Welcome to 2018

Reading Recovery is an early literacy intervention that provides trained one to one teaching for children who have made slow progress learning to read and write in their first year of school.  Most New Zealand schools provide this catch-up opportunity. Children's reading and writing is assessed close to their sixth birthday and the lowest scoring children come in to Reading Recovery as soon as a space is available. If you are concerned about the progress your six-year-old child is making as they learn to read and write talk with your child's teachers and school.

Why does my child need Reading Recovery?

There are many reasons why a child may find reading and writing difficult at first. The children taken into Reading Recovery are those who have made least progress relative to their classmates. With one to one teaching children make faster progress because the teacher can design the lessons to suit a particular child's strengths.

How does it work?
Your child will be taught in a one to one situation with a specially trained teacher for 30 minutes every day for a period of about 12-20 weeks, depending on how long is needed. In each day's lesson they will write a story and read many little books. Most children catch up quickly with the average level of their class. A small number of children are identified for further assessment and ongoing specialist help.

What is a Reading Recovery lesson like?
You are encouraged to visit the school and see how your child and their teacher work together in a Reading Recovery lesson. It is usual to wait a couple of weeks before visiting so that teacher and child have got used to working with one another. You are welcome to discuss your child's progress at any time during their series of lessons. Your interest and support will help your child make good progress in Reading Recovery.