The English hubs programme will be expanded to secondary schools from September following a “successful” pilot, the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed. Launched in 2018, the programme aims to boost phonics teaching, early language and reading for pleasure in primaries, especially among pupils who are struggling. A recent DfE report found the £100 million English hubs scheme has boosted pupil outcomes and “broader literacy”. Following a “successful pilot” earlier this academic year, it will be expanded to secondary schools across the country in the next year, the DfE said. Secondaries will have access to specialist support, and “evidence-based assessments” to provide targeted interventions for pupils who need extra support. Full details not yet clear The DfE did not provide more details of the roll-out or whether it would come with additional funding. A spokesperson said that it would “ensure that specialist reading support is available for the children who need it, making sure they can fully engage with the whole curriculum, succeed – both in and out of the classroom – and reap the many benefits that reading and literacy can bring”. In autumn, the DfE announced a focus on reading in secondary years, with plans to introduce a new mandatory year 8 reading test. The government has committed £28.3 million to help deliver training to primary schools to ensure that children are reading fluently by the time they leave, and for a new “unlocking reading” professional development programme to improve reading provision in secondaries.