Qualitative Data - Strengthening ECE–Primary Partnerships & Building Teacher and Student Capability through BSLA

1. Strengthening ECE–Primary Partnerships

Over the past year, we’ve seen a real shift in the way our school and local ECEs work together. What started as a few transition meetings has grown into genuine partnerships built on trust, shared goals, and regular communication. Everyone, from ECE kaiako to new entrant teachers, now feels part of one connected team, working towards smoother and more successful transitions for our tamariki.

The transition checklist has been a game changer. It’s given both sectors a shared understanding of what “school readiness” actually looks like in today’s context. ECE teachers say it’s helped them plan with more purpose,
they now know what primary schools value, what children will be expected to do, and how they can prepare them for that next step. Many kaiako have said things like, “It’s helped us align with the new English and Maths curriculum — we can see how what we do links to what comes next.”

Because of this, teacher practice within the ECE centres has grown significantly. Kaiako now have a clearer sense of the expectations for literacy, oral language, and early maths that children will meet at school. They’ve been able to strengthen their own programmes to reflect these expectations while still keeping play and relationships at the heart of learning. One kaiako commented that “the checklist made us more intentional — we’re teaching with the next step in mind.”

The checklist has also meant that our new entrant teachers get to know children before they even arrive. They have a clear picture of each child’s strengths, learning needs, and any challenges that might need early support. Teachers have commented that “we now know our new students before they walk through the door — their learning, behaviour, and personalities are already familiar to us.”

What’s been really powerful is the difference teachers can now see between children who have been part of the ECE intervention and those who haven’t. The children coming from our partner centres are arriving with stronger oral language, early literacy and numeracy knowledge, and greater confidence in routines. They’re ready to learn, they settle quickly, and they see school as a place where they belong.

This shared work has strengthened relationships between ECE and school teachers too. There’s a growing sense that transition isn’t just a handover — it’s a shared responsibility. We’re learning from each other, visiting each other’s settings, and talking the same language around learning.

Overall, the collaboration has created a real sense of continuity for our children and whānau. They’re moving between settings that understand and value them. For our teachers and kaiako, it’s been about growing together — building capability, connection, and a shared purpose so that every child starts school feeling confident and known.

2. Building Teacher Capability and Student Engagement through BSLA

Our focus on Structured Literacy through BSLA has really changed the way teachers and students think about reading across the junior school. Teachers are feeling much more confident and clear about how literacy develops, and they’re seeing real progress in their classrooms. Lessons are more explicit, systematic, and responsive to where each learner is at — and that consistency is making a big difference.

Through shared professional learning, teachers have built a common understanding of phonological awareness, phonics, and word-level instruction. The flow-on effect has been smoother transitions between year levels and stronger collaboration within teams. Teachers are also starting to see how BSLA connects naturally with the refreshed English curriculum, especially the Phonological and Orthographic Knowledge (PhOM) strand.

There’s a real buzz about teaching the PhOM content. Teachers are excited to bring these ideas into their Term 4 novel studies — particularly in Years 4–8 — using BSLA strategies to explore decoding, morphology, and vocabulary in a deeper, more meaningful way. One teacher summed it up perfectly:

“It finally feels like we have the missing link — BSLA gives us the tools to teach the ‘why’ behind reading, not just the ‘how.’ My students are noticing patterns and making connections that weren’t there before.”

And the students are just as enthusiastic. They’re curious about how words work — where they come from, how they’re built, and why they look the way they do. They’re starting to spot the chunks and roots that make up words and use that knowledge to figure out new ones.

“I like learning about where words come from — it makes tricky words easier to read.”
“We know how to break the words into parts now, like little chunks. It makes reading feel like solving a puzzle.”

Students are proud of their progress. They’re seeing reading not as something to memorise, but as something to explore and understand. Across the school, there’s a shared sense of excitement — teachers are seeing how BSLA fits perfectly with the new curriculum, and students are gaining a deeper understanding of how language works. It’s clear that when teacher practice grows, student engagement and confidence grow right alongside it.