At the National Literacy Trust, our definition of literacy is deliberately broad because we know that a narrow focus will not raise literacy levels for our target communities. Through our CPD and resources offer, we are committed to ensuring that teachers and education practitioners are equipped to support the broad needs of their pupils (and ignite the abilities that the SPAG tests can't reach!).
This includes both finding ways to support writing for attainment and writing for enjoyment.
When children enjoy writing and write daily in their free time, there can be great benefits for their self-expression, confidence, creativity and wellbeing as well as for their writing skills and critical thinking skills.
All of our writing for enjoyment activity created for and delivered in schools is built on our three-pillar approach to improving writing engagement:
- inspiring writing through memorable experiences,
- modelling real writing with professional writers, and
- providing a real audience and purpose for writing.
In this article, we will explore some of the ways we apply these pillars to our free resources, programmes and education provision and suggest how we can help you make space for writing for enjoyment in the classroom. You will also find resources, training and programmes to help you develop engaging and creative strategies for improving writing in your school throughout the year.
To kick off, here are our top tips for promoting a love of writing in the classroom:
Five ways to encourage writing in your classroom
- Join with the nation to celebrate writing as we mark National Writing Day every year in June. This is a great opportunity to dive into our resources and events for all phases and start, or reinvigorate, the conversation about supporting children to write in their own time. However, National Writing Day is just the beginning. Our tailor-made resources can be used throughout the year. Don’t forget to visit our events listings too, where you will find regular and inspiring opportunities to hear from authors, creators and poets as they host workshops and celebrate the power of writing to transform, inspire and excite.
- Create opportunities for free writing - provide pupils with a free writing notebook that is just for them and will not be marked, assessed or critiqued. This is a brilliant way to encourage more reluctant writers to just have a go. Our research showed that teens in particular were more inclined to diary writing, letter writing and free writing on paper such as notebooks. You could introduce Free Writing Friday in your school. Even better if teachers take part too!
- Feel equipped and invigorated as a teacher - Join our primary Writers for Life project which will take place in January 2027. Based on the IPEELL approach this intervention and CPD supports teachers to build KS2 pupils' engagement with writing and accelerating their skills. Secondary school teachers might find they become budding new writers themselves once they have attended our writing CPD for KS3 educators in September with the wonderfully infectious, award-winning poet and acclaimed spoken-word artist Steven Camden - aka Polarbear. Throughout the year, we offer inspiring and evidence-based CPD which gives you a chance to grow your own talent and expertise, build confidence and share practise. Find a range of writing-based resources and training here.
- Writing for real audiences - We have developed an annual opportunity for children in primary and secondary settings across the UK to create their own poetry. This is perhaps the ultimate example of how we shape our programmes to provide real audiences for your pupil’s writing. With often spine-tingling results, our free Young Poet Laureate programme includes the chance to interact with, and learn from, professional and passionate poets as well as gain access to online workshops and an inspirational toolkit of classroom materials designed to empower young people to express themselves creatively. Currently taking expressions of interest for 2026-27.
- Free resources to get you started: Check out our free ideas, activities and prompts to encourage writing for enjoyment in the classroom.
Tips for motivating reluctant writers
In our recent research, we found that children who don’t enjoy writing might be motivated to write if they were able to choose their own topics, select their writing style, respond to inspiring prompts and draw inspiration from memorable experiences they wanted to share. Are you providing writing opportunities for every type of writer? We'll take a look at what this means below, and resources to support this.
Start by flipping the script: What type of writer are you?
It's important that we provide enough writing opportunities for pupils. To help identify these opportunities, it can be useful to reflect on what kind of writing engages you.
Perhaps you're a list maker and enjoy getting things out of your head and down on paper?
Or maybe you prefer a gratitude journal, or love writing notes to friends and family, preferably in handmade cards with mini doodles?
Maybe you think there might be a novel in you so you carry around your writer’s notebook in case inspiration strikes?
Or you might be campaigning to save your local library using social media, letters to your local council and articles in your local newspaper.
You might even have been all of these types of writer at different points in your life.
How we can help you to facilitate writing opportunities
The good news is that the children who do write in their free time have told us clearly what motivates them to write. This is a fantastic starting point. Reflect on the opportunities for writing in your school – are your pupils getting the chance to explore creative writing, writing for wellbeing, writing for social connection, and writing for social change? Here are some of the ways we can help:
Create sparks of inspiration
Primary schools across the country signed up for our Comics Rule! Summer Writing packs which include lesson plans and materials that pupils can take home over the holidays.
Secondary schools: take a virtual tour of the National Justice Museum in Nottingham and let poet Panya Banjoko lead your students in writing inspired by the venue. This is a taster of our brilliant Young Nottingham Poets programme!
Writing for wellbeing
What says wellbeing more than nature and poetry?! We bring the two together in our brilliant resources produced in partnership with the RSPB.
Writing for social connection
We've also produced Premier League Magazine Team which is aimed at bringing together your reluctant writers around a shared interest. We’re confident they will forget they’re even writing.
Writing for social change
If your pupils are angry about parking outside the school or concerned about their local playground, harness their conversations and set up a training school for journalists in your classroom.
Older students might be starting to think about how to express their feelings of injustice through lyrics or performance and our Monologue Jam lessons are perfectly placed to support them with this.
And finally...
Remember that ‘good’ writing is about so much more than spelling, punctuation and grammar. Celebrate creative, compelling or original writing in assemblies, displays, and through your school’s reward systems.
Our programmes and resources are proven to (re)engage pupils with a love of writing in all its creative formats – whether that is on paper or through digital devices.