Strengthening Writing through Ready Steady Write: Radnor Primary and the Welsh Curriculum
Spotlight on Implementation at Radnor Primary, Cardiff
Radnor Primary School, located in Cardiff, is one of our Welsh schools successfully implementing Ready Steady Write and adapting it to the Welsh Curriculum. The school is a vibrant learning community committed to nurturing confident, articulate and creative learners. Under the leadership of Headteacher L. Williams, the school has placed a strong emphasis on improving writing standards and fostering a love of literacy across all year groups.
Below, Headteacher L. Williams shares how Ready Steady Write has supported their journey towards achieving consistency, creativity and high aspirations in writing across the curriculum.
Please tell us about the implementation of Ready Steady Write at your school
Writing has been a key focus at our school over the past two academic years following an Estyn inspection in the summer of 2023. The inspection highlighted the need to strengthen writing across the curriculum and as a result, it was identified as a priority on our School Development Plan for 2023–2024.
This focus did not stop there. In 2024–2025, writing remained a whole-school priority with a renewed emphasis on developing a consistent approach to teaching writing. Our goal was clear: to ensure high aspirations, meaningful challenge and continuity for every learner regardless of their starting point.
As part of this journey, we revisited the Read to Write programme which the Headteacher had used several years ago. The Headteacher allocated time for senior leaders to explore a sample unit to assess its relevance and effectiveness in supporting our current writing vision. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Leaders felt confident that the programme aligned well with our aims and would provide a strong foundation for improving writing outcomes across the school.
Therefore, in November 2024, we embarked on a transformative journey using Ready Steady Write to raise writing standards and reimagine our pedagogical approach. All staff trialled a unit before receiving professional learning in December; this was highly effective as a coaching model. In January 2025, the scheme was fully rolled out across Years 1–6.
How does Ready Steady Write suit your Welsh Curriculum?
Ready Steady Write is a resource that aligns closely with the writing element of the Literacy Framework. The carefully selected books within the programme offer rich, engaging stimuli that connect seamlessly with our authentic Curriculum for Wales approach. This integration allows pupils to explore writing in meaningful contexts, deepening their understanding and enthusiasm for literacy across the curriculum.
Have you seen particular successes or impact on teaching and learning since using Ready Steady Write?
The impact has been made clear; children want to write and teachers are enthusiastic and passionate in their teaching of writing.
Ready Steady Write has clear progression and emphasis on modelled writing, giving staff a renewed sense of clarity and confidence in delivering writing lessons. It supports consistency while still allowing for professional creativity and adaptation to our children’s needs.
Teachers have become facilitators of imaginative immersion sessions, creating awe and wonder in the introduction to a new book. There is now a shared language around writing and a shared approach to classroom environments using Working Walls to display the writing journey and support writers of all abilities.
Children see writing in action step by step while also gaining the tools to contribute, reflect and build on their own ideas. By embedding modelled writing into our classroom walls, we are not just displaying information; we are creating a living, breathing learning resource that evolves with our children.
Writing is more engaging and purposeful for children and standards have improved. They are eager to develop their vocabulary, experiment with sentence structures and dive deeper into the world of narrative craft. It is not uncommon now to hear children talking passionately about different writing genres – from circular narratives in Year 2 to documentary writing in Year 6.
We have seen a significant improvement in the quality of writing across the school. Vocabulary is richer. Sentence construction is more ambitious. Ideas are more creative and well-developed. Importantly, children have developed pride in their work and confidence in their voices as writers.
How does the resource support your wider goals for writing or align with the Welsh Curriculum?
This year, we are revisiting the focus of writing across the curriculum with a renewed emphasis on ensuring that teaching and learning opportunities support the transference of writing skills. We want the standard of writing across the curriculum to be just as strong as in discrete literacy sessions.
Our curriculum is thoughtfully constructed through five lenses that represent the challenges and opportunities facing our learners as citizens of both our local community and the wider world: Diversity, Power, Environment and Sustainability, Cynefin and Community, and Technology. These lenses provide a rich context for writing, encouraging pupils to explore complex ideas and express themselves with clarity and purpose.
Ready Steady Write provides high-quality texts that serve as excellent stimuli for our Curriculum for Wales approach. These texts have helped bring writing to life, allowing pupils to engage with meaningful content that reflects the world around them.
By consistently applying the pedagogical principles of the writing journey and integrating high-quality texts, we have seen significant improvements in writing standards. Our learners are not only writing more confidently but are increasingly able to apply their skills in other contexts, demonstrating a deeper understanding and greater independence.
What feedback have you received from staff regarding planning, delivery and workload?
