Book Online CPD: The New Writing Framework Unlocked -
Book Online CPD: The New Writing Framework Unlocked -
DfE The Writing Framework July 2025
Aligned, Actionable, Ahead
After much anticipation and social media speculation, The Writing Framework from the Department for Education was finally released at the beginning of July. The following days saw a flurry of online responses and discussions around what it all means, with the hope that someone would provide a coherent, thorough and easy to digest summary. So, for the last few days, we at Literacy Counts have been turning to our trusty highlighters and unpicking the report line by line. Claire Belisari, Head of Consultancy and Professional Development, takes you through the report section by section and explains how our resources effectively support all children in viewing themselves positively as effective writers.
Your DfE Writing Framework solution starts here!
Report Considerations
Considerations when choosing a writing scheme:
Leaders may consider purchasing a writing programme to support the teaching of one or more aspects of the writing curriculum.
There may also be a role for programmes in training and guiding teachers.
A rigorous programme that includes well-conceived and structured resources.
A school should take time to carefully evaluate their current provision to identify areas for improvement.
Ready Steady Write Solutions
✅ Complementing each other, Ready Steady Write, Ready Steady Spell and Ready Steady Phonics provide a whole school programme for the teaching of all aspects of transcription and composition.
✅ Our resources include implementation guidance documents, effective training launch modules and videos explaining and exemplifying pedagogy and effective teaching approaches. We also have expert consultants who support leaders and teachers, including when considering adaptations to meet the needs of all pupils.
✅ Research backed and award-winning programmes that are comprehensive, sequenced and fully resourced, ensuring high quality teaching and whole school consistency in the teaching and assessment of writing.
✅ Leadership days to launch the programmes include an audit of current provision and identification of areas for development (with review opportunities built in), as well as teacher writing audits, pupil voice, writing environment focuses and action, monitoring and evaluation plans.
1) The Importance of writing and a conceptual model – a key skill throughout school and life
The report asserts that writing helps children to access the curriculum, to think and express ideas, to develop social relationships and to support wellbeing. It also acknowledges how cognitively challenging it is. The report goes on to consider:
The value of talk, including quality back and forth talk with adults, talk to build understanding of written language and sentence formation and modelled collaborative talk to think critically, articulate ideas and engage constructively with others
What writing means for reading
Reading enhances pupils’ grasp of craft, so develop pleasure in reading and motivation
Writing directly benefits reading, including understanding sentence structures and comprehension
Improved spelling correlates with faster reading speeds
Existing texts can be discussed and drawn upon as part of planning writing, but reading for pleasure books should be avoided for this purpose
The Simple View of Writing, which shows that both composition and transcription are needed and MUST be taught; executive functions are important in the writing process and writers need to consider context, purpose and audience
Ways to manage pupils’ cognitive load, including attending to the functional aspects of writing which must be mastered as early as possible to free up working memory, sequenced teaching and the use of models to support
The importance of motivation, build self-belief through effective teaching, developing competence over time and tasks that match knowledge and skills already taught (p22)
Provide meaningful, interesting and challenging writing tasks, with opportunities for collaboration
Set goals, give scaffolds and provide elements of choice, but be aware of the negative impact too much choice can have on novice writers or those with SEND
Personal writing can be timetabled or otherwise, e.g. in continuous provision or extra-curricular clubs
Solution: Did you know that our writing resource Ready Steady Write won the Teach Primary Award in 2023?
The judge from the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) said, “Ready Steady Write is an excellent, user-friendly and comprehensive platform that is long-lasting and rich. It was highly praised by the judges for its impressive joined-up approach, which offers a real wealth and wide selection of resources for whole school planning purposes. In addition to the thorough planning units and examples of children’s writing, clear links to the national curriculum and teaching slides, the website encompasses robust assessment and monitoring strategies. This element was noted by the judges as particularly helpful for those in senior leadership to ensure a consistent approach is easily implemented across the school. Both early career teachers and those well-experienced in the profession will find value within this site.” To find out more about Ready Steady Write, please click here.
