HFL Education selected to develop national reading fluency CPD for English Hubs

HFL Education has been selected by the Department for Education’s English Hubs to lead the roll-out of a new continuing professional development (CPD) programme focused on improving reading fluency in primary schools across England.

Drawing on extensive expertise and evidence from their acclaimed Reading Fluency Project, HFL Education is delivering a bespoke ‘train the trainer’ programme for English Hub leaders. The initiative is designed to ensure leaders have the practical resources and deep subject knowledge needed to cascade best practice to schools in their regions during the 2025/26 academic year and beyond.

The new CPD offer will also include contributions from world-renowned reading expert Professor Tim Rasinski, whose research has been instrumental in shaping effective approaches to fluency and comprehension. Professor Rasinski’s longstanding collaboration with HFL Education brings a global perspective to the programme.

According to HFL Education’s Partnership Lead, Penny Slater, reading fluency is a vital but often overlooked link between word recognition and reading comprehension. “Our programme is based on extensive research into the different elements which contribute to reading fluency – accuracy, automaticity and prosody – and it is impactful for all children, not just those struggling with reading,” says Penny. “We are looking forward to sharing our expertise and experience with the English Hubs network and supporting the roll out to schools nationwide.”

While the new contract with the Department for Education is centred on supporting whole-class reading fluency, HFL Education also offers a range of additional interventions for schools seeking tailored support for struggling readers.

Schools seeking to embed effective reading fluency strategies can find comprehensive guidance, CPD, and practical classroom resources through HFL Education’s evidence-based Reading Fluency Project.

To see these strategies in action and hear directly from experts and practitioners, register for the upcoming 2025 Reading Fluency Showcase - a national event dedicated to sharing the latest research, classroom, and impact stories from primary schools leading the way in reading fluency.