Creative Writing: Cracked

What is the most effective way of encouraging all children to explore and experiment with creative writing?

The aim is something that we can all aspire to: to make creative writing an enjoyable activity for all children.

But how?  Especially with KS2 children who proclaim that they hate writing and can’t do it, and indeed don’t know what to say.

One particular approach that appeals to many is the sense of the utterly absurd – as with a request to write out the differences between a bicycle and a banana.

When an activity like this is then accompanied by instructions which seem contrary to the normal approach to writing (such as “write quickly” rather than “plan carefully”) suddenly the whole meaning of creative writing is changed.

And not only is the child’s vision of creative writing changed at this point, but the child also starts to understand that not all writers work in the same way. For while some do indeed spen

How to create a whole-school Grammar and Punctuation Programme

What is the most effective way of creating a whole-school Grammar and Punctuation programme?

Schools that adopt a whole-school Grammar and Punctuation Programme typically find it easier to respond to the demands of the English Programmes of Study. For not only does it make it easier to have a unified approach to tracking pupils’ progress, but it also ensures that everyone knows what has gone before and what comes next.

However, what can be challenging when creating a whole-school Grammar and Punctuation Programme is knowing which resources will be most suitable. For the resources need to, for example:

• meet the requirements of the English Programmes of Study
• be consistent throughout the programme
• exercise differentiation
• be age-appropriate and highly engag