Cohort 9 Structured Literacy PLD is Open: Choose Grow Literacy with Coactive Education
- Kate Costello
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Applications are now open for Cohort 9 of the Ministry-funded Structured Literacy Approaches Professional Learning and Development PLD.
If your school or kura has teachers who have not yet completed Structured Literacy Approaches PLD, this is a key opportunity to access fully funded professional learning and bring your team onto the same page.
Coactive Education Consultancy is an approved Ministry of Education provider for English-medium Structured Literacy Approaches PLD, and our Grow Literacy programme has been designed to make structured literacy practical, engaging and sustainable across Years 0–8.
Applications close on 3 July 2026, so now is the time to check your eligibility, apply through the Ministry PLD system, and get ready to enrol with Grow Literacy once your application is approved.
Key dates for Cohort 9 Structured Literacy PLD
Activity | Date |
Applications open | 10 June 2026 |
Applications close | 3 July 2026 |
Application outcomes notified | 22 July 2026 |
Deadline to enrol with your chosen provider | 5 August 2026 |
Cohort 9 PLD begins | Term 3 2026 |
Cohort 9 PLD completed | End of Term 1 2027 |
Once your application is approved, you will need to enrol directly with your chosen provider. If you want to complete your PLD with Coactive Education, you can register your interest in Grow Literacy through our Structured Literacy PLD page.
Who is eligible?
The simplest way to think about it is this:
If your teacher has not already completed Structured Literacy Approaches PLD, they may be eligible to apply.
From Cohort 9, the Ministry is prioritising schools, kura and teachers who have not yet had access to SLA or RRāTā PLD. This includes:
schools and kura that have not previously engaged in SLA or RRāTā PLD
Years 7–8 teachers who have not yet accessed SLA or RRāTā PLD, even if other teachers in their school have already participated
Years 0–6 teachers who have not yet had access to SLA PLD
schools and kura identified as highest need by regional teams
Importantly, if some teachers in your school have already completed structured literacy PLD, this does not automatically rule your school out. You can still apply for teachers who have not yet completed the PLD.
Why choose Grow Literacy?
Grow Literacy is Coactive Education’s structured literacy professional learning platform and PLD pathway for Years 0–8 teachers.
We know that schools do not just need more information about structured literacy. They need practical, classroom-ready support that helps teachers, leaders and support staff build a shared approach.
Grow Literacy is designed to help your school move from:
“Some of our teachers have done structured literacy training”
to:
“Our whole team understands the approach, uses shared language, and knows what this looks like in practice.”
That consistency matters. When teachers are aligned, students experience clearer routines, stronger transitions, and more coherent literacy teaching across classrooms and year levels.
What does Grow Literacy include?
The Grow Literacy PLD pathway includes:
Two in-person workshops
Our facilitators travel across Aotearoa to bring structured literacy learning to kaiako teaching Years 0–8.
The first two workshop days focus on the foundations of structured literacy and effective teaching practice, including:
how reading develops
the principles of a structured literacy approach
the research behind the approach
explicit teaching
the science of learning
effective teaching pedagogy
oral language
formative assessment
enriched reading and writing practices
intervention strategies
lesson structuring
creating a literacy-rich environment
One online workshop, differentiated by year level
The third workshop is delivered online and tailored to year-level streams:
Years 0–3
Years 4–6
Years 7–8
This means the learning is connected across the whole school, while still being relevant to the age and stage of the learners in front of each teacher.
The online workshop includes areas such as:
constrained skills
handwriting
supporting at-risk learners to apply reading skills in context
supporting at-risk learners to develop foundational writing skills
planning for coverage
cross-curricular integration
Eight communities of practice
Grow Literacy includes eight 1.5-hour communities of practice, facilitated by literacy experts.
These sessions are designed to help teachers share insights, ask questions, troubleshoot implementation and keep building momentum after the workshops.
Topics include:
science of learning and retrieval practice
scaffolding success for all learners
targeted small-group teaching
reading fluency
decoding, morphology and orthographic mapping
dyslexia
sentences
editing and revising writing
Grow Literacy Labs for teachers, teacher aides and leaders
One of the strengths of Grow Literacy is that it does not stop with classroom teachers.
Our Grow Literacy Labs are pre-recorded workshops designed to help the whole school align around effective, evidence-based literacy instruction.