2) The importance of Reception
– keep things simple and do things well
This section asks schools to understand the important role that Reception plays in building the foundations for writing, thus supporting children throughout primary school and ultimately preparing them effectively for high school. This part of the report makes the following points and recommendations:
Mastering transcription (controlling a pencil, forming letters, then words and then sentences) prepares children to become writers
Regular, explicit handwriting instruction, in addition to phonics, should be introduced early in Reception
As part of a whole school agreed approach, handwriting should:
Initially include learning movements needed to form letters.
Then children learn how to hold a pencil and the correct position for writing.
They secure understanding of positional words (up, down, around etc.).
Then specific handwriting lesson practice can take place (start by moving pencil to master strokes, moving on to letter formation and later to spacing).
Develop children’s ability to speak in simple sentences and compose orally as the majority of composition will be oral
Ensure high quality interactions with adults and combine with shared reading, storytelling and learning rhymes and songs
Plan for opportunities to share and elaborate on their ideas, supporting vocabulary and language development
Provide opportunities for writing in provision, e.g. creating labels, with demonstration from the teacher
Actively plan to develop gross and fine motor skills, particularly for summer born boys
Use dictation to write single letters, then words, then sentences
It emphasises the need to avoid complex tasks and that children should not be expected to produce extended pieces of writing
Assessment
Sentences and phrases can be transcribed (from dictation) rather than independently composed
Sentences and phrases can be simple rather than extended
Sentences and phrases must be readable, but may contain some mistakes in letter formation
Sentences and phrases do not need to contain punctuation (including capital letters) but punctuation should be taught
Not all words need to be correctly spelt
For Fine Motor Skills, in almost all cases, children should hold a pencil effectively with the tripod grip
Solution: Did you know that our award-winning resource, Ready Steady Write, supports children with the foundations for writing from the moment they enter the classroom? With a focus on oral language, story songs and the development of foundational skills, children are hooked from day 1. They are introduced to the Story Friends, and Sentence Snake helps them to say phrases then sentences. When they can articulate phrases and sentences, they learn how to apply their phonic knowledge and use known graphemes to transcribe dictated sentences. A daily focus on letter formation and a regular focus on common exception words ensures substantial, explicit teaching and practice. To find out more about Ready Steady Write, please click here.
3) Transcription
– make it explicit, cumulative and engaging
The report recognises transcription as the key element of the Simple View of Writing, noting that it is mainly automatic and unconscious for a skilled writer, but that novice writers expend considerable attention and effort to it. Achieving automaticity involves ‘explicit teaching, extensive practice and effective feedback’ (p31). The use of dictation is recommended as a way to avoid overloading working memory when developing transcription skills.
Handwriting
‘The importance of handwriting cannot be overstated’ (p31) and it is a ‘key objective’ (p32). Teach handwriting through:
A clearly sequenced progression starting in Reception
Consistently high expectations throughout primary school
Whole class teaching (demonstrated), with additional support during practice time for those who need it
Teachers modelling high standards of handwriting
A start in term 1 of Reception by trained practitioners
Daily practice, in small steps and cumulative building upon previous learning, which is consolidated before moving on
Revisiting when further practice is needed; additional to handwriting in phonics lessons
Y1 – wide-lined paper. Mid lines may be used to support letter position. Move to narrower lines only when legible and easy to write on wide lines.
Y2 – introduce joins only when each letter is formed correctly. Then practice handwriting discreetly to develop automaticity.
KS2 – increase legibility, consistency and quality, with the aim of increasing fluency and speed
Teach children to hold a pencil comfortably and sit at a table, using a stable writing position. They do not have to sit at a table for the rest of the day
Provide substantial explicit teaching and modelling of both letter formation and the physical elements (holding and manoeuvring the pencil etc.) and substantial practice
Establish ‘ready to write’ routines (p35) across the school and resource appropriately (sharp pencils, grip supports etc.)
