Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been allocated for teacher training under the reading initiative in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle and (d) the North East.

The government has committed £27.7 million to support and drive high and rising standards in reading in the 2025/26 financial year. This funding will deliver a range of support for schools, including new training for primary schools delivered through the 34 English Hubs, to help children progress from the early stages of phonics through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school, and new support and training for secondary schools to support reading at key stage 3.

Hexham, Northumberland and Newcastle are served by St Michael’s English Hub. Schools can find their local English Hub on the English Hubs website: https://englishhubs.net/.