The Literacy Handbook series is produced by
Beautiful Minds Education
help young people show how brilliant they can be
help teachers teach the best possible lessons
provide a simple and sustainable solution to literacy and learning
Our story
Beautiful Minds Education developed from an aspiration to support schools in teaching the literacy skills vital for excelling in learning, exams and life, so students (and teachers) can be the best they can be.
A Guide to Greatness and The Literacy Handbook for Teachers are a natural and practical extension of this ambition.
The Literacy Handbook for Teachers and The Guide to Greatness are devised and written by Sarah Hughes.
“Having worked with hundreds of schools up and down the country, full of brilliant, dedicated, hard-working teachers and students … one theme was common in all. Literacy – along with subject knowledge – is key to achievement. If students don’t have good literacy, their ability to engage in learning is compromised hugely.
Teachers – experts in their specialist subjects – often lack time to research how to improve their students’ ability to read, write and talk in their subject.
This is where literacy leads come in. After carrying out months of research, often including attending costly training events, one person must find the time to distil their findings, translate them into a context useful to their organisation, think up a strategy, devise a way to communicate this to all, produce the necessary resources, disseminate, undertake follow-up activities to ensure participation and progress, and find time to teach their classes. With the best will in the world, this either doesn’t happen or takes a long time to happen. Either way, it’s not sustainable. During which time, students are missing out on vital learning.
This is such a shame as literacy is too important to be this much hard work.
That’s where The Guide to Greatness and The Literacy Handbook for Teachers come in.
They put power and knowledge directly into the hands of teachers and students in an engaging yet simple and sustainable way, while providing continuity across the curriculum.
Literacy powers learning, so why wait?”
Sarah’s experience and background
Sarah has over 20 years of experience in teaching, training, education strategy and publishing. Sarah currently teaches English in a Secondary School in Surrey.
She has devised and produced innovative, market-leading literacy programmes for SSAT for 12 years. Her work includes:
‘Your work on literacy was ground-breaking.’
Literacy conferences, training and events for senior leadership, middle management, teachers of all subjects and students, ranging from national to regional, year-long to one day
Consultancy and customised support delivered by a network of 100+ literacy consultants and leading practitioners across England and Wales
Literacy publications and resources for senior leadership, literacy leads, teachers of all subjects and students (subsequently bought by OUP)
Specialised Literacy Programmes in partnerships, including BBC, Rising Stars, Accelerated Reader (Renaissance Learning), The Day, The Communications Trust
Head of English, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Head of Year 10 at Woking High School and St John the Baptist, Woking
Online Literacy Networks in England and Wales for teachers of all subjects (5000+ members)
Literacy and English content for government-funded school improvement programmes (RATL, Gaining Ground), as well as English and Literacy Zone at The Achievement Show
Editorial and Marketing Manager at two literary publishers
‘Your work on literacy was ground-breaking’
Literacy publications and resources for senior leadership, literacy leads, teachers of all subjects and students (subsequently bought by OUP)
Literacy conferences, training and events for senior leadership, middle management, teachers of all subjects and students, ranging from national to regional, year-long to one day
Online Literacy Networks in England and Wales for teachers of all subjects (5000+ members)
Specialised Literacy Programmes in partnerships, including BBC, Rising Stars, Accelerated Reader (Renaissance Learning), The Day, The Communications Trust
Literacy and English content for government-funded school improvement programmes (RATL, Gaining Ground), as well as English and Literacy Zone at The Achievement Show
Consultancy and customised support delivered by a network of 100+ literacy consultants and leading practitioners across England and Wales
Head of English, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Head of Year 10 at Woking High School and St John the Baptist, Woking
Editorial and Marketing Manager at two literary publishers
Sarah produced much of the above educational programmes for English and Numeracy too.
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