Interview with Danni Cooke, Ilsham English Hub Lead

“Schools are doing so many wonderful things, but to get children to access that curriculum independently then we have to focus on getting them reading.”

Danni Cooke is the Hub Lead for Ilsham National English Hub which is one of 34 designated by the Department for Education since 2018.  She is also an Early Years and Phonics Specialist Leader of Education and works for the Learning Academy Partnership South West. 
 
A Graduate of Education, Danni then qualified as a teacher and for her first three/ four years she taught in Somerset, before moving to Devon and joining Ilsham C of E Academy as the Early Years Lead. At this time, Ilsham was a national support school and Danni supported other schools and nurseries before becoming one of a small number of Specialist Leaders in Education (SLE) in the first recruitment round in 2012. 
 
You can read more about Danni’s journey throughout her career in question 2.

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1. What do you find most personally rewarding as Ilsham DfE National English Hub Lead? 
The rewards come from being part of each school's journey and sharing their successes along the way.
I am lucky to work with a large team consisting of literacy specialists, audit team members and the English Hub leadership team.  Together we work with the other national English Hubs to help everyone in schools to make a difference in the main three Hub aims of supporting learning to read through systematic, synthetic phonics, building the love of reading and supporting early language. 

We focus on the main English Hub aims enabling children to reach their full potential and flourish. It is knowing that we are making a difference to children’s reading outcomes and building children as readers.  Seeing the impact of everyone’s hard work is rewarding.
 
2. How has your own journey guided you in your role? 
I have been very lucky in my opportunities in the 18 years of my teaching career. 
I became a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) for Early Years and Phonics in 2012 and since then I have undertaken different school improvement roles, supporting schools in teaching and learning, classroom practice, assessment, phonics etc. 

I was also an Assistant Head and have led the Early Years across a range of schools, as well as being a classroom teacher. So, I understand what it is like on a daily basis in the classroom and I understand the challenges.   
 
In the past, we have led a strategic school improvement Department for Education (DfE) funded project in the South West to raise phonics attainment through a train-the-trainer model. I have also undertaken work previously with Ofsted on phonics.  Our work on phonics and the outcomes of the children's early reading at Ilsham, the hub school supported our bid to become a National English Hub.  I have been the IIsham National English Hub Lead since it was formed in 2018.
 
Ilsham Academy is the English Hub school base which is part of the Learning Academy Partnership (South West) Multi Academy Trust of 18 schools, where I oversee the Early Reading and Phonics leadership. 

I think I am fortunate to have such a fulfilling job.  Every day I can help support the futures of so many children.  Across the years my role has changed, I have had a multitude of opportunities and I feel proud to have been able to provide support to both teachers, support staff and leaders. My role has enabled me to work together with hundreds of other schools across the South West region where everyone is dedicated to supporting children to succeed in learning to read, giving them the best possible chances and this is rewarding for me. 
 
3. If we were to visit your school, how would you wish us to perceive English and literacy? 
The first thing we want anyone to experience when visiting schools is to see that the love of reading is everywhere, and is at the heart of the school, the bedrock. Children can be seen immersed in books, both choosing and wanting to read independently.  Staff read and share books with children, expanding their vocabularies and supporting them in reading for pleasure.  Crucially all staff know their children really well and see them as readers in their own right. 
 
Staff know the importance of teaching children the mechanics of learning to read, giving them their crucial next steps to success and ensuring that every child is successful, regardless of background, needs or abilities, overcoming whatever barriers that they may have.  Staff focus on keeping children reading as we collectively know that reading changes lives. Once children become independent readers, we know then the curriculum is unlocked, and only then can they independently access all those amazing opportunities that schools are providing.  Because, even in Maths, for example, children need to have basic reading skills as an independent reader to comprehend what they need to do. 
 
Staff understand that those children with barriers can get frustrated and too often, rely on someone else to help them to access their work.  The key is continually working hard to ensure that this does not happen.  We know that if we systematically teach and support every child to read early whilst facilitating and growing that love of reading, being aware of the importance of supporting early language development, then we can close those barriers early.  We can support all children to flourish and get the best outcomes by the end of primary school. 
 