The labs include support for:
teachers, including time management, engagement and strategies for literacy and English language learners
leaders, including implementation, change management, assessment and sustainability
teacher aides, including phonics, small-group reading and writing, and oral language development
This helps everyone sing from the same song sheet.
StepsWeb diagnostic tools
Teachers in Grow Literacy receive free access to the testing facilities on the StepsWeb online portal for the duration of the programme.
This includes online assessment and diagnostic tools that help teachers measure literacy levels, review reading fluency, and identify specific areas for support.
Screening tools include areas such as:
auditory discrimination
phonological awareness
auditory sequential and working memory
alphabet and phonics knowledge
non-word reading
This supports teachers to make more targeted, informed decisions about what learners need next.
Is Grow Literacy fully funded?
Yes. This PLD is fully funded through the Ministry of Education for approved schools and kura.
The Ministry pays PLD costs directly to approved providers, and teacher release funding is provided for the three full-day facilitated workshops for eligible participants.
Through Grow Literacy, there is no requirement to purchase additional external materials to take part in the PLD. Coactive also provides access to StepsWeb diagnostic tools, as well as support for leaders and teacher aides through the Grow Literacy programme.
Can Grow Literacy work if some of our teachers have already trained elsewhere?
Yes.
If your Year 0–3 teachers have already completed structured literacy training elsewhere, Grow Literacy can support the rest of your team. The programme is designed for Years 0–3, Years 4–6 and Years 7–8 teachers, with targeted learning for each stream.
Because the PLD is built around shared elements of structured literacy and evidence-based pedagogy, it can fit alongside previous learning while helping your school build consistency across year levels.
Why now?
Cohort 9 is especially important because the Ministry has signalled that access to foundational SLA PLD is now becoming more limited.
From 2027, the PLD will move into a more focused model, with limited places each year. That means Cohort 9 may be one of the best opportunities for schools to bring untrained teachers into the same shared professional learning pathway.
If you have teachers who have not yet completed SLA PLD, this is the time to act.
Frequently asked questions
Can our school apply if some teachers have already completed SLA PLD?
Yes. Your school may still be able to apply for teachers who have not yet completed SLA PLD.
Can Years 7–8 teachers apply?
Yes. Years 7–8 teachers who have not yet accessed SLA or RRāTā PLD are specifically included in the Ministry’s priority criteria for Cohort 9.
Can Years 0–6 teachers apply?
Yes. Years 0–6 teachers who have not yet had access to SLA PLD are included in the priority criteria.
Is Grow Literacy suitable for intermediate teachers?
Yes. Grow Literacy includes an intermediate focus for Years 7–8 teachers, with relevant examples and resources for older learners.
Do you work with all teachers from Years 0–8?
Yes. Grow Literacy is approved for teachers in Years 0–3, Years 4–6 and Years 7–8. The programme includes shared structured literacy foundations, as well as differentiated learning for each year-level stream.
Will this cost our school anything?
For approved schools and kura, the PLD is fully funded by the Ministry of Education. Grow Literacy does not require the purchase of additional external materials, and teachers receive access to StepsWeb diagnostic tools for the duration of the programme.
Will Coactive come to our school?
If your school has more than 40 teachers, Coactive can arrange to host the two in-person workshop days at your school. If you have fewer than 40 teachers, you may be able to gather a group with nearby schools, intermediates or relievers, or attend one of the planned Grow Literacy locations.
What does structured literacy include?
Structured literacy is not just phonics. It includes oral language, phonemic knowledge, systematic synthetic phonics, decoding, spelling, handwriting, vocabulary, morphology, syntax, fluency, text structure, writing and comprehension.
Why should we register for Grow Literacy?
Registering for Grow Literacy gives your team access to practical, engaging, expert-designed PLD that supports teachers, leaders and teacher aides. It helps your school build a shared approach to structured literacy that can be sustained beyond the PLD itself.
Ready to apply for Cohort 9?
Applications close on 3 July 2026.
Here is what to do next:
Check which teachers in your school have not yet completed SLA or RRāTā PLD.
Submit your application through the Ministry PLD system before 3 July 2026.
Once approved, choose Coactive Education Consultancy as your provider.
Enrol in Grow Literacy by 5 August 2026.
Grow Literacy is practical, fully funded, designed for Years 0–8, and built to help your whole school move forward together.
Register your interest in Grow Literacy today and get ready for Cohort 9.
Comments