Newsletter
Structured literacy: what parents need to know
Understanding the evidence, the changes in New Zealand, and what parents can ask schools
What is structured literacy?
Structured literacy is a framework grounded in more than 40 years of research from the science of reading, learning and instruction. This body of research provides evidence about how children learn to read, spell, write and comprehend written language, and how these skills can be taught effectively.
It gives teachers the knowledge and understanding of what to teach, how to teach it, when to introduce new skills and how to respond to each child's learning needs, through explicit, teacher-led instruction that follows a logical, step-by-step sequence.
Rather than expecting children to work things out for themselves, teachers directly explain and demonstrate new skills, provide guided practice and gradually build on what children have already learned.
Structured literacy brings together several key areas of literacy learning, with oral language at its heart. These include recognising sounds in spoken words (phonemic awareness), understanding how letters represent those sounds (phonics), spelling, handwriting, vocabulary, how words work (morphology), grammar, sentence structure, reading fluency, comprehension and writing.
Balanced literacy was widely used in New Zealand classrooms for many years. It combined different teaching approaches, ideas and theories, with an emphasis on child-led learning and discovery. Many aspects of the approach lacked strong scientific evidence to support their effectiveness. For reading, children were often encouraged to use pictures, context or the first letter to guess unfamiliar words rather than reading through the word itself.
Why introduce structured literacy?
There was no consistent approach across schools to teaching phonics, spelling, handwriting, vocabulary, morphology, grammar and writing. What was taught, when and how it was taught, and teachers' knowledge of these areas of literacy varied considerably between schools and classrooms.
- New Zealand's reading results have been declining. Our latest international reading results are the lowest recorded, with too many children struggling to read. There are also serious concerns about young people leaving secondary school without the functional reading and writing skills needed for further education, employment and everyday life.
- England has seen improvements . Since introducing its phonics check in 2012, the percentage of six-year-olds meeting expectations increased from 58% to 82%.
- Early New Zealand results are encouraging. The percentage of children meeting expectations at the 20-week phonics check increased from 36% to 58% during 2025.
- It gives struggling readers a better chance of success. Children, including those with dyslexia and language delays, benefit from explicit, systematic teaching rather than being left to work out how reading and spelling work for themselves. Regular checks also help teachers identify difficulties early and provide additional support before children fall further behind.
- Every child deserves access to effective literacy teaching . A consistent, evidence-based approach means children receive the same essential foundations in reading, spelling and writing, regardless of which school they attend or who their teacher is.
- Teachers need the right knowledge, skills and guidance. Previously, schools and teachers had considerable choice over literacy approaches, with little consistency or clear guidance. Structured literacy provides an evidence-based framework to help teachers understand how English works, how children learn and how to meet different learning needs.
- Greater accountability for children's progress. Regular assessments help teachers and schools identify who is progressing, who needs additional support and whether that support is working.
Why critics are wary
- Reading involves more than sounding out (decoding) words . Critics are concerned that too much emphasis may be placed on phonics at the expense of oral language, vocabulary and comprehension. These are all essential components of structured literacy, and schools need to ensure they are taught effectively.
- Critics question the research. Some argue that improvements in phonics don't necessarily lead to better reading comprehension over time. However, strong scientific evidence supports systematic phonics instruction, and structured literacy goes beyond phonics to develop the language skills children need to understand what they read.
- England's success is debated. Critics point out that its international reading scores barely changed between 2016 and 2021. However, most other countries experienced declines during this period, while England maintained its results and rose to fourth place internationally.
- Some teachers feel it is too rigid. Critics argue that structured literacy limits teacher flexibility and can be too scripted. However, structured literacy is a teaching framework, not a single programme. Some teachers use scripted lessons as a scaffold while developing their knowledge and confidence. Understanding the science of learning lets teachers use their professional judgement, adjusting pace and instruction to meet children's individual learning needs.
- Concerns about te reo Māori in decodable books. Critics claimed beginner decodable books had Māori words removed. However, this is not true. The reader was re-categorised as a big book so that it could be read to children with support, using shared reading. Additional decodable books with fewer Māori words were introduced in the Kākano (Seed) and Tupu (Seedling) phases to support children struggling with English decoding. Te reo Māori also has its own structured literacy approach, including decodable books designed specifically for teaching reading in te reo Māori.
Why is it so noisy?
- The speed of change. The changes have been introduced quickly, and some schools and teachers have struggled to keep up. However, with so many children experiencing literacy difficulties, delaying improvements also has consequences. The focus needs to be on supporting schools through the transition, not slowing down changes that children urgently need.
- Implementation and teacher training . Teachers have different levels of knowledge, training and experience, and some have raised concerns about the support available. Initial training is a starting point, but ongoing professional learning, coaching and time to develop new skills are essential if the changes are to succeed.
- The investment needed. The Government has invested in structured literacy resources, teacher training and learning support, but significant gaps remain. More investment is needed in Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, trained specialist teachers and additional learning support. For parents, changing classroom teaching is only part of the solution. Children who are already struggling must not be forgotten.
- Different educational beliefs. Some academics and educators in New Zealand continue to favour balanced literacy, greater teacher autonomy and less prescription over how schools teach. Some also place greater emphasis on broader educational goals rather than academic achievement alone. This helps explain some of the resistance to a more structured and consistent approach. There will always need to be room for professional judgement and compromise in education, but we should not compromise on the scientific evidence about how children learn to read and write.
- Government contracts and influence. Questions have been raised about contracts awarded to organisations such as Learning First. Transparency and accountability are important, but this scrutiny should apply equally to previous arrangements, including the long-standing government funding of Reading Recovery. The priority should be whether public money is being used effectively to improve children's literacy outcomes.
