Writing is one of the most important – and trickiest – things pupils learn at school. It’s not just about neat handwriting or knowing where the full stops go. Writing helps pupils find their voice, build confidence, and deepen their learning.
The Department for Education’s writing framework offers clear, evidence-based guidance to develop writing across your school. Primary school headteachers and literacy leads, in particular, will be digging into what it says about classroom practice and the research behind the framework. Before you make any changes, you’ll also be taking time to review your current approach. This will help you make decisions that benefit every pupil.
To get you started, here are ten things you can do, based on what the framework says, to help give every child the best chance to succeed in writing.
1. Start strong: lay the foundations early
Don’t wait. The sooner you start teaching the basics – handwriting, spelling, and saying sentences out loud – the better. Those early years in reception are a golden time for building the skills that make writing possible. Early experience with stories and language build pupil’s early identities as writers. Keep it simple and regular, and you’ll set every child up for success, no matter where they begin.
2. Build talk-rich classrooms
Before children can write, they need to talk. Encourage chatty classrooms, rich conversations, and lots of oral rehearsal. When you model language and let children play with words and sentences, you help them build the vocabulary and confidence they need to write. Even your quietest pupils can shine when given the chance to share their ideas out loud.
3. Teach handwriting and spelling like you mean it
There’s more to handwriting and spelling than tidy books. These skills are essential for freeing up a child’s brain to focus on what they want to say. Teach handwriting and spelling explicitly, step by step, and practise them often. The more automatic these become, the more energy pupils have for creative thinking and composition.
4. Make sentences your pupils’ superpower
Forget about long stories or pages of text at first. Focus on sentences. Teach children how to build, combine, and extend sentences – both by speaking and writing. Use games, sentence stems, and lots of modelling. Once they’ve mastered sentences, everything else becomes easier.
5. Grow vocabulary every day
Words are the building blocks of great writing. Introduce new words, use them in context, and encourage pupils to try them out in their own work. Talk about the shades of meaning, and help children choose the right words. A rich vocabulary helps everyone write with clarity and style
6. Sequence for success
A great writing curriculum needs to be carefully sequenced so that skills build over time, from Reception right through to Year 6. Make sure pupils revisit and practise what they’ve learned and give them plenty of time to consolidate. When learning is structured and logical, everyone has the chance to keep progressing.
7. Believe in every child’s potential
This might be the most important one: believe that every pupil can get better at writing. Set high expectations, notice individual strengths, and give extra support or practice when needed. Celebrate small wins and effort, not just perfect spelling or handwriting. When you believe in them, pupils start to believe in themselves.
8. Teach writing as a process – not a product
Writing isn’t about getting it right at the first go. Show pupils how writers plan, draft, revise, edit, and share their work. Model each step, scaffold as needed, and gradually hand over responsibility. When children understand that writing improves with effort and feedback, they grow as independent, confident writers.
9. Make writing matter
Give pupils real reasons to write. Whether it’s a letter to the headteacher, a story for a younger class, or a blog post for the school website, authentic audiences and purposes make writing meaningful. Let children have some choice and celebrate their efforts. When writing feels important, motivation soars.
10. Lead together
Great writing teaching doesn’t happen in isolation. Leaders set the tone by making writing a whole-school priority and supporting staff with training and resources. Work together – literacy leads, SENCOs, classroom teachers – so that everyone pulls in the same direction. When you collaborate and share expertise, every pupil benefits.
This article is part of a series for teachers and school leaders on how to navigate the writing framework. Explore the other articles.
