What in the world is The Code?
I figure out why my daughter keeps talking about The Code - not to be confused with computer coding!
Before my daughter started primary school, I expected she’d learn about something I never came across in my early years — coding. You know, of the computing variety.
Instead, I keep hearing about a different kind of ‘code’. The Code.
The Code at a glance
The Code is a structured literacy programme developed by Liz Kane, a literacy educator in New Zealand. It’s designed for kids from Year 1 to Year 8 and it’s meant to teach spelling in a systematic, evidence-based way.
Teachers (and, I suppose, eager parents) can download Code-related resources on the official website, including lesson overviews, student recording sheets, and tips for teaching ‘heart words’. What’s a heart word, I hear you ask? For months, I thought my daughter was talking about hard words — but nope, heart words are a thing. According to her, they are words you need to learn by heart. I like this positive spin on tricky, rule-defying words.
Does every school in New Zealand use The Code?
Nope! It’s one of several structured literacy programmes available. Schools can choose which literacy programmes they adopt. However, The Code is becoming more prominent, not least because structured literacy is part of the Ministry of Education’s 2025 curriculum refresh. Starting in 2025, all state schools now teach using the proven structured literacy approach.
What is structured literacy, anyway?
Structured literacy is an approach to teaching reading and writing that’s carefully sequenced, explicit, and grounded in evidence about how children learn best. It’s all about making sure the basics are solid before moving on.
The idea is simple: by teaching children the building blocks of language in a clear, logical order, they develop a much deeper understanding of how words work. That means starting with sounds (phonemic awareness), then teaching how those sounds connect to letters (phonics), and gradually moving on to spelling rules, grammar, and even the structure of words (morphology).
Word on the street is that it’s especially helpful for children who struggle with reading, like those with dyslexia.
Wrapping it up
So, there you go — if you hear your kiddo come home from school talking about The Code and heart words, this is (broadly) what they’re on about. If you’re curious to learn more, check out lizkaneliteracy.co.nz.