The main three aims of the English Hubs are supporting getting children reading, focusing on phonics as their route to learning how to read independently.  Building children’s love of reading, creating volitional readers who want to read and keep reading. Finally focusing on the early language gap, vocabulary and oracy, the importance of interactions and sharing stories; particularly post-COVID we know there are increasing numbers of speech and language challenges in our schools. 
  
4. From your experience, what do you consider to be the most significant challenges to foster good literacy in primary schools? 
The most important challenge I feel is to build relationships with schools, to work closely to get buy-in from the Senior Leadership and the whole team. We talk about unlocking the curriculum for our children.  Schools are doing so many wonderful things, but to get children to access that curriculum independently then it is important to focus on getting children reading.  We have to know that if we do not get it right for early reading, this has a knock-on effect in every subject area. 
 
I know that a huge challenge for schools at the moment is time. If only like Bernard's Watch, we could stop time and had extra time! Everyone needs to find what works for them and their school.  We might need to think more creatively about how to overcome some of the barriers we are facing.  As an English Hub we work collectively to support schools and build the whole staff team expertise; rather than focusing on only one staff member being the ‘spotlight of excellence’.  It is about reading being everyone's responsibility and on everyone's agenda. 
 
We know that we have so many excellent people in our schools and it is making sure that we are building that whole team together.  The importance of spending time supporting training and ongoing professional development, to give people time to monitor what is happening, coach and to support. Thinking about those small incremental steps to support staff, building confidence in the delivery of what is being taught so it can be of the highest quality.  This then supports every child to get to their age-related expectations.   
 
I am a firm believer that, everyone is in the teaching profession for a reason.  Staff are passionate and dedicated to making a difference.  They are improving children's outcomes and supporting and helping them with their next steps.  It is a job where there are never enough hours in the day, thus making it crucial to think about how we can provide support to schools about small next steps with the mantra of working smarter rather than harder.  We know within all schools that staffing is a challenge.  How can we retain staff and help teams overcome barriers together? Working alongside, coaching and championing staff to help them overcome challenges.  This is not about us telling people what to do and then leaving them to it, this is about teamwork, working together, thinking creatively paving the next steps together. 
 
5. What are your three top tips for promoting literacy? 
Number one: read, read, and read some more. 
Get to know your children's books and your old and gold, your new, diverse and bold.  This will support you making recommendations to children.  Become a reading influencer! 
  
Number two: get to know your children as readers. 
What do they like? 
What do they dislike? 
  
The American author, James Patterson said that there is no such thing as a child who hates reading. There are children who love reading and there are children who are reading the wrong books. 
I am very passionate about finding the right book for every child to ignite that love of reading.  We need to continue to support our staff in order to boost their subject knowledge of appropriate texts. We work hard to get our children reading.  However, we also need to think about what we are doing to keep them reading, wanting to read and loving reading.  How can reading be seen as a positive social habit? 
 
Number three: thinking about the reading routines. We brush our teeth every day, twice a day, because we are programmed to know that it is important. So how can we think about habits and the importance of routines, systems and structures for sharing books and making independent reading routines.  As soon as children can independently blend sounds together to read a simple word how are we encouraging that practice?

Building the habit of reading.  The more we practise, the better we get and the better we get the more we want to practice.  How can we help children to find time to practise, because practice is important and practice makes permanent.  Once we get our children reading, if we keep them reading, we are going to change their life chances. 

If we can target children as soon as gaps arise and daily work towards closing those steps then we are supporting them in accessing the curriculum. It is a bit like footballers or playing the piano and lots of other different skills, the key is repeated practice, every day, little and often. 
 
And I would add a number four, if you have yet to contact your local English Hub, please do so.  
There are 34 national English Hubs.  We can provide free support, advice and funding to schools.  This is about knowing where to go to tap into knowledge and support, working together, problem-solving to make a difference to ensure the best outcomes for every child to flourish.  

More Information about English Hubs 
Department for Education National English Hubs offer a range of support and continuing professional development (CPD) to primary schools to improve the teaching of early reading, with a particular focus on systematic synthetic phonics, early language and reading for pleasure through tailored support from a literacy specialist, professional development and funding to buy phonics and early language resources.  

find more information about Ilsham English Hub here

find more information about English Hubs here