Our Team
The English Hub team is made up of a group of professionals committed to the development of reading and language in schools. Each member of the Hub team plays an important role in ensuring that our support is impactful and meets your needs efficiently
Hub Leads
Our hub leads oversee the operations of the hub and develop our programmes to ensure that the Hub offer meets the needs of all schools seeking support.
Jonathan Bishop
Executive Headteacher & English Hub Strategic Leader, The Cornerstone Academy Trust
Jonathan Bishop is CEO and Executive Headteacher of the Cornerstone Academy Trust. Its founding school, Broadclyst Primary School, is an oversubscribed and successful Outstanding school. Jonathan as the CEO has led on opening two new Free Schools on the edge of Exeter at Westclyst and Monkerton. More recently, Yeo Valley, Marpool, Clyst Heath and Countess Wear Primaries have joined the Cornerstone Trust journey.
Jonathan is a National Leader of Education, leads the English Hub, and is one of the first Microsoft Showcase Academy Trusts in the world.
As both headteacher of Broadclyst and now trust CEO, Jonathan has led a drive that every child will leave primary school as a reader. Jonathan was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s honours list in 2026 for services to education.
Nina Rothery
English Hub Lead, Head of School, Westclyst Community Primary School
Nina has led the Cornerstone English Hub since its formation in September 2018. She has been teaching for 14 years and has been a member of the Cornerstone Academy Trust senior leadership team for 10 years. She is currently the Head of School at Broadclyst.
Nina’s specialist areas are early years, curriculum development, staff development and CPD, student training and SEN.
As part of the trust leadership team, she made Broadclyst one of the first academies in the country in 2010, extended the Cornerstone Multi-Academy Trust and successfully bid for two new free schools, opened a school-run nursery, developed an international KS2 business project with Microsoft and opened the Cornerstone Teaching Academy.
Michael Kimber
English Hub Lead, Broadclyst Community Primary School
Michael Kimber is the Professional Development Lead at Cornerstone, English Hub Lead, and a member of the EdTech Drive Team. Since January 2023, he has co-led the English Hub with Nina Rothery, overseeing its daily operations, managing finances, and leading on the medium-level support offer. He ensures the smooth running of the Hub while coordinating professional development through initiatives like Transforming Schools Reading Cultures.
Michael’s interests lie in oracy, literacy, and the effective use of educational technology in primary education, including playing a significant role in the coordination of the RISE Digital Skills and AI Hub. He is passionate about creating inclusive classrooms where children’s voices are central to learning. He also explores how digital tools can enhance engagement, collaboration, and formative assessment, helping teachers embed purposeful talk and rich literacy experiences across the curriculum.
Literacy Specialists
Our Literacy Specialists were carefully selected based on their extensive experience and subject knowledge in the area of early language development. Once they have undertaken the National Training Programme, provided by the Department for Education, they begin working with a select focus schools to improve the outcomes of many children in our region.
Victoria Kennard
Literacy Specialist
Vicky is part of the leadership team for The Cornerstone Academy Trust. Within her role as a KS1 lead she has been involved in maintaining a structured and consistent phonics programme and in designing coherent tracking systems to support teachers in monitoring pupil progress in phonics and early reading. As lead literacy specialist, Vicky monitors literacy specialist training and oversees the quality of school support visits alongside being the primary point of contact for schools looking for support with phonics programmes.
Supporting and leading professional development has been central to Vicki’s leadership role and she has collaborated with external trainers in order to communicate best practice and equip teachers with the tools necessary for long-term structural change for the benefit of their pupils.
Amy Ruffell
Literacy Specialist
Amy’s journey into teaching was shaped by her global experiences and her deep appreciation for learning different languages. This diverse background has given her a unique understanding of language acquisition, which she has successfully applied in her classrooms, particularly in Phonics. Her expertise in this area has contributed to consistently high pass rates in the Phonics Screening Check.
Amy is passionate about empowering teachers by providing training and support that enhances their confidence in delivering effective Phonics lessons, analysing data, and identifying children that require additional support. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues to create inclusive, supportive learning environments that encourage and motivate children to reach their full potential. Believing that reading is one of the most valuable gifts we can give a child, Amy is dedicated to ensuring every child has the opportunity to read, learn, and grow.
Chloe-Rose Godwin
Literacy Specialist
Chloe is the KS1 phase lead for a growing multi-academy trust that has maintained high phonics scores for several years. With experience teaching in both Year 1 and Year 2, Chloe offers a wealth of knowledge and practical insights into the phonics journey, from early stages to more advanced reading skills.
In her role as KS1 phase lead, Chloe leads by example, setting high standards and modelling effective phonics teaching. She is actively involved in showcasing her phonics strategies at English Hub events and regularly supports her colleagues in improving their practice. Chloe also delivers the Supporting Early Language Development CPD programme, a collaborative initiative with Speech and Language UK that provides consistent, medium-level support across the English Hub network.
Chloe is dedicated to supporting teachers by providing training and guidance. She helps educators assess and group children effectively and works closely with them to create practical plans for students who need extra support.
Emma Orchard
Literacy Specialist
Emma is an experienced KS1 and Early Years Teacher, who has over 10 years of experience teaching Phonics and early reading in a range of schools across Devon. She has supported and mentored students in their pursuit to become aspirational teachers and, more recently has taken on the role of Deputy Head of School at Monkerton Primary School in Exeter. Emma has a particular affinity towards supporting the Reception class teachers across the trust to develop and maintain language rich environments that develop and nurture those early skills that enable every child to become a reader.
Emma has a passion for Phonics and early reading, she is committed to supporting teachers of reading to expand their knowledge of Phonics, enabling them to develop the skills to confidently deliver high quality lessons so that all children are able to reach their reading potential.