Every child should have a good view of the adult and what is being modelled
Choose writing tools appropriate to the task. Some agree that pencil and paper give greater sensory feedback and greater control over handwriting strokes
If a whiteboard and pen are used, choose a pen that is a similar size to a regular pencil or pen
Observe errors to understand writing difficulties and support next steps
Solution: Did you know that we continually develop and refine our resources in light of educational developments and priorities? Our Ready Steady Write EYFS and Y1 units completely align to current Ofsted priorities and the recommendations in The Writing Framework. They include embedded guidance for teaching foundational skills including executive function, transcription and fluency. There are daily opportunities to teach and practice direction, letter formation and sizing, with moving graphics to deliver this aspect of writing in an engaging way.
There is no need for you to purchase a handwriting scheme as a result of the report – for early writers, it is built in to our resource! Find out more about our award-winning Ready Steady Write here.
Spelling
‘The goal is to make sure pupils can spell accurately, so that it become automatic’ (p40). Spelling difficulties increase cognitive load and children will write less, do so less fluently and produce lower-quality writing.
Decide how best to organise spelling lessons (focus groups or whole class teaching)
Systematic, regular, consistent small-step teaching is needed, with opportunities to practise and reinforce
In Reception and Y1, spelling should follow the progression of the phonics scheme (segmenting words and encoding to spell, and learning Common Exception Words). Phonics should continue throughout primary to support spelling
Build pupils’ wider understanding through orthography, morphology (e.g. through the use of morpheme matrices) and etymology
Practise spelling by learning new words, practicing previously taught words, learning common exception words, independent practice activities, planned opportunities to explore the morphology of words and encouragement, acknowledgement and feedback
Marking and assessment suggestions:
Teachers underline lightly in pencil common errors in words already taught and practised / wavy for incorrect attempt
Decide how to best support children – but avoid dictionaries
Consider using a personal spelling book
Assess through more than just spelling tests. Low-stakes testing that prompts recall of previous learning is recommended
During drafting, allow children to write freely, with not too much pressure to spell
Keep a check on common errors, then review, revise and, ideally, consolidate in the next spelling lesson
Typing
Handwriting has some advantages over typing so the teaching of this must be prioritised when teaching handwriting.
Solution: Ready Steady Spell, is designed to ensure that all pupils become fluent, accurate spellers. It is research-informed and impact-proven, helping children secure the essential skills and strategies they need to spell confidently across the curriculum. Through engaging activities, consistent teaching routines and regular opportunities to revisit prior learning, we help children move spelling knowledge into their long-term memory. Our aim is to build confident writers who are equipped with the tools they need to communicate clearly and effectively. Spelling is taught in a clear and systematic way, with regular reviews and assessments. Additional support is provided through Ready Steady Spell: Go sessions, which offer targeted intervention for pupils who need further consolidation. Please click here to find out more,
4) Composition
– transcription is not enough
This section considers the importance of composition as ‘writing depends on articulating ideas and structuring them’ (p47), as well as mastering transcription. It talks about growing research that indicates the best way to teach pupils to write is by teaching them to master sentences (p47).
Sentence work – building understanding of how to construct sentences should be an important component of any writing curriculum. It is the engine that propels pupils from writing the way they speak to using the structures of written language (p48). To do this well:
talk is essential – read stories, talk to children, use rephrasing and provide oral models of sentence structure
provide sentence stems and frames to build oral sentences to link with written structure
use model texts to explore and understand a variety of written language structures
teachers should start by demonstrating single clause sentences with a subject and a verb and build as confidence grows
in the early stages, sentences should be constructed orally (one at a time) and this still has value, once children can transcribe
work on sentences, not longer texts, until children are ready
combine sentences to improve construction and this in turn appears to improve composition
Grammar and punctuation – prioritising the teaching of grammar that helps pupils to master written sentences to convey meaning should be the focus in supporting their writing development (p53).
