Literacy hubs to be created across city after £450k investment from SHINE Sunderland
New city-wide literacy initiative to be led by the Northern Education Trust (NET)
SHINE Sunderland is investing almost £450,000 in a major new city-wide literacy initiative led by the Northern Education Trust (NET).
The Curriculum-aligned Reading Intervention will establish a network of literacy hubs across Sunderland, helping to transform reading outcomes for hundreds of secondary school students who are currently struggling with reading fluency and comprehension.
Over the next five years, the programme will grow in phases, beginning in the first year with three NET academies – Farringdon, Hetton and Red House – and expanding to reach nine Sunderland schools by year five.
The initiative aims to ensure that every student, regardless of background, has access to the high-quality reading support they need to succeed both in school and in life.
Led by Beth Howieson, Trust Lead for Literacy and Oracy at Northern Education Trust, the project takes an innovative and sustainable approach to literacy improvement.
Unlike traditional reading interventions that focus solely on phonics or decoding skills, this programme is fully aligned with the curriculum, meaning students work with texts and vocabulary directly connected to what they are studying in class. This ensures that reading support does not happen in isolation but instead strengthens subject knowledge and classroom learning.
The intervention targets students in the first three years of secondary whose reading ages are below expected levels.
Through small group sessions with a 1:5 ratio, students will receive 30 minutes of focused reading practice each day. Using evidence-based techniques, the intervention is designed to build fluency, deepen vocabulary knowledge, and boost confidence.
The project builds on successful pilots already implemented in two NET academies in Hartlepool, where students swiftly made an average of 16.8 months’ progress in reading age, with measurable gains in reading fluency.
These impressive outcomes inspired NET to extend the model to Sunderland, an area where literacy challenges have historically limited students’ progress at GCSE level. By embedding reading practice that directly supports the curriculum, the intervention helps students make faster progress – not only as readers but as learners across all subjects.
Beth said: “We are absolutely delighted for the students in our trust and the wider school community in Sunderland.
“This £450,000 funding will allow us to rapidly strengthen reading intervention for some of the most vulnerable readers.”
She added: “What makes this programme unique is that, even when students step out for intervention, they are still engaging with the same topics they would have been studying in class. In this way, their reading skills are developed while also building the disciplinary vocabulary and background knowledge they need to succeed across the curriculum.”
One of the most powerful aspects of the programme is its sustainability. Schools will receive a complete suite of training and curriculum-linked resources without the ongoing licensing costs that often make intervention programmes unaffordable.
Once the resources and systems are in place, schools can continue to run the intervention independently, ensuring long-term benefits with minimal financial burden.
A dedicated literacy coordinator will oversee the programme, supporting staff with onboarding, coaching, and refresher training.
In addition, an annual Literacy Conference will bring together teachers, leaders, and literacy specialists from across Sunderland to share best practice, develop professional networks, and strengthen the city’s collective approach to improving reading outcomes.
By focusing on both fluency and comprehension, the project will not only help students to read more confidently but also empower teachers to integrate literacy more deeply.
Vicky Pinkney, Principal at Hetton Academy, said: “At Hetton, we’re proud to already be leading the way in GCSE outcomes, and we’re thrilled to be part of a project that will build on that success and make a real difference for some of our most vulnerable readers. This programme will strengthen students’ literacy and confidence – not only here at Hetton, but across other schools in Sunderland – helping to improve outcomes and life chances for young people right across the city.”
Beth added: “Having already built a strong working relationship with SHINE, we are thrilled that this funding represents an exciting extension of our partnership, supporting children in Sunderland to achieve greater success in their reading.
“The SHINE team is excellent, and our values are closely aligned. By working together again, we can maximise our impact and ensure even more children benefit from enhanced opportunities to succeed.”
SHINE’s CEO, Fiona Spellman, said: “We’re proud to be supporting Northern Education Trust in this ambitious and innovative project. Their curriculum-aligned approach to reading intervention has already proven its impact, and we’re excited to see how this investment will help children in Sunderland develop the literacy skills that open doors to future success.”