About Us
Our Background
Learning solutions is a boutique independent educational consultancy of highly experienced Professional Learning and Development (PLD) facilitators who are able to collaborate with Tumuaki, Kaiako and whānau to create tailor made, innovative learning solutions that meet the needs of your kura/school). Our facilitators are highly regarded due to their adaptive expertise, deep knowledge of effective teaching pedagogies and content knowledge across a range of disciplines and contexts. We can provide support across New Zealand through Regionally Funded (PLD), workshops, webinars, either Kanohi ki te Kanohi (Face to Face), Zoom or Google Meets, across a range of contexts and disciplines including Assessment For Learning, Local Curriculum design, Culturally Responsive and Relational Pedagogy (CRRP, leadership coaching for principals and leaders.
Contact us today to have a conversation about how we can best meet the needs of your Tumuaki, Kaiako and Whānau to support accelerated learning outcomes for your students (ākonga.)

Meet The Team
Gayle McIlraith (Auckland)
Gayle is an experienced facilitator and project leader who is committed to supporting leaders and teachers to engage in collaborative inquiry, that is evidence-based, research-informed and seeks ways to incorporate 21st-century skills into enhancing learning for all students. Pursuing effective teacher and leader practice that accelerates outcomes for students is a key driver for her within the contexts of reading, writing, literacy across the curriculum and science.
Julie Beattie (Wellington)
Julie aims to support teachers in building their knowledge of literacy learning progressions and developing plans for curriculum-based literacy learning for Years 1-8. She can help primary and secondary leaders develop their data literacy and problem-solving skills, in order to achieve enhanced teaching and learning in literacy. She’s passionate about junior literacy, believing that setting a strong literacy foundation in the first two years of school enables students to become independent lifelong learners. Julie has also led workshops on accelerating literacy learning and providing fit-for-purpose interventions for underachieving learners.
Facilitators
Choose Your Region:

Gaylene Price (Christchurch)
Primary
Gaylene is leader and developer of ‘Team Approach to Language Learners‘ (TALL), a Ministry of Education project which supports small school teams to investigate the teaching and support of culturally and linguistically diverse learners
Expertise:
- Languages acquisition
- Literacy and English Language Learners
- Oral language
- Student assessment and pathways of progress
- Planning and teaching sequences
- Coaching and mentoring
- Inclusive Education
Our History
Learning Solutions Ltd was set up in 1997 by Gayle and Grant McIlraith, starting out with 12 facilitators to support teachers and leaders with Appraisal Skills for Teachers. Gayle also facilitated the Leading and Managing Change contract in 1998 and Introduction to Science contract with one other facilitator. When Gayle accepted a Leadership and management position in 2000, Learning Solutions was put into cessation.
As a result of The University of Auckland deciding that centrally funded Professional Learning and Development was no longer a viable option for them Learning Solutions Ltd was taken out of cessation in 2018.