Grammar will only improve if pupils apply what they have been taught in their writing. It must be contextualised and have an explicit focus on the rules being learned, so that children can make informed choices. They should also be taught the effect grammar creates.
Solution: Sentence Accuracy is a vital element of Ready Steady Write. This daily practice also helps build fluency and stamina for writing. Example sentences are provided for teachers to model explicitly, along with explainers to support CPD and videos to ensure high-quality teaching and consistency across the whole school. Sentence work begins with oral composition, and as skills develop, sentences are dictated to younger children, so that they can apply their handwriting and phonics learning. Children begin with simple phrases then sentences and build as they move through their primary journey. To see the impact daily Sentence Accuracy can have, please click here.
Vocabulary – vocabulary can be built through robust, purposeful, explicit instruction (p54).
Provide repeated exposure to and practice of new words and phrases, providing opportunities to use them
Instruction directed towards Tier 2 words can be productive
Provide pupil friendly explanations, enable encounters in different contexts, analyse the word’s morphology and etymology and use visuals to support understanding
The writing process – understanding that the writing process has different phases will aid them further in composing (p55).
Clear phases: goal, plan, draft, revision, edit, share
Can be used with pupils of all ages but the degree to which they engage will vary by task and age
In Reception and Y1 – may generate ideas orally, have a manageable planning process for sentence-level composition and share what they are going to write
In Y2 – plan, draft, simple additions and revisions and read aloud. This is likely to be used at sentence level in Y2
In KS2 – more developed process that includes planning stops
Write about what they are familiar with, from research, reading or visits. They should research and develop ideas before writing, building vocabulary word banks and practising relevant sentence structures
Planning – helping children to ’think of and organise their ideas before they write’ (p58)
As simple or complex as necessary and results will differ according to age
At KS1 pictures or storyboards can aid planning
At KS2 they may set goals for their writing, discuss with their peers, gather information from previous learning and read model texts to consider key features and writing style
Drafting – ‘where pupils transform their plans into writing’ (p58)
Transcription is not the main focus at this stage
Orally compose at KS1 before writing
At KS2 develop paragraphs that have ‘stopping points’ throughout, so they can retain focus
Revising – ‘Improving their writing to meet the goals of the audience and purpose’ (p58)
Teacher initiates and scaffolds this stage, possibly incorporating peer feedback (to show that first attempts are seldom polished) and over time children manage independently
At KS1 – simple additions and revisions (with their teacher or peers)
At KS2 – assess the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing. They need plenty of time and checklists can be used to scaffold
Editing – identifying and correcting errors grammar, punctuation and spelling’ (p59)
Pupils in Reception and Y1 should not be expected to edit their own work
From Y2 they should be supported to edit and editing symbols may be used
In KS2 there should be regular editing stops during the process of drafting to make it more manageable and an editing checklist can be a helpful support
Explicit practice of using a class text with errors can improve editing of pupils’ work
Sharing – understanding that their work is going to be heard or read develops pupils’ understanding that writing is purposeful (p60)
This can be achieved in a range of ways, including sharing with the teacher, class peers, in a blog or published
Strategies to support the writing process
Explicit teaching
Goal setting
Modelled writing (think aloud), shared writing (particularly supportive for struggling writers), independent writing and guided writing (particularly effective for adapting or adjusting teaching to meet need)
Establishing an audience and purpose
Having a balance of narrative and non-narrative texts
Increasing awareness of audience
Having a clear structure for writing – drawing from reading and analysing model texts to consider structure and language features
Providing age-appropriate planning models
Having a school-wide approach to building paragraphs (from Y3) for structure and consistent teaching, e.g. starting with topic sentences, modelling and deconstructing paragraphs for understanding
Building coherence and cohesion, e.g. through providing examples of words and phrases to transition sentences and paragraphs
Providing regular, frequent and timely feedback, including peer support
Solution: Our award-winning Ready Steady Write enables children to develop into confident, independent and successful writers with high aspirations. It is research-informed and impact-proven, carefully designed to support all children to master the foundational skills and write for a clear audience and purpose. Through the use of high-quality, vocabulary-rich texts, we provide exciting and meaningful reasons to write. Children are immersed in literature and taught to craft their writing with precision, using a range of pedagogical approaches, including sentence accuracy, modelled writing and shared writing, as well as regular opportunities for editing. We value spoken language as a foundation for writing. Through structured talk, drama and vocabulary exploration, children learn how to organise and express their ideas clearly before writing them down. Our aim is for every child – regardless of need – to write fluently and take pride in their work. We want pupils to leave primary schools as enthusiastic writers, ready for the next stage of their education. Please click here to find out more about Ready Steady Write.
