How to Lead it: Primary English

How to Lead It: Primary English offers a brilliant distillation of years of practice and research into a highly readable guide to subject leadership. From curriculum and assessment, to every area of reading, writing and oracy, the book offers a comprehensive summary of everything the English lead needs to know and do. – Alex Quigley * Author, columnist, and Head of Content & Engagement at the Education Endowment Foundation *Leading a complex subject such as English can be a daunting endeavour, but How to Lead It: Primary English provides subject leaders with a remarkably clear, research-informed framework for this critical role. Practical and accessible, it is a must-read for both new and experienced leaders. – Andrew Percival * Deputy Headteacher, Stanley Road Primary School, @primarypercival on X *This is a gem of a book. Clear, accessible, practical and rooted in research and evidence. The chapters on leading the teaching of reading should be read by all teachers, not just subject leads. Keep it by your bedside and consult regularly. – The Reading Ape * *The book I wish I’d had when I was an English lead. Logically structured, full of useful, applicable advice and examples and crucially, founded on solid research and evidence. – Dr Timothy Mills * STEP Academy Trust, Executive Director of Primary Education *How to Lead it: Primary English brings structure, clarity and rigour to the daunting task of English subject leadership. Rooted in a robust evidence base, it provides comprehensive coverage of everything an English lead needs to be effective in their role. – Jen Barker * National Director of Learning – Ormiston Academies Trust, @Barker_J *A practical, empowering guide for subject leaders - this book distils what really matters in Primary English and offers clear, actionable advice for driving improvement across your school. – Charlotte Inchbald * Literacy Consultant *The perennial challenge for primary leaders is supporting colleagues to teach everything well—often without specialist training or time. This series meets that challenge head on. It’s full of evidence-based strategies that will help leaders to build powerful, knowledge-rich curriculums and teaching practices in a range of subjects. – Daisy Christodoulou * Director of Education, No More Marking *

Tricia Moss is Trust Curriculum Lead and English specialist for the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust. Leading across 40 primary schools, Tricia has developed the trust’s English curriculum and leads on all aspects of English and reading professional development. Tricia’s previous roles include English subject leader, Local Authority writing moderator and KS2 to KS3 transition lead.

Sallie Stanton is the Chief Education Officer for Advantage Schools, a multi-academy trust where she oversees quality of education, including curriculum, standards, and professional development across all schools in the organisation. Sallie has over seventeen years experience teaching English, leading and developing teachers in schools.

Sallie and Tricia regularly work together to discuss and develop approaches to curriculum, pedagogy and professional development related to primary English.

Series editor Jon Hutchinson is Director of Curriculum and Teacher Development at the Reach Foundation. Prior to this, Jon was a primary school teacher, A level religious studies teacher, and assistant headteacher at Reach Academy Feltham. Jon was also a Visiting Fellow with Ambition Institute, tutoring on a Master’s in Expert Teaching programme. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jon was a founding member of Oak National Academy, leading the primary humanities curriculum. He has acted as an expert adviser to the DfE on various groups, including as a member of the core group which developed the Early Career Framework. Jon has written several chapters in educational books, is regularly published by the TES, Schools Week and Teach Primary, and is currently writing two books on education.