Research published by the National Literacy Trust and involving more than 71,000 children and young people aged 8 to 18 warns that only one in three (35%) said they enjoyed writing (Clark et al, 2023).
In similar research in 2010, when the NLT first began asking this question, 46% of the responding pupils said they enjoyed writing.
Furthermore, the research shows that while 72% of pupils aged 5 to 8 say they enjoy writing, this drops to 52% for those aged 8 to 11 and then to 26% for 14 to 16-year-olds.
It comes at a time when the pandemic has hit pupils’ writing skills. In 2022, 31% of key stage 2 pupils did not reach expected levels in writing, compared to 22% in 2019.
The NLT’s report points to previous evidence showing the link between writing for enjoyment and attainment in writing. In fact, children who enjoy writing “very much” are seven times more likely to write above the expected level (Clark & Teravainen, 2017).
The new research finds that half of children who write in their own time (50.2%) write be creative, and others write to express their thoughts and feelings (45.5%) and to support their wellbeing (24.5%).
It finds that girls are much more likely to enjoy writing than boys (40% versus 29%). And boys on free school meals are even less likely to enjoy writing (27% versus 35%).
The NLT runs a number of programmes for schools (some aimed at schools in designated areas of low literacy) aimed at encouraging writing for enjoyment.
Chief executive Jonathan Douglas said: “Writing for enjoyment needs to be encouraged, protected, and nurtured as a priority. The reduced scope for creative writing in the curriculum may be affecting children’s motivation and enjoyment for writing, which can, in turn, affect their confidence and literacy skills.
“We also cannot underestimate the long-term effects of the Covid lockdowns on children’s education, including writing stamina and practice, with children from disadvantaged backgrounds affected the most.
“We need to prioritise writing for enjoyment and recognise its important in helping children express their thoughts and feelings as they make sense of the world around them. It is perhaps not a surprise that most children start school with a love of writing in their free time, but this creativity is slowly lost as they progress through the education system. Our priority is to ensure this trend is stopped in its tracks.”
- Clark et al: Children and young people’s writing in 2023, NLT, June 2023: https://bit.ly/42mLK7P
- Clark & Teravainen: Writing for enjoyment and its link to wider writing, NLT, June 2017: https://bit.ly/3oIyJaZ
- NLT: For further information about the charity’s writing programmes, visit www.literacytrust.org.uk/programmes/young-writers/