Developing approaches to writing in the secondary English classroom

Lin Goram, English Subject Development Lead, Teach First, UK Writing and the National Curriculum for English Reading and writing are given broadly equal emphasis in the most recent iteration of the National Curriculum for English (DfE, 2014). But the two are positioned differently. The National Curriculum recommends that cultural, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual development are achieved ‘through reading in particular’. A curriculum is put forward that supports students to ‘develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment’ (DfE, 2014, p. 2). Conversely, the emphasis on developing skills of writing in English focuses more on the functional. Students need to be able to ‘write clearly, accurately and coherently’ (DfE, 2014, p. 2). This is unsurprising: writing is often seen as a functional tool of communication. There is one slightly oblique reference to self-expression: through speaking and writing, students should be able to ‘communi