5) Pupils who need more support
– Keeping up from the start
Keeping up from the start, through high-quality teaching, adapting practice, considering children’s needs as a whole and providing regular, successful writing experiences. Metacognitive strategies can motivate and engage and the potential impact for disadvantaged leaners can be particularly high (p74).
Identifying pupils who need support early, as regularly as possible and through observation. Be alert to potential barriers and take time to understand the factors that may be leading to slow or effortful writing. While diagnostic labels may be useful, evidence suggests that writing difficulties are similar across pupils with or without disabilities (p75). Accurate targeting of interventions requires reliable understanding of difficulties.
Supporting pupils in class by understanding what aspects of writing a pupil finds difficult, be it handwriting, phonics, spelling, sentence structure, grammar, composition or language. Use whole class teaching to tackle and individual support if required.
Solutions: We have a robust approach to assessment built into Ready Steady Write. This includes our Reflecting on Unit Outcomes document, which breaks writing down into the aspects mentioned above. This ensures class teachers have a deep knowledge of strengths and areas for development for pupils and can adjust sentence work and whole class teaching to meet needs. They can also be used to support next steps for individual pupils if needed. The information gathered provides leaders with a deep understanding of the picture of writing in classes, phases and across school.
Handwriting
Closely observe
Individualised support during the handwriting lesson
Regular instruction and opportunities for practice – done urgently and outcomes monitored
Provide extra time to complete writing activities, if appropriate
Support through digital devices (particularly where transcription is a barrier to composition)
Spelling
Phonics as the primary way to teach spelling
Knowledge of GPCs and spellings should be regularly assessed
Continue with phonics for spelling beyond KS1 if needed
Explicit teaching of morphology and etymology
Solutions: Ready Steady Spell lesson resources provide a highly structured teaching progression to ensure all children become accurate spellers by the end of KS2. The programme also requires teachers to carry out frequent, regular and consistent monitoring of children’s attainment against the Teaching Progression document. Close monitoring and tracking of all children’s progress is gained though regular formative and summative assessments. It is through such assessments, that those children in danger of falling behind the pace and progression set out in the programme, are identified.
Ready Steady Spell: Go sessions are additional. They are designed to close gaps identified through regular formative and summative assessments.
Composition
Provide focused teaching and additional instructions during whole class teaching to master the individual elements of composition
Provide additional scaffolds such as sentence stems or increased opportunities for oral rehearsal
Language
Provide additional opportunities for talking during the planning stage, consolidating vocabulary
More opportunities for oral rehearsal or more extended use of sentence stems
Create language-rich schools to support writing
Solution: We build the development of working walls into Ready Steady Write, supporting a language-rich environment. Much of the learning in the units is collaborative, with multiple opportunities to focus on vocabulary and oral rehearsal. We provide word banks for all writing opportunities and have a practical approach to vocabulary development, which is engaging, meaningful and fun. Child-friendly definitions accompany words for our youngest learners and writing is built on a sea of talk.
Headteachers are responsible for making sure that all teachers have high expectations of pupils who require further support and use the graduated approach of assess, plan, do and review. The report includes guidance to support pupils with developmental language disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia and pupils with more complex needs.
