Conceptualisations of ‘good’ writing in the English primary school context

Abstract

This study investigates conceptualisations of ‘good’ writing held by local education leads, primary school teachers and their pupils following the most recent iteration of England’s National Curriculum. Despite curricular changes designed to improve writing performance, significant discrepancies in ‘good’ writing constructs and priorities are recorded across stakeholder groups: leads primarily value the interpersonal and stylistic aspects of writing, pupils conceptualise writing quality as a mastery of ‘technical accuracy’ whereas teachers frame writing as an opposition between reception matters and technical accuracy. Our analysis also indicates that the latest curriculum guidelines provide less detailed information on the non-compositional aspects of writing than earlier descriptors. This is likely to influence school practice and negatively impact the development of a shared concept of ‘good’ school writing that may be foundational for substantial improvements in children’s writing outcomes.