Early Reading Literacy Specialist
Yorkshire Endeavour English Hub
Contract: Secondment, September 2026 – July 2027
Closing Date: 12pm, Wednesday 16th September
Informed of shortlisting outcome: Wednesday 16th September
Zoom Interview: Wednesday 23rd September, AM
Are you an experienced EYFS or KS1 teacher with a passion for reading and improving early literacy outcomes? Or, as a headteacher, do you have a member of staff who would thrive in this exciting secondment opportunity while bringing valuable expertise back to your school?
The DFE English Hub
‘Nurturing confident, life-long readers to achieve, regardless of background or starting point.’
Our English Hub is one of only 34, across England, appointed by the DfE to take a leading role in supporting schools to improve their teaching of reading, oracy and writing.
This network was initially set up 7 years ago to improve reading standards across the country and improve education outcomes for the most disadvantaged children in Primary Schools.
Our English Hub offers different levels of support to schools. Ranging from attendance at conferences or joining our CPD Programmes, to audits of reading provision, funding and Literacy Specialist support, if required.
The Literacy Specialist Role
Yorkshire Endeavour English Hub is seeking to recruit an exceptional EYFS/KS1 teacher to join our team as a Literacy Specialist on a secondment basis.
As a Literacy Specialist, you will receive training through the English Hub programme and the DfE before supporting schools across North Yorkshire Coast, Hambleton, Ryedale, East Riding and the City of York to strengthen phonics and early reading. Working alongside headteachers and reading leaders, you will evaluate provision, analyse school performance data, develop action plans, model and coach within phonics lessons and interventions, and provide high-quality support and challenge to drive sustainable improvements in early reading.
About You
We are looking for a passionate and experienced EYFS/KS1 teacher with excellent knowledge of early reading. You will have a proven track record of improving early reading outcomes, experience of teaching the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised SSP programme, and the leadership skills to support school improvement beyond your own setting. Previous applicants are welcome to apply.
Applicants must:
- Be employed in a primary school judged Good or Outstanding under the previous Ofsted framework, or Expected Standard, Strong Standard or Exceptional under the current Ofsted framework.
- Be able to demonstrate strong and sustained outcomes in the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check. Over the past three years, schools should have achieved outcomes that were in line with or above the national average in at least two of those years.
National Year 1 Phonics Screening Check averages:
- 2024: 80%
- 2025: 80%
- 2026: anticipated to be approximately 80% (subject to the publication of national data by the Department for Education).
Where a cohort has exceptional or unusual contextual factors that may have significantly influenced outcomes, please provide a brief explanation, including the size of the cohort and the number of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Role Duties
- Attend all Yorkshire Endeavour English Hub training and development days.
- Support partner school leaders to implement the DfE Challenge Checklist and improve phonics and early reading provision.
- Coach, support and appropriately challenge leaders and teachers to strengthen evidence-informed practice.
- Analyse school and pupil performance data to identify priorities, monitor progress and support school improvement.
- Ensure partner schools meet programme expectations, including submitting half-termly data and engaging with meetings and training.
- Produce a written action plan following each school visit, outlining clear evaluations and agreed next steps.
- Model effective phonics and early reading practice where appropriate.
- Team teach and coach within phonics lessons and interventions.
- Maintain accurate records and work collaboratively with the Hub Lead and wider English Hub team.
- Act as an ambassador for Yorkshire Endeavour English Hub, maintaining professionalism and positive relationships with partner schools.
- Maintain exemplary practice within your own school, striving for phonics screening check outcomes of at least 90%.
The hub will support you by:
- Providing high-quality professional development through the DfE, SSP providers, the English Hubs Network and other specialists.
- Offering coaching and support through joint partner school visits.
- Meeting regularly with the Literacy Specialist team to deliver CPD, analyse school data and ensure consistency of approach.
- Providing the systems, resources and documentation needed to deliver high-quality support.
- Creating opportunities to observe excellent phonics and early reading practice in other schools.
- Maintaining open communication and providing ongoing guidance throughout your secondment.
Time commitment
The Literacy Specialist will be seconded from their home school for the following commitments during the 2026–2027 academic year:
- Tuesday 6th October – Training Day with Hannah, English Hub Lead, and Chrissy, Deputy Hub Lead, at Lealholm Primary School.
- Friday 13th November – Development Day at Malmaison, York – Coaching Training with Andy Buck.
- Autumn 2 – Summer 2 - 17 days of support in allocated Partner Schools. Hannah and Chrissy will accompany you on your initial visits to provide guidance, coaching and support.
- Half-termly (five meetings across the academic year) – Online Zoom meetings with the Little Wandle SSP team to review Partner School data, monitor progress and discuss next steps. These meetings equate to approximately one day of time across the year.
- Spring or Summer Term (date to be confirmed) – Literacy Specialist Development Day with the wider LS team.
Funding: For each day worked as a Literacy Specialist supporting a Partner School, the releasing school will receive funding at a rate of £450 per day. This includes 0.2 days to cover planning, preparation and follow-up associated with each Partner School support visit. All travel expenses should be claimed by the Literacy Specialist through their home school. All other days are paid at £375 per day.
Key Documents
Application Process
Submit the following to NYES.Resourcing@northyorks.gov.uk
- Application form completed in conjunction with your headteacher (or equivalent)
- A 10-minute video clip of yourself teaching a phonics lesson
- Pictures/videos of your Reading Environment
Please send as a standard email attachment, or via OneDrive if a large file size. We cannot access Icloud, Googledrive, Dropbox etc. Please list your name in all document file names (Application form, photos & video).
Following shortlisting you will undertake a Zoom interview and will deliver a presentation. Please see further details in the Application Pack.
We do not accept CV’s.
Forms are to be completed in full.
Queries
Please contact Chloe Bullen at Chloe.Bullen@northyorks.gov.uk or on 01609 536 964
Please note this post is in regulated activity and exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS criminal records and barred list check for work with children. An online search may be undertaken as part of the recruitment process on information available in the public domain. Candidates should disclose anything that may be relevant in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.
North Yorkshire Council (NYC) advertise vacancies and process applications on behalf of schools and external organisations (third parties) in North Yorkshire. NYC are not responsible for the recruitment/employment practices of third parties and accept no liability in relation to the vacancy and any subsequent recruitment/employment processes. Further information on how we process your data can be found here.
Early Reading Literacy Specialist
Posted: 24/08/2026
Closing date: 16/09/2026
Closing time: 23:59