BSLA is a literacy approach for Year 0-3 classrooms to support children's early reading, writing, and oral language success.

We have been using this approach at Heathcote Valley School since 2021, to teach early literacy skills. All of our teachers in Years 0-3 are trained in this approach as well as two teacher aides who work within those classes.

What is BSLA?

The BSLA approach follows a phonics scope and sequence (a pathway for teaching and learning) and incorporates:

• vocabulary development using quality children's storybooks
• structured teaching of phonological and morphological awareness skills and letter-sound knowledge
• explicit teaching in structured small group reading sessions 
• explicit links to reading and spelling (extending to students in Year 2 and becoming more advanced)

When is it taught?

Intensity and frequency are critical components of this approach and a minimum of 4 sessions per week are taught including both whole class and small group teaching daily.

How is progress monitored?

This approach includes regular assessments throughout the year that are designed to monitor children's literacy growth and which provide direction for the teaching of the whole class and individual students.

What about learners who need additional support?

Should learners be identified as needing additional support, we provide them extra practice and teaching time (Tier 2 support).  

We also offer personalised approaches using structured literacy for learners who take longer to progress their reading skills as they move into Year 3 and beyond (Tier 3 support). 

Resources

We use the Read to Ready Phonices Plus books but we do also supplement the scope and sequence with a range of decodable texts that teachers can use to provide further support or to extend learners.

For further information, the Better Start Literacy Approach website is here.