One of the most powerful aspects of our writing journey has been the unwavering commitment of our staff. Their enthusiasm for the introduction of Ready Steady Write has been exceptional. Teachers have embraced the programme wholeheartedly and the positive impact on writing standards across the school has been clear and measurable.
Staff not only recognise the value of high-quality texts and consistent pedagogy but they also relish the opportunity to see pupils thrive in their writing. This collective dedication has played a vital role in embedding a culture of high expectations and continuous improvement.
“I was a little hesitant at first, that using a scheme might impinge on the authenticity of the writing we chose to deliver but I need not have worried! After trialling RSW it was clear that it allows schools flexibility and we find it easy to authentically match texts to our curriculum. The texts are high quality, broad in range and engaging. The scheme itself is user friendly and schools have control over elements of content delivery while ensuring a consistent approach. After using RSW for a whole academic year, the staff are all positive about it but most importantly the learners are too, with increased levels of enjoyment and confidence reported. Standards in writing have improved significantly across the whole school.”
“The lesson plans for RSW are well structured and easy to follow. The way that the children are immersed in the vehicle texts even before reading them creates a real sense of awe and wonder. The books we have used so far have been very engaging for the learners and I particularly enjoyed teaching from The Something as I feel that the wonderful illustrations really stimulated the children's imaginations and they produced some fantastic writing as a result.”
“I have noticed a real improvement in the quality of children’s writing. The children are much more engaged and particularly love the immersive elements. The approach is clear, consistent and shows strong progression. I really enjoy teaching it. Best of all, planning is all done for you!”
“The Ready Steady Write curriculum has had a significant impact on children’s learning at Radnor, providing them with rich, high-quality texts that inspire a love of writing. It has strengthened their vocabulary, creativity and confidence while supporting progression across genres and developing them as purposeful, independent writers.”
We also hosted writing showcases for parents and carers to join their children for an Immerse session and to view examples of previous work. These were very well received and attended; feedback from parents and carers was highly positive.
“I joined my child's class for this this morning and just wanted to share back that it was lovely! The kids were so engaged and the way the learning was put together was so thoughtful to make it interesting. Mrs Pritchard led it very well and clearly took care to encourage participation from everyone in the class – please pass positive feedback on – a lot of effort had gone into all the planning and it really was just lovely to experience. My daughter always says she loves the literacy lessons, now I can see why. Big thanks!”
Are you able to share any writing outcomes, progress data or reflections from your first year?
As a school, we have seen an improved positive relationship with writing for nearly all learners. Learning Review meetings in the summer term celebrated accelerated progress from starting points for many learners. Our children are not just writing to a higher standard – they are writing with purpose, excitement and flair.
We have celebrated the successes of our Ready Steady Write journey along the way; inviting families to writing showcases, introducing a half-term Young Writer award and sharing progress with key stakeholders such as our Improvement Partner and governors.
We are proud of the strides we have made with writing at Radnor but we are even more excited about where we are headed. The Ready Steady Write scheme and our recent visit to flagship school Banks Road Primary in Liverpool have given us the tools and inspiration to continue nurturing a love of writing in every child – and that, for us, is the most powerful outcome of all.
Ready Steady Write: Pupil Voice
What do you enjoy most about your writing lessons?
Has Ready Steady Write helped you become a more confident writer?
What has been your favourite unit or writing activity so far?
What helps you know when your writing is good?
Pupil quotes:
Year 1 pupil: I use our Working Wall to help with my writing. Sentence Snake is fun when we sort out the words.
Year 3 pupil: I look forward to finding out about the books. I enjoy publishing my work, like making a class book. I like reading the WAGOLL because it gives me ideas.
Year 5 pupil: I enjoy seeing how I improve from the Cold Write by learning the skills to use in my Hot Write. My favourite part is publishing my work. I enjoy peer assessing people’s work and seeing other ideas.
Year 5 pupil: We use lots of good books, the lessons are interactive and we can build our skills which improves the quality of our writing.
Year 6 pupil: I enjoy concentrating on a certain book and becoming familiar with it. To add to that, I feel it has improved my writing skills.
Find out more
Ready Steady Write is an award-winning writing resource designed to develop confident, independent writers from EYFS to Year 6. Rooted in high-quality literature, it provides a clear teaching sequence – Immerse, Analyse, Plan, Write – and supports vocabulary, grammar and sentence accuracy within engaging, meaningful contexts. Schools using Ready Steady Write benefit from expert consultancy, leadership support and resources that reduce teacher workload while raising writing standards for all learners.
Discover how Ready Steady Write can transform writing in your school.
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