Our testimonials

Teacher and educator endorsements and recommendations


All of the literacy programmes and resources I have been involved in creating have been in direct response to the guidance I have had from teachers and school management. It has been by working alongside skilled teachers that I have developed the literacy programmes available on this site. I am indebted to them for their assistance, professionalism and am especially grateful for the kind words of support below.

Chuck Marriott, B.A., Diploma of Teaching, Post Graduate Diploma in Literacy.
Creator of SevenPlus and FivePlus. Co-author of WordLab. Creative director of AVAILLL

“I have seen these programmes improve literacy outcomes for learners across so many schools, for so many students, up skilling so many teachers and Teacher Aides. These programmes have been robustly paired reviewed, have a strong theoretically foundation, promote inclusion, designed fit for purpose in NZ schools and involve ongoing coaching and support to ensure they are implemented with fidelity.”

Chuck Marriott has been invaluable in his role as Resource Teacher of Literacy across Kaiapoi and Rangiora over the last 17 years. I have worked beside Chuck since the RTLB transformation in 2012 and have always found him to be open to sharing his wealth of knowledge and co-worked a multitude of cases with the RTLB team. Chuck’s ability to identify the barriers to literacy progress, establish the most effective literacy intervention and implement this with fidelity to benefit the student and also up skill the teacher is exceptional.

Through his work in schools, Chuck has clearly established where the gaps are in teaching practice to help accelerate student literacy. Over the years this has has led to the development of FivePlus, SevenPlus, and more recently Wordlab. He has since worked tireless to implement these for the benefit of many students. From my perspective, I have seen these programmes improve literacy outcomes for learners across so many schools, for so many students, up skilling so many teachers and Teacher Aides. These programmes have been robustly paired reviewed, have a strong theoretically foundation, promote inclusion, designed fit for purpose in NZ schools and involve ongoing coaching and support to ensure they are implemented with fidelity. Wearing my parent hat, I can also say that my own daughter has benefitted greatly from the implementation of Wordlab at her school, becoming an incredibly confident speller and this has positively impacted on her overall literacy outcomes.

No matter the occasion, Chuck can tailor professional learning and development to suit any audience. As a RTLB Cluster we have benefitted from him being available to present on a wide variety of topics, including supporting Secondary SENCOs become familiar with alternative assessments for SAC applications, supporting TA’s how to support writing during literacy times and of course supporting teachers and senior leadership to implement Plus Five, Plus Seven, AVAILLL and Wordlab with fidelity in schools.

Finally, there is a wide range of programmes and frameworks that are designed to target children’s literacy needs. Chuck has been a real source of valuable information for me as a Cluster Manager as we get bombarded with the next best literacy innovation. However, if it doesn’t past the Chuck test, as a Cluster we don’t invest. I can highly recommend Chuck to anyone who may wish to tap into his skill and wealth of expertise.

Kelly McGowan, North Canterbury RTLB Cluster Manager

Our products are used and endorsed by schools throughout New Zealand

WordLab

A spelling programme for all levels

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FivePlus

A short-term reading intervention programme (Years 2-3)

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SevenPlus

A short-term reading intervention programme (Years 3-8)

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AVAILLL

A research-validated reading enhancement programme

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