Structured Literacy with Joy Allcock

October 2026 — Special Edition

A little more to read this month, and we hope you'll stay with us.

There is a lot happening in literacy as we begin Term 4. From what we're learning about our students and literacy achievement in New Zealand, to Joy's upcoming conversations in the US, practical support for the classroom and getting ready for 2027, this is an edition worth reading to the end.

So, make a cuppa and join us. There's plenty to talk about.

In this month's edition

➤ From Joy’s desk—Term 4

➤ In Conversation with Joy Allcock—State of the Nation

➤ CUYC & SOYS

➤ Where is Joy?

➤ Sound Hunt /er/

➤ New entrants in 2027

➤ Back to School offers—Buy Now, Pay Later

From Joy's desk | Term 4

What do we do with what we now know?

Kia ora %FULLNAME%,

Welcome back to Term 4.

By now, you know much more about your learners than you did at the beginning of the year.

You know who has made strong progress. You know where progress has been slower. And there will be learners who have worked hard, received good teaching and support, but still aren't making the progress you expected.

That tells us something important.

Assessment shouldn't simply tell us how a learner is performing.

It should help us understand what they know, what they still need to learn, and what we need to teach next.

I've been thinking about this on a much bigger scale too.

There has been significant change in literacy education in New Zealand, including changes to curriculum, structured literacy, assessment, professional learning, and the resources being used in our classrooms.

Now we need to keep looking carefully at what those changes mean for learners.

Are more children becoming successful readers and writers?

What is working? Where do gaps remain? And what is the evidence telling us we need to understand next?

That's why, on October 28th, I'm holding a special In Conversation: State of the Nation, Literacy in New Zealand.

I'll be sharing some of the data I've been looking at, alongside what I've been hearing directly from teachers and school leaders.

I hope you'll join me.

/In support of every learner/

Joy

What is the evidence telling us?

At the end of October, Joy will bring together the evidence she's been examining and what she's hearing from teachers and school leaders.

We'll look at what is happening to reading and writing achievement, what educators are experiencing as the changes are implemented, and where we need to focus our attention next.

This isn't a presentation. It's a conversation.

October 28th | 3.30-4.30pm | LIVE ON ZOOM

The better we understand the gap, the more precisely we can respond

By Term 4, we've had three terms to observe how learners are responding to instruction.

For some students, the progress will be clear. For others, it may not be.

Knowing that a learner isn't making the progress we expected is only the beginning. We need to understand why.

What do they already know? Where is their knowledge insecure? What is getting in the way of reading or writing? And what do we need to teach next?

For older students, gaps in alphabetic code knowledge and difficulty reading and spelling unfamiliar multisyllabic words can continue to create barriers to progress.

Where in the world is Joy?

Next Stop: The United States

Joy heads back to the United States in November, continuing the conversations she's been having with educators and education leaders about literacy, implementation and improving outcomes for all learners.

Joy will present ALL Means ALL: Making Literacy Learning Accessible, and Making it Stick at the CASE National Conference, sharing her work with education leaders from across the United States.

From Rhode Island, Joy heads to Minnesota, where she'll spend time with rural educators, before continuing on her US visit in conversations with state education and district leaders.

Different communities and different education systems often bring us back to remarkably similar questions:

How do we translate what we know from research into what happens in classrooms, and how do we know it's making a difference for learners?

We'll bring some of what Joy hears and learns back to you in future editions of Structured Literacy with Joy Allcock.

Sound of the Month

Sound Hunt /er/

Use it to help students hear and work with sounds in spoken language and strengthen connections between speech, sound and print.

Starting school in 2027?

Help them arrive ready for literacy learning

Starting school is a big step.

One of the best things we can do before children arrive in the classroom is help build the knowledge and skills that make learning to read and write easier.

At Home for New Entrants gives families simple, hands-on games and activities to enjoy together before and during those important first months at school.

Through talking, listening, playing and exploring, children develop important precursors to literacy success and become familiar with the words, sounds and language they will encounter as they begin learning to read and write.

It's not about teaching children to read before they start school. It's about helping them arrive ready for literacy learning.

Know a family with a child starting school in 2027?

Looking ahead to 2027

Back to School is back

For a limited time, selected Code-Ed resources are available with special Back to School savings.

And this year:

BUY NOW. PAY IN FEBRUARY 2027.

Order before the end of the year and have the resources your teachers need ready for the start of 2027, while moving payment into the new budget year.

Terms and conditions apply.

/In support of every learner/

Joy & the Code-Ed Team