Hannah Westlake
Literacy Specialist
Hannah is an experienced KS1 teacher who has helped ensure a high standard of phonics teaching is maintained across a growing multi-academy trust. She has a passion for influencing the lives of children and giving every child the best possible start to their reading journey. Recently, taking on the role of Reading Lead at the Cornerstone Academy Trust, she has led by example, setting high standards and modelling phonics teaching to colleagues as well as at English Hub showcase events.
Hannah is also passionate about supporting teachers, empowering them to use all available tools to ensure best outcomes for children. She leads regular training sessions and supports teachers to assess and group children effectively. Upon identifying children who need extra support, she works closely with teachers to put practical plans in place to have the biggest impact. As a Year 1 teacher, Hannah has experience of the phonics screening check, managing the delivery as well as providing training to parents, student teachers and CPD for colleagues.
Hannah James
Literacy Specialist
Hannah leads Early Years at the Cornerstone Academy Trust and has over twenty years of experience in education. She has taught every Primary year group and has led in a variety of school settings, from small village schools to larger schools with two classes per year group. Although she has enjoyed all her teaching and leadership roles, her true passion is in Early Years education. Hannah is committed to helping young children reach their full potential and supporting staff with the skills and enthusiasm needed to do so.
Alongside her role at TCAT, Hannah also works as a Literacy Specialist for the Cornerstone English Hub. She finds this role highly rewarding and believes that her extensive experience allows her to help schools improve early reading skills, no matter their size or circumstances.
Lucy Muchenje-Daye
Literacy Specialist
Lucy is an experienced Early Years teacher with over seven years of dedicated experience teaching phonics across a variety of schools, phonics schemes, and early years settings. She has a deep passion for phonics and early reading and is committed to supporting children at every stage of their reading journey to ensure they have the best possible start to their education. Lucy takes great pride in all aspects of phonics — from teaching and assessment to the identification, targeted intervention, and tutoring of children who require additional support. Her goal is always to help every child develop confidence and a lifelong love of reading.
In addition to her classroom teaching, Lucy has mentored and supported trainee teachers and colleagues, guiding them as they begin and develop in their phonics journey. She is passionate about inspiring and coaching educators to deliver high-quality lessons with confidence and skill. Through this work, she ensures that teachers feel equipped to identify and support individual learning needs, enabling all children to reach their full reading potential.
Rebecca Hughes
Literacy Specialist
Rebecca is a dedicated Key Stage 1 teacher with a strong specialism in literacy and phonics. She currently teaches Year 1 at Monkerton Community Primary School, where she brings a wealth of first-hand experience in delivering high-quality phonics instruction, closely monitoring pupil progress, and implementing targeted interventions to support early reading development. Having successfully guided numerous pupils through the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, Rebecca draws on this experience to shape effective teaching strategies and support colleagues in delivering targeted phonics provision, ensuring every child builds a secure foundation in reading. Her passion for literacy is evident in her commitment to helping every child become a confident and capable reader.
Rebecca also supports colleagues in Early Years and Key Stage 1 by modelling best practice and guiding the delivery of purposeful phonics and reading interventions. She makes effective use of organised pupil data to inform planning, track progress, and tailor support to individual learning needs. Her extensive experience as a classroom teacher and mentor for Early Career Teachers (ECTs) enables her to nurture skills and confidence in phonics teaching, inspiring a shared commitment to creating language-rich environments where all children can thrive and become fluent readers.
Sarah Thorn
Literacy Specialist
Sarah is currently a SENDCo working across the trust, having taught previously in KS1 for 10 years. She has extensive first-hand experience in phonics teaching, monitoring pupil progress and delivering interventions. In recent years, she has becoming increasingly involved in the training of student teachers and ECTs and has been working to support the implementation of a systematic synthetic phonics programme across a multi academy trust.
In her current role for the Hub, Sarah leads on the ‘Reading Ambition for All’ programme which combines her expertise in SEND with her previous classroom experience, Sarah supports those children needing additional help with their learning, whilst working alongside teachers to, ensure all children reach their full potential. The success of this programme has been evident across our trust already.
Tonia Dudley
Tonia Dudley
Literacy Specialist
Tonia has been a teacher for 15 years and her passion for teaching the youngest children has been the backbone of her career and where she has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience of children and their early development. Tonia is the Head of School at Clyst Heath Primary School having previously been the Trust early years lead and deputy head of school at Monkerton Primary School. Previously, she was also an SLE and a Lead Practitioner in Early Years, specialising in supporting the transitions of children in their first years at school. She recognises the importance of establishing a curriculum that is engaging and purposeful, whilst ensuring that assessments and observations are used effectively to ensure good progress.
She is passionate about the need for effective communication and relationships between parents and teachers and acknowledges that allowing parents access to their child’s learning and development, is key to effective collaboration. Tonia is also one of our Literacy Specialists and supports the English Hub in delivering conferences, network events and supporting schools in delivering their Phonics Programmes.
Administrators
Our administrative team deliver the day-to-day operations of the Hub, including communications with schools, booking visits and events and supporting schools with queries and processes.
Anne Oxenbury
Hub Administrator
Anne is one of our Hub Administrators at the Cornerstone Hub Team.
Her role is focused on the smooth management of showcase and network events, as well as coordinating support of partner schools by the Hub’s literacy specialist team. Please contact her with any queries that you may have.
Kirsty Gardener
Hub Administrator
Kirsty is one of our Hub Administrators at the Cornerstone Hub Team.
Her role is focused on the smooth management of showcase and network events, as well as coordinating support of partner schools by the Hub’s literacy specialist team. Please contact her with any queries that you may have.