Early Literacy Support Critical For Kids Needing Extra Help

Scoop

17-06-2025

Press Release – University of Canterbury
Pioneering early literacy approach is showing strong results for Kiwi kids, study shows.
When 'Lola' started primary school, she had limited oral language, was highly anxious and would read by copying others in the group, not even really looking at or following the text on the page.
After a term, she was still unsure of her letter sounds and how to blend sounds together to make words – the very early and necessary skills for literacy.
One year later, Lola loves reading and writing. She often chooses to independently write letters and cards to friends. Her family says that everywhere they go, she attempts reading the signs she sees.
'Lola' is among thousands of young Kiwi kids benefitting from early help after struggling with reading and spelling, according to new findings from one of the largest controlled studies of the impact of literacy intervention.
Researchers Professors Brigid McNeill and Gail Gillon from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) studied early literacy development in 3,700 five- and six-year-olds to see if providing more intensive, smaller reading groups is making a difference.
The research investigated the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) which is an example of a structured literacy teaching approach that Professors Gillon, McNeill and colleagues developed specifically for the New Zealand education context. It is currently in more than 1,000 schools across Aotearoa New Zealand.
While many schools use structured literacy to improve reading skills, it became compulsory in all State schools at the start of this year.
St Anne's Catholic Primary School in Woolston, Christchurch, implemented Tier 2 in 2017 with new entrants teacher Jo Smart saying it's making a huge difference to their kids.
'The strength of the programme is that it repeats the learning over the day. What is done in the intervention matches what is done in class but at a more intensive, small group level. This helps students who struggle with retention by providing multiple repetitions of concepts using varied activities,' Smart says.
'We're identifying students who need additional literacy support after their first term of school. This is different to the older intervention programmes where students were identified after a year of school. It means that there is support for them about nine months sooner, before children get the frustration of feeling unsuccessful or comparing themselves to their peers.
'It's been brilliant to have this early intervention in place. Students are so excited to learn to read, and giving them the additional support they need and deserve before they feel any sense of failure is so important. With the old system of intervention, the gap between students who needed support and those who didn't was alreadyso big after a year of school,' Smart says.
The approach is a more systematic way to teach both phonics and word decoding skills as well as vocabulary and listening comprehension to decode words and understand their meaning. Classroom wide teaching is known as Tier 1, and Tier 2 (small group) teaching supports children who need more help.
BSLA Tier 2 teaching begins in children's first year at school. It involves small-group sessions focused on building foundational skills. The lessons are explicit, systematic, and designed to complement classroom instruction by offering more intensive practice and support, especially important for students at risk of developing reading difficulties.
Professor McNeill says their study offerspromising evidence that targeted, evidence-based literacy interventions can make a meaningful difference – at scale.
'Our study found that children receiving more intensive literacy support significantly outperformed those who didn't. On average, these children caught up to peers who had stronger initial literacy skills, indicating the intervention helped close early learning gaps. Successful early literacy development is critical to children's academic success,' Professor McNeill says.
Professor Gillon says the learning gap between struggling readers and their peers is closing right in their first year at school.
'Children experiencing success early in their reading and spelling development is vital for their ongoing engagement and enjoyment in literacy learning activities.'
She says the findings from the study are extremely important.
'It is critical as we advance structured literacy practices and that we base our interventions on robust evidence of what works for our education context here in New Zealand.'
The work signals a step towards ensuring greater equity in early literacy development. We need to ensure literacy interventions we introduce are working for those that need it the most.
Professor McNeill highlights the need for literacy initiatives that are not only effective but that work to close these learning gaps. 'The study shows that when structured literacy is properly implemented, when teachers are well supported, all learners can be supported to thrive in their early literacy development—regardless of background or starting point.'
Professor Gillon says the data will provide confidence to teachers, school leaders and to the Ministry of Education.
'Theinvestment in early learning and intervention for children needing extra support with reading and writing in the primary school years is achieving improved outcomes in their literacy development. Its success also depends on the high-quality development of teachers, and robust assessment systems that identify whether early support is required.'