6) Writing across the curriculum
– opportunities to practise, apply and embed ‘ready to write’ routines
The transition from writing in KS2 to KS3 happens during a period of vulnerability and challenge, particularly for struggling writers. The report will help secondary teachers understand the complex teaching of writing and become familiar with the primary curriculum. Teaching of writing should continue into secondary school through good writing routines and models. The significance of disciplinary literacy is highlighted in this section.
For secondary pupils who need additional support:
Identify early
Consider negative attitudes to writing
Support in lessons, then through small group, then 1:1 if needed
More detailed diagnostic assessments are often needed for these pupils
Solution: We provide training for secondary schools as well as primary. One example is a programme of CPD for KS2 and 3 in Cheshire East that was delivered in the 2024-25 academic year, with a focus on struggling readers and struggling writers. This covered subject leader understanding of effective approaches to teaching writing, assessments needed at KS2 and 3 to understand barriers to progress, disciplinary literacy and practical strategies to support all children. For more information about our consultancy and professional development services, please click here.
7) Leadership and Management of Writing
– creating a positive writing culture and developing an effective, well-sequenced writing curriculum
Build a team of expert teachers and appoint someone to manage writing (as well as reading or alongside the reading lead)
Ensure the leader becomes an expert in the school’s writing curriculum and takes part in related professional development
Develop an effective, well sequenced writing curriculum, starting in Reception, where reading and writing are considered together
Create a multi-year plan as impact takes time
Secure high-quality teaching first and secure time for practice, including that of sentence construction
Ensure the right mix of narrative and non-narrative texts (drawing attention to the organisation of these)
The foundations for writing must start in Reception
Identify effective teaching practices to remove barriers and know pupils’ starting points to ensure progress (adapting where necessary)
Teach writing for all within English lessons as much as possible, with occasional extra practice if necessary
Use both formative and summative assessment to understand pupils’ writing and support their development effectively. Leaders should monitor and moderate objective and subjective measures, using experts rather than novices to assess writing.
Finally, there is a sub-section dedicated to the use of writing programmes. Here, I have created a table so that you can see how Ready Steady Write completely aligns to the considerations suggested in the report.
Report Considerations
Your DfE Writing Framework solution starts here!
Leaders may consider purchasing a writing programme to support the teaching of one or more aspects of the writing curriculum.
There may also be a role for programmes in training and guiding teachers.
A rigorous programme that includes well-conceived and structured resources.
A school should take time to carefully evaluate their current provision to identify areas for improvement.
Ready Steady Write Solutions
✅ Complementing each other, Ready Steady Write, Ready Steady Spell and Ready Steady Phonics provide a whole school programme for the teaching of all aspects of transcription and composition.
✅ Our resources include implementation guidance documents, effective training launch modules and videos explaining and exemplifying pedagogy and effective teaching approaches. We also have expert consultants who support leaders and teachers, including when considering adaptations to meet the needs of all pupils.
✅ Research backed and award-winning programmes that are comprehensive, sequenced and fully resourced, ensuring high quality teaching and whole school consistency in the teaching and assessment of writing.
✅ Leadership days to launch the programmes include an audit of current provision and identification of areas for development (with review opportunities built in), as well as teacher writing audits, pupil voice, writing environment focuses and action, monitoring and evaluation plans.
8) Our Support and Solutions
- Ready Steady Write, Spell & Phonics
At Literacy Counts, we understand the importance of getting writing right – for every teacher, every child and every school. Our Ready Steady Literacy resources are carefully designed to align with the recommendations in the DfE Writing Framework (July 2025), supporting strong foundations, inclusive practice and high-quality teaching from Reception to Year 6.
If you would like to explore how Ready Steady Write, Ready Steady Spell, Ready Steady Read Together or Ready Steady Phonics could support your school’s literacy priorities, we would love to hear from you. Get in touch to request free sample access or to book a one-to-one call with our team. We are here to help you raise outcomes and build a confident writing culture across your school.
