As a new school year begins, the language of “new year, new beginnings” often finds its way into our thinking. In our personal lives, New Year’s resolutions can come with pressure to overhaul, reinvent, or start again. We have been reflecting on how well that thinking serves us, in a professional sense.
There is no room for “brand new” in effective literacy implementation. Rather than starting from scratch, we can build on what's already working.
Many if not most schools and educators have begun to implement structured literacy practices across year levels. While some are undertaking the important work of strengthening consistency, coherence, and impact. Others are at an earlier stage perhaps preparing to introduce new expectations, new tools, or a more structured and aligned approach.
Wherever the starting point, the leadership stance remains the same. We do not need a dramatic reset; we need calm, strategic refinement, step by step.
As leaders, we shape the culture with our teams. How we talk about the year ahead, how we frame priorities, and how we respond to data all shape the conditions in which teachers work and students learn. Calm considered leadership creates the conditions for consistency to be prioritised and enabled. That consistency matters deeply because it sits at the heart of alignment and alignment is what ensures our tamariki have equitable opportunities to education. When expectations and practice vary widely from class to class, education becomes a lottery. When consistency is valued and protected, students experience a more equitable and reliable learning pathway.
The first two terms matter, not because everything must be fixed quickly, but because they provide an opportunity to steady the system, sharpen focus, and lead with intent.
So, with this in mind let’s look at four considerations that you might consider as you move into the school year. The four considerations below are drawn from our experience working alongside school leaders across the country. They offer direction without urgency and clarity without overwhelm.
1. Establish absolute clarity around literacy data and expectations
Strong implementation begins with shared understanding. Early in Term 1, effective leaders ensure staff are clear about what literacy data is collected, how and when it is collected, and what it is used for. This includes consistency in spelling, reading, writing, assessment practices, agreed protocols, and clarity around benchmark expectations by year level.
Leaders who do this well do not assume alignment. They check it by looking for shared understandings across the team. They look for evidence that students are being assessed appropriately that attendance data is considered alongside achievement data, and that results are reviewed by cohort and priority learner groups. This work provides a trustworthy picture of the current reality and ensures that decisions are grounded, not reactive.
2. Use data as a leadership tool, not a reporting exercise
In schools making sustained progress, data is used to guide thinking and action, not simply to meet reporting requirements. Leaders create structured opportunities for teams to analyse and reflect on what the data is showing and what it means for instruction.
Middle leaders are critical here. Team leaders and literacy leaders should be supported to facilitate regular data conversations that capture teacher voice and classroom context. These conversations help teams identify strengths, notice emerging gaps, and consider whether Tier 1 instruction is meeting the needs of most learners.
Most importantly, data must lead somewhere. Decisions about next instructional steps or interventions should be explicit, documented, communicated and revisited over time.
3. Protect instructional time and be visible about expectations for practice
What leaders protect signals what matters. One consistent feature across schools with strong structured literacy implementation is the deliberate protection of instructional time. Instructional time is clearly timetabled and safeguarded, with an expectation that structured literacy instruction occurs regularly and consistently.
Leadership visibility also matters. Leaders should expect to see effective explicit instruction across classrooms and year levels. Walk-throughs, coaching conversations, and opportunities for peer observation all support shared understanding of effective practice. Checking for alignment across tiers ensures that classroom instruction and intervention work together rather than in isolation.
In Terms 1 and 2, the goal may be visibility and consistency, not perfection.
4. Align systems and supports to reduce friction for teachers
By Term 2, leaders should be asking whether school systems are genuinely supporting teachers to do the work well: Are resources accessible and ready to use? Are intervention programmes matched to student need and progress monitored regularly? Is time allocated for teams to meet, analyse data, and refine practice?
Professional learning is most effective when it is targeted. Leaders are encouraged to use emerging data trends to guide decisions about coaching, modelling, or further learning, rather than defaulting to generic approaches. When systems are aligned, teachers are more likely to sustain strong practice across the year.
Moving forward
The four considerations outlined here provide a strategic lens for Terms 1 and 2. Our Literacy Data Analysis & Instructional Practice Checklist is designed to support leaders and teams to translate intent into action, step by step, without adding unnecessary complexity.
Leading structured literacy well does not require reinvention. It requires thoughtful leadership, clear priorities, and the confidence to strengthen what is already underway.
If you would value support as you plan or would like to talk through your next steps with an experienced partner, we would love to have that conversation. We work alongside leaders to refine systems, strengthen practice, and build sustainable structured literacy implementation over time.
You can find out more about our school support services, or just reach out for a chat, here and download our handy Literacy Data Analysis and Instructional Practice Checklist here.
