Kaye Brunton
Kaye is an experienced education consultant and expert facilitator who partners with schools to strengthen teaching, learning, and leadership. Based in the Wellington–Kāpiti region, she brings specialist expertise in assessment, structured literacy approaches, and leadership development, and is known for her ability to build capability across all levels of the school system.
Kaye is approved to deliver Ministry of Education PLD in the following areas:
Structured literacy approaches (Years 0-8)
Assessment
She also works with schools in the following areas:
Literacy content and pedagogical knowledge (Years 1-10)
Leading curriculum and teaching inquiry
Mentoring and coaching school leaders and leadership teams
Principal appraisal
As an experienced structured literacy approaches facilitator, Kaye supports teachers to build confidence and expertise in explicit, systematic teaching that strengthens oral language, reading, and writing. Her facilitation is grounded in current cognitive science and responsive to the needs of each school community. Kaye partners with leaders and kaiako to design and embed coherent, school-wide literacy practices that connect to the curriculum, honour learners’ cultural identities, and lead to sustained improvement in literacy achievement.
Kaye is recognised nationally for her deep expertise in assessment, underpinned by a Master of Education specialising in this field. She was recently selected as a member of the Position Paper: Assessment Contributors Group, helping to refresh the Ministry of Education’s national position on assessment. As a founding executive member of the New Zealand Assessment Institute, Kaye has also delivered keynote addresses and workshops at its conferences. Drawing on this extensive experience, she supports schools to design purposeful assessment systems that provide clear insights into learner progress and achievement. Her facilitation helps leaders and teachers use assessment as a tool for learning, interpreting evidence, moderating with dependability, and evaluating impact with confidence. Kaye ensures assessment is connected to curriculum and pedagogy, and focused on equity, enabling kaiako, ākonga, and whānau to understand what has been learned, what matters next, and how best to get there.
With extensive experience as a principal and Kāhui Ako lead, Kaye brings a deep understanding of the complexity of school leadership and the challenges leaders face in driving improvement. She works alongside principals and leadership teams to strengthen their effectiveness through coaching, inquiry, and appraisal, using evidence to inform strategic decision-making and build collective capability. Her facilitation in leadership, assessment for learning, and structured literacy draws on current research and proven approaches to implementing sustainable, system-wide improvement. Kaye is particularly skilled at supporting schools navigating high levels of underachievement, helping leaders use data and collaborative inquiry to create clarity, coherence, and meaningful, lasting change for learners and staff alike.
Kaye is driven by a deep belief in the power of collaborative inquiry and evidence-informed practice to transform learning. Her calm, relational approach and wealth of experience make her a trusted partner for schools committed to continuous improvement and enduring change.
In her spare time Kaye loves to be with her family; walking with her dogs near the sea; cooking, baking and crafting; and exploring new places. She keeps fit through walking and generally being outdoors.