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 one-hour online training package is for all secondary school staff and will enable them to support reading in all secondary students. The short CPD was designed to promote knowledge and confidence in all secondary practitioners in a way that is feasible and accessible. We hope that it will be a useful first step for all secondary schools in developing reading as a strategic priority. 

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.

We know from our pilot work with secondary school leaders, teachers and teaching assistants that the training is effective in promoting knowledge and confidence and is feasible and accessible.

The training guidance and links to the videos can be found here.

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.

In May 2025 Professor Ricketts hosted a series of webinars to introduce the training to secondary schools and highlight key findings from research and practice. Watch this space for any more webinars and events.

Webinar slides can be downloaded here.

See the Department for Education announcement here

And coverage from Tes here and here, Schools Week and Royal Holloway

Acknowledgements

Core project team

The development of all aspects of this training was led by Professor Jessie Ricketts, Royal Holloway, University of London, in collaboration with teachers and school leaders Dr Megan Dixon and Lucy Floyer.

Wider project team

The contents of this training were developed by a large team of individuals with varied experience of research and practice related to secondary teaching. The training infused research and practice in a way that was only possible because we involved secondary school teachers, secondary teaching assistants and school leaders in co-constructing and narrating strategies and piloting the training. Enormous thanks to the following individuals:

Elaine Allen (English Hubs Council and Blackpool Literacy Lead), Estelle Bellamy (Fylde Coast Academy Trust), Rachel Best (Harris Federation), Melissande Box (Alexandra Park School), Lisa Cassidy (L.E.A.D. Teaching School Hub), Tom Colquhoun (The Blue School, Wells), Simon Cox (Blackpool Research School), Alexander Dickens (Harris Federation), Laura Edgar (Hertswood Academy), Amy Ford (Derby Research School and Deputy Director of Spencer Teaching School Hub), Matt Harris (Davinci Academy), Mark Oliver (Alexandra Park School), Meera Pabari (Harris Federation), Glynn Palmer-Bell (Castle View Enterprise Academy), Alex Quigley (Educational Endowment Foundation), Davina Salmon (Wandle Learning), Mark Siswick (Wandle Learning and Hubs Council), Phil Stock (Greenshaw Research School), Sabrina Sulliman (Southfields Academy), Nisha Tank (National Literacy Trust).

Technical support

We would also like to acknowledge the following individuals for their support with filming, sound production and technical implementation: Dr Sam Fairlamb, Eva Krysiak, Dr Andy Woods.

See below for a summary: