Better Start Literacy at Whanganui East School

At Whanganui East School, we use the Better Start Literacy Approach to support literacy learning from Year 0 to Year 6. This structured programme helps children develop confidence and success in reading, writing, and oral language.

The approach includes:

• Systematic teaching of phonics, phonological awareness, morphology, and orthographic patterns through fun, interactive games
  
  

• Explicit spelling and writing instruction
  
  

• Structured small-group reading sessions
  
  

• Vocabulary development and strategies to build oral narrative, listening, and reading comprehension skills, using high-quality children’s storybooks
  
  

All our teachers and kaiawhina are trained in the Better Start Literacy Approach, ensuring consistent, school-wide support for every learner.