Khandallah School is proud to be implementing The Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) in our junior school. We have run this program for the last two years and have seen amazing results in reading, writing and oral language.

 This approach comes from the University of Canterbury Child Well-Being Research Institute and is a structured literacy approach specifically designed to support New Zealand students in Years 0-2. It teachers phonological awareness (sound knowledge) in a systematic way through targeted and explicit instruction of sounds, games and fun activities.

Students that do BSLA at our school can expect:

• Targeted phonics instruction, targeted to their needs

• Oral language development in the form of story retell, explicit teaching of rich vocabulary and the enjoyment of quality New Zealand written picture books

• Small group reading instruction with Phonics Plus books. These books have been specifically written for this program and feature engaging characters that they children love.

• Regular assessment and tracking

• Tier 2 support for children who need additional support in literacy.

For more information on The Better Start Literacy Approach, please see https://www.betterstartapproach.com/resources-families