What the PIRLS results mean
PIRLS is an international reading assessment of children aged 9–10 (Year 5 in New Zealand), conducted every five years.
- New Zealand's latest PIRLS reading results are the lowest on record. Our 2021 score of 521 was above the international midpoint of 500, but below countries such as England and Australia.
- The decline has been gradual. Our score fell from 532 in 2006 to 521 in 2021, showing that declining reading achievement has been a concern for many years.
- The achievement gap is too wide. Around 1 in 10 Year 5 children did not reach the lowest international reading benchmark, while just 11% reached the highest. Children attending schools in higher-income communities also performed considerably better than those in lower-income communities.
- What this means for our children. While many children are achieving well, too many are being left behind. Every child deserves effective literacy instruction through a structured literacy approach, and those who struggle need early identification and additional support. Improving classroom teaching is essential, but it must go hand in hand with investment in learning support.
How to read the NZ phonics check results fairly
- These are early results. The 2025 phonics check results covered approximately 28% of Year 1 children, so they provide an early indication of progress rather than a complete picture of reading achievement across New Zealand.
- Early results show encouraging progress . The percentage of children meeting expectations at the 20-week phonics check increased from 36% to 58% during 2025. Although these results compare different groups of children, they are a promising early indication that more children are developing the foundational decoding skills needed for reading.
- The 40-week check highlights where more support is needed . At the more challenging 40-week phonics check, 39% of children met expectations. This reinforces the importance of regular assessment, effective teaching and early intervention to help children develop their decoding skills.
- Phonics checks are one part of the bigger picture. They check whether children know the sounds letters and letter groups represent and can blend those sounds to read words. These are essential foundations for reading. Structured literacy also develops vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Over time, broader reading assessments will help show how improvements in these early skills contribute to stronger reading achievement.
Professional development: what teachers need
- Successful implementation of structured literacy depends on teachers having the right knowledge, skills and ongoing support.
- Many teachers were trained using different approaches to literacy, so changing how reading, spelling and writing are taught requires more than a three-day course.
- Initial training is an important starting point, but teachers also need ongoing professional learning, practical classroom coaching and time to develop their knowledge and confidence.
- Budget 2026 includes $43.5 million for teacher training, but a start date for this additional training has not yet been announced.
What The Parents’ Alliance is calling for
- More funding for the Early Intervention Service (EIS) for speech-language therapists and educational psychologists, to help children be ready for school, engaged in learning and able to manage their own behaviour.
- A clear start date, length and quality checks for the Budget 2026 High-Impact Explicit Teaching training for Years 0–10 teachers.
- In-school coaching, so teachers can put what they learn into practice.
- More specialist structured literacy teachers and increased teaching hours. Increase the funded hours of existing specialist structured literacy teachers to meet growing demand, employ more specialists and extend access to students through to Year 10, so children who need additional literacy intervention can receive timely support.
- Structured literacy training for teacher aides.
- Ensure all this support reaches small, rural and remote schools, with funding for travel, relief teachers and online learning so teachers can participate without leaving their classes uncovered.
Questions you could ask your child's school
- How is my child progressing with phonics, and what did their phonics check results show?
- What additional support is available if my child is struggling or falling behind?
- Is the teacher teaching handwriting every day? What methods are you using?
- What is your school's learning support policy, and how does it work in practice?
- What structured literacy training and ongoing coaching have teachers received?
- How is the school developing children's vocabulary, reading comprehension and writing, alongside decoding and spelling?
- What can we do at home to support our child's literacy learning?
Quick note: the podcast episodes are read in my own voice, using AI voice technology, so I can get these out to you faster.
Sources and further reading
Reading research and structured literacy
- National Reading Panel (2000) — Teaching Children to Read
- The Rose Review (2006) — Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading
- Read About It — Scientific Evidence for Effective Teaching of Reading
- International Dyslexia Association — Structured Literacy: Effective for All Students
- Massey University — Early Literacy Research Project (2019)
Handwriting and writing development
- James & Engelhardt (2012) — Handwriting Experience and Brain Development
- Jones & Christensen (1999) — Handwriting Automaticity and Written Text
- Sedita (2019) — The Writing Rope
- Sedita (2023) — The Writing Rope: A Framework for Explicit Writing Instruction
- Berninger, Nagy & Beers (2011) — Syntax and Transcription in Writing
Cognitive load, working memory and explicit instruction
- Sweller (1988) — Cognitive Load During Problem Solving
- Rosenshine (2012) — Principles of Instruction
- Education Endowment Foundation — Clarity Is King: Reducing Extraneous Load
- Archer & Hughes (2011) — Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching
- Anita Archer — Explicit Instruction: Pathway to Achievement
New Zealand reading achievement and phonics checks
- Education Counts — PIRLS 2021: New Zealand Findings
- Education Counts — Phonics Checks 2025 Results
- Ministry of Education — Phonics Checks for Parents
- UK Department for Education — Phonics Screening Check Statistics
- IEA — PIRLS International Study
New Zealand curriculum, structured literacy and reading resources
- Ministry of Education — Structured Literacy Approaches: What Schools Need to Know
- New Zealand Curriculum — English, Years 0–10 (Phases 1–4)
- Ministry of Education — Structured Approaches to Literacy
- Tāhūrangi — Ready to Read Phonics Plus: New Books for 2025
- Tāhūrangi — At the Marae
- Ministry of Education — OIA Release: Ready to Read Phonics Plus (2025)