The Shine Literacy Project, which is supported by the Plimmerton Rotary and Plimmerton Inner Wheel, has shown that the answer to this question is YES!
 
The Reading results from the assessments completed in December 2015 showed that children in the classrooms that have been using the Sounds Like Fun approach, designed by Joy Allcock, are, on average, reading above their chronological age. You can see the interim Reading report here. The Writing results will be available shortly.
Children in low decile schools typically start school less prepared for literacy learning than children in high decile schools. That was the picture found in this research study. The Trial and Comparison groups from decile 1-3 schools started with similar school entry profiles. Their early literacy knowledge was below expectations. However, after 18 months at school, children in the Trial group were reading six months ahead of those in the Comparison group. They were reading on average 3-4 months above their chronological age.
 
A small but significant shift in the way early literacy skills are taught has disrupted the typical achievement patterns we have seen in the past.
 
This project was made possible because of a huge commitment by many people in the Porirua community, by generous grants from charitable trusts, by the expert design and analysis of the project, gifted by the Massey University Institute of Education, and most importantly, by the skill and commitment of teachers in our schools who made this happen.