The EA Hub is a unique space for conversations between English subject leads and interested colleagues from Higher Education.
The Hub will offer focused continuous professional development conversations grounded in the reality of working within English in schools and MATs.Together, we will work towards a shared understanding of what it means to lead subject English, thinking through how this key role operates and how that work shapes the discipline.
This is an opportunity to be part of an experimental, trailblazing piece of work rooted in collaboration and co-creation. We will think deeply about our preconceptions and beliefs about our teaching practice, within a supportive space. Participants will need to commit to attend all 4 sessions.
The Hub will:
- Equip subject leaders with the skills and confidence needed to engage in debates about the discipline by creating a friendly, safe space for conversation outwith usual structures
- Facilitate a shared understanding of the values that underpin the discipline, which subject leaders can draw upon in their own practice and in conversations with SLTs about whole-school approaches vs subject-specific approaches
- Offer space to share practical examples, models, and research drawn from a variety of contexts to broaden and deepen subject leaders’ knowledge about what works in other contexts (and why it works in that context)
- Offer interested colleagues in Higher Education a unique opportunity to learn about practice and pedagogy in schools and colleges, to inform their approach to their own teaching and recruitment.
Four facilitated workshops will take place across 2026, pairing a presentation of a practical case study with a facilitated conversation. All sessions will be scribed so that participants will have full notes to take away, and participants will be provided with materials to support further reflection.
Please note that participation in the Hub is only available to individuals who are members of the EA, or whose school/college has a membership.
Programme for 2026
Marking versus feedback: the art of moving students forwards
Thu 26 February, 16:30 – 18:00
English is a subject that is widely considered to have a significant marking burden. However, how do we ensure that this work is worth the input? In this session we explore the critical difference and co-relation between improving a student versus improving a student’s work. We also explore the knotty issue of whether there’s a critical distinction between marking and feedback.
We will be joined by Jo Heathcote, English curriculum and assessment consultant; Lecturer in ITT Secondary English, University of Manchester. The session will give plenty of time for discussion in breakout groups and plenary conversation.
Takeaways:
- Is there a difference between marking and feedback?
- Is it more important to improve a student or improve their work? Or is it the same thing?
- What does effective marking/feedback look like?
A child’s journey through widening access
Thu 19 March, 16:30 – 18:00
With Hollie Barnes-Lomax, Deputy Chair of the English Association’s Secondary and Further Education Committee and Teaching and Learning Excellence Manager at a Further Education college; and Dena Eden, Curriculum Implementation Lead at Unity Schools Partnership; ITT/ECF Strategic Lead at Unity Teaching School Hub
The Curriculum and Assessment Review: implementation and impact
Thu 18 June, 16:30 – 18:00
With Professor Robert Eaglestone, the EA’s lead for cross-sector educational policy
Reading, 16:30 – 18:00
Thu 2 July
With Professor Jessie Ricketts, Royal Holloway University of London
