The Writing Framework
For anyone involved with or interested in primary English education, it will not have escaped your notice that the DfE has recently published its Writing Framework guidance. As with any such publication, there is always a huge flurry of activity, especially online, where educational advisors, scheme writers etc., rush to prove that they tick the boxes that the guidance suggests. They then go on to wear their comparison charts of ‘what the framework says and what we provide’ as a proudly displayed badge of honour.
This is where the SLN is different.
Dare I admit, as the manager, that I didn’t even read it the day it was published – I was too busy and focused on supporting schools that day. Nor did I read it the day after, when all the ‘considered’ responses came out in such a flood. I have now read it – twice so far – and, as the image shows, couldn’t help but go old school and get the highlighter pens out. At first, I was loving the chance to get out the fluorescent green for where our values, resources and advice are in accordance with the framework. However, the SLN’s full response to members will not go out on one quick social post: it will roll out slowly – taking each section and exploring deeply what it means. Not only what it means now, but also what it means in the context of what has gone before, and what it will mean in actual practice on the ground floor. Opinions about certain statements and advice contained within it may change over time. Within my own first and second readings, my thoughts have shifted on certain aspects. Like any good lesson plan, you try it out with pupils and then adapt to what works best.
When the Reading Framework came out in 2023, it became a thread that ran throughout much of our training over the year. We took sections in bite-sized chunks and shared what they could really look like in the classroom, reflecting and adapting where necessary. Likewise, the SLN will dissect and provide support and advice about the Writing Framework. However, this will come after many re-readings, reading around each topic, and careful consideration about what we believe is best for teaching and learning in English as a whole.
The SLN has and will always look at English as a whole, where everything is connected in a way that makes sense for the subject, both as a vital method of communication and an art form. Whilst there is much that will be of great use to teachers and leaders within this new guidance, it would not be a blog from me without a mention of poetry. It gets a mention here, as I could not help but feel a pang of disappointment that it only appears once in the whole of the document, compared to the 147 times the word handwriting appears. Reflecting on this, I would like to end with one quote from page 13 that sums up why connected thinking is important, a quote I will certainly hold on to as I work with colleagues and members through the details of the framework:
“Writing is also important as an art form since, without writing, we would have nothing to read.” *
*p.13 Department for Education (2025) The Writing Framework – GOV.UK