The first wave of inspections under Ofsted’s 2025 Schools Inspection Framework is well underway, and one message is coming through loud and clear: pupils must secure foundational knowledge first.
Across social media, professional networks and inspection feedback, the same point emerges: strong writing outcomes depend on secure, fluent, revisitable knowledge.
This isn’t just about curriculum coverage. It’s about curriculum coherence. The focus is sharper than ever: not how much has been taught, but how well it has been learned.
Recent Ofsted Reviews, reinforced by the Writing Framework, make this explicit. Schools are being asked to show how they build, revisit and secure foundational knowledge. The fundamentals matter: sentence construction, transcription fluency, purposeful vocabulary and grammar for meaning.
Why early writing foundations matter for equity
This is more than a curriculum compliance issue. It’s an equity issue.
When foundational writing knowledge isn’t secure, it’s pupils with the greatest barriers who fall first.
Children with limited oral language, fewer literacy experiences or additional communication needs are disproportionately affected by curriculum overload, overly genre-led planning and surface-level writing tasks.
Strong, fluent, strategic writing is the gateway to independence. It levels the playing field. It makes learning stick. Investing in foundational writing is one of the most strategic moves schools can make.
So, how can schools do it? Here are five high-leverage foundations to strengthen early writing and support equity.
Five foundations that strengthen writing and support equity
1. Sentence construction is the anchor, not the add-on
Fluency begins at sentence level. Sentence instruction builds the “engine” of writing, helping pupils generate, structure and extend meaning. This isn’t a one-off lesson; it’s sustained rehearsal visible in every writing session.
In practice: Model sentence construction using “I do → We do → You do.” Prioritise sentence stacking, oral rehearsal and strategies like “expand, replace, reorder” to help pupils internalise structure.
2. Learning objectives need to be more than tasks
Generic objectives like “write a newspaper report” miss the point. Objectives should target transferable knowledge, skill or understanding – e.g., “use repetition to build urgency.”
This sharpens modelling, reduces overload and focuses feedback on learning, not just doing.
In practice: Align objectives with a progressive framework. Adjust as misconceptions emerge. Ensure every pupil can articulate what they’re learning and why it matters.
3. Planning should empower, not prescribe
Too often, pupils’ planning is treated as delivery. But great writing plans prepare great writing.
In practice: Co-construct plans, rehearse models before teaching and use visual scaffolds like storyboards or oral plans that pupils can engage with. Revisit and refine plans as pupils write.
4. Editing must build reflection, not compliance
Editing isn’t a checklist. It’s an opportunity to build reflection, resilience and metacognition. Focusing only on SPaG errors isn’t editing – it’s ticking boxes.
In practice: Model live edits, conference with peers and focus redrafting on one element (tone, clarity, cohesion). Use before-and-after examples to make learning visible.
5. Assessment for learning must drive practice
Ofsted isn’t interested in isolated scores. Assessment should inform teaching, helping pupils improve, not just prove what they know.
In practice: Use mini whiteboards, sentence fluency checks and conferencing to gather in-lesson insight. Build systems for responsive feedback and adaptive teaching. Use moderation to reflect on teaching, not just pupil outcomes.
How Leading English supports schools
At Leading English, our approach goes beyond curriculum content. We provide a full implementation and development model to secure foundational writing knowledge and long-term equity. Our offer includes:
- A mapped progression of writing knowledge, including sentence types, vocabulary and grammar
- Explicit sentence instruction and daily micro-writing routines
- Grammar and vocabulary taught in context, not isolation
- Professional development to build teacher expertise and subject knowledge
- Integrated assessment tools to check for long-term retention and fluency
- Planning support that encourages adaptation
We work with schools to build the systems that make writing stick for every pupil. Foundational writing isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the mechanism through which pupils gain clarity, confidence and access.
