In January 2025, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and Oxford University Press (OUP) brought
together trust leaders, publishers, researchers, civil servants and other education stakeholders to
discuss the current challenges preventing improvements in writing and how these can be overcome.
The discussion touched on research gaps and a lack of political will; opportunities to reform the
curriculum and improve teaching practice, including through greater access to continuous
professional development (CPD), and finally, what impact the rise of technology is having and how
schools can harness its power to support their writing pedagogy and practice.
This paper is a summary of the discussion of the roundtable (conducted under Chatham House Rule), drawing together reflections from participants. We are very grateful to OUP for supporting the event and to all participants for their contributions.
You can read the full paper here
Participants outlined the following challenges to improving writing outcomes:
A lack of shared definition:
A key initial hurdle raised was a lack of shared understanding on what the term ‘writing’ refers to in
practice. While participants agreed that there is a mutual understanding of what ‘reading’ means in
the sector, citing processes like ‘decoding’, it was clear that this shared understanding does not
extend to writing. Participants agreed that while some interpret ‘writing’ as distinct from ‘writing for
pleasure’, it is not agreed whether the term refers to functional literacy and concrete skills like
handwriting or sentence structure, or more abstract endeavours like description and imaginative
work.
Research gaps:
Due to the complexity of writing as a skill and the challenge of a lack of shared definition outlined
above, it is a difficult area to research and thus to develop clear teaching approaches in schools.
Participants highlighted the inadequate research base that exists for writing, especially in
comparison to reading which receives stronger financial support in research settings.
A lack of political will and systemic infrastructure to drive improvements:
The paucity of research is both driven and compounded by a lack of political will. Reading outcomes
are benchmarked by PISA and PIRLS but a similar international comparative is not available for
writing. Without the incentive of external accountability, a greater, more deliberate focus from
national government is needed to drive change in schools.Participants felt that
Ofsted’s focus on reading has driven improvements across the country but writing is not examined
during an inspection so it is less of a priority for the school. A similar systemic infrastructure will be
necessary to see comparable widespread improvements in writing.
Curriculum:
The lack of research outlined above makes it harder for teachers to improve their classroom
practice and pedagogy. Participants highlighted that educators are repeatedly identifying writing as a key
area of the curriculum in which they would like to see greater guidance.. One participant highlighted
that the English curriculum for KS2 comprises a series of statements on what children should have
experienced and which writing skills they should be able to navigate, but this does not constitute
the detail that we see in KS1 reading. They called for a similar directive roadmap for writing in order
to support pedagogy.
Teaching practice:
There were many ideas raised about the best way to teach writing and some debate over where the
key areas of focus should be, speaking to the points above on the necessity for further research to
gain clarity on best practice.It was also felt that motivation is key: teachers must support pupils to understand
why they are being asked to write and how it matters for their life. Participations mentioned that currently, pupils
initially learn to think of writing as a functional, laborious way of recording knowledge, an
interpretation which then continues into secondary school, decreasing engagement and enjoyment
in writing.
Technology:
Participants discussed the fact that technology may be changing our definition of what ‘writing’
means for young people. We may forget that children are engaging their writing skills daily on the
internet, but writing a social media post falls outside the definition of writing in education. This
discussion gave rise to a broader consideration of technology as a potential threat to writing
outcomes.The discussion briefly touched on the onset of artificial intelligence (AI) and the changes it is bringing
to teaching practice, the classroom and children’s home lives. It was felt that current tools available
make expert teachers more expert and novice teachers less likely to develop their skills. Participants
agreed on the need for parameters, guidance and regulation to ensure any tools are effective,
reliable and safe.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD):
Finally, a major part of the discussion focused on the need for more CPD for teachers to improve
their teaching of writing, alongside the capacity to undergo this training. Participants agreed that
educators are lacking in the whole-school CPD required to understand not just the details of their
own curriculum, but also what came before in a child’s learning and how to close the gaps. This is
especially important for writing, as the assessments at the end of KS2 require the evaluation of a
portfolio of written work which dramatically increases teachers’ workload.
