Reading Programme

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Reading at Te Paina School (Years 0–8)

At Te Paina School, we believe every child can learn to read with the right support and teaching approach. Our Reading programme equips ākonga with the skills and strategies to become confident, motivated, and lifelong readers.

We use a Structured Literacy approach alongside rich reading experiences to ensure all students build strong foundations and develop a love of reading.

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Our Reading Vision

We aim to grow readers who:

• Understand how written language works (decoding and comprehension)
• Read a wide range of texts with confidence and purpose
• Think critically and make meaning from what they read
• Enjoy reading and see themselves reflected in texts

Our programme reflects the New Zealand Curriculum’s vision for literate citizens and upholds the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by ensuring equitable access to reading success for all learners.

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Structured Literacy: Our Foundation for Early Reading

From Year 0, we implement a Structured Literacy approach, supported by research and aligned with the Science of Reading. This means we teach reading through a carefully sequenced, explicit, and systematic programme that includes:

Key Elements of Structured Literacy:

• Phonological awareness – recognising and working with sounds in spoken language
• Phonics – learning the relationships between letters and sounds
• Decoding – sounding out and blending words
• Spelling and encoding – segmenting words into sounds for writing
• Vocabulary – understanding and using new words
• Fluency – reading accurately, smoothly, and with expression
• Comprehension – making meaning from texts

We use decodable texts in the early years to ensure children practise the sounds and patterns they’ve been taught. This approach gives all learners—especially those with dyslexia or other learning differences—a structured and supportive path to success.

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Reading Across the Years

Years 0–2: Early Readers

• Daily structured literacy lessons with explicit phonics instruction
• Use of decodable books matched to phonics knowledge
• Development of oral language, listening comprehension, and vocabulary
• Letter–sound links, handwriting, and spelling integrated into reading time

Years 3–4: Growing Readers

• Continued focus on decoding and fluency
• Explicit vocabulary teaching and comprehension strategies
• Transition from decodable to broader texts, including early chapter books and factual texts
• Daily reading practice and guided reading for deeper thinking

Years 5–6: Expanding Readers

• Reading to learn and engage with more complex texts
• Strategic reading instruction: summarising, predicting, inferencing, evaluating
• Class novels and high-interest texts linked to inquiry or real-world issues
• Digital and multimodal texts introduced and explored critically

Years 7–8: Independent Readers

• Analysing language, author’s purpose, and text structure
• Comparing perspectives across texts
• Reading for critical thinking and preparation for secondary learning
• Independent reading with follow-up discussion, response tasks, and reflection

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Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Practice

We recognise that reading is about more than decoding words—it’s about connecting with texts, stories, and ideas.

At Te Paina School, we:

• Include Māori and Pasifika stories, pūrākau, and perspectives in our reading selections
• Celebrate students’ home languages and cultures in classroom libraries
• Build whanaungatanga through reading buddies, shared reading, and tuakana–teina partnerships
• Engage with local texts and authors to reflect our place and community

We honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi by ensuring that Māori students see their culture affirmed in the texts they read and that all students learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s history and heritage.

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Comprehension and Critical Thinking

As students become more fluent readers, we explicitly teach them to:

• Ask and answer questions
• Make inferences
• Summarise and retell
• Analyse characters, settings, and messages
• Evaluate different viewpoints and media messages

This prepares them to be thoughtful, informed readers who can participate in a global, information-rich world.

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Assessment and Progress Tracking

We monitor student progress using:

• Phonics screeners and spelling checks (Years 0–3)
• Running records and reading fluency checks
• Diagnostic assessments to identify gaps or learning needs
• Teacher observations, conferences, and student self-reflections

We use data to plan targeted support, small-group instruction, and individualised reading goals.

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Supporting All Learners

We provide:

• Literacy intervention programmes for students who need extra support
• ESOL and bilingual support for multilingual learners
• Assistive technology and audio texts where appropriate
• Inclusive practices that support neurodiverse learners and celebrate different pathways to success

Every child is supported to experience success in reading—no matter their starting point.

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Whānau Engagement

Whānau play a key role in building a love of reading. We:

• Share reading progress through portfolios, reports, and conferences
• Encourage home reading and library visits
• Host family literacy events and workshops to support reading at home
• Welcome donations of books and stories from whānau cultures and languages

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Professional Learning and Collaboration

Our kaiako engage in regular professional development in:

• Structured Literacy and Science of Reading
• Culturally responsive pedagogy
• Assessment for learning and differentiated instruction

We work collaboratively to ensure our approach to reading is consistent, evidence-based, and responsive to our learners.

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Summary

At Te Paina School, our Reading programme combines the structure and clarity of Structured Literacy with the joy and richness of real-world reading. By embedding cultural identity, explicit teaching, and high expectations, we empower all our students to thrive as readers now and in the future.