trust leadership level across primary, secondary and special education, and in both inner city and suburban schools. Within her literacy leadership roles, Lucy has led whole school and trust INSET including delivering keynotes and conferences; supported middle leaders in integrating subject-specific literacy development into their curriculum design; and trained subject teachers in implementing literacy strategies in the classroom. She has led and supported senior leaders and literacy leads on the design and implementation of whole school literacy development plans across a range of organisations. She is an expert in teenage reading support and has worked on reading projects for GL Assessment and the DfE.