For the past 10 years, Bright Light Education have been running highly popular and highly effective creative writing courses to primary school students in the UK.

Our vision is to create a future where every child has access to high-quality education and the opportunity to thrive. One of our key values is inclusivity, ensuring that all students, regardless of their background or ability, have access to quality education.

In January 2018, the EEF published a report entitled ‘The Attainment Gap’ summarising its key findings relating to academic attainment and economic disadvantage. Their studies showed that the “attainment gap is largest for children and young people eligible for free school meals (the best available measure of economic disadvantage) and those assessed with special educational needs”.

In recognising the positive impact that tutoring can have on academic attainment, we are committed to supporting children from low income households, with their education and academic attainment. It is for this reason that we are applying for funding from the Arts Council England, to deliver our Igniting Writing Creative Writing Course to children from low-income households.

In July 2024, the National Literacy Trust published it’s annual report entitled, Children and Young People’s Writing in 2024. 

Within this report, they concluded:

• Fewer than 3 in 10 children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoy writing in their free time, which is at the lowest levels since 2010.
• Just 1 in 9 (11.1%) children and young people told us that they wrote something daily in their free time.

These results are startling and devastating. Writing for pleasure has so many benefits and it is what we wholeheartedly believe in:

Academic attainment

It is unsurprising to hear that those children who write for pleasure are more likely to have higher literacy grades. Research by the National Literacy Trust found that those who enjoyed writing were 7 times more likely to write above the expected level for their age compared to those who did not enjoy writing.

These studies sadly reflect the Key Stage 2 attainment levels. In the latest assessment results published in July 2024, 72% of pupils met the expected standard at the end of Key Stage 2, a lower figure than reading and maths, and far lower than pre-covid levels.

Self-Expression and Confidence

Writing for pleasure undoubtedly promotes self-expression and confidence. These are crucial for the development of young people and for nurturing their individuality. Through writing for pleasure, young people can learn to communicate effectively, improving their people skills and gaining confidence as individuals.

Mental Health

According to the 2023 National Literacy Trust report, 1 in 4 children and young people stated that writing made them feel better. We believe that writing allows young people to express and explore emotions in a reflective way. It can also enable young people to process emotions that may be difficult to express verbally.

Creativity and Imagination

Last but certainly not least, writing for pleasure is fun! Learning to write, particularly through storytelling, allows young people to express themselves freely. Your imagination can run wild and, through storytelling, you can escape normality and transport yourself to new worlds, encountering new characters and scenarios. Completing a piece of creative writing can be incredibly satisfying, giving an enormous sense of accomplishment to young learners.

1 in 2 children and young people stated that they write to be creative, whilst 2 in 5 children stated that they write to express their ideas and imagination (40.5%) or thoughts and feelings (45.5%). (National Literacy Trust)

Our 10-session Igniting Writing Course is designed to support Years 4-6 children with creative writing. We have run this course for almost 10 years now, and it has a proven record for raising children’s attainment in literacy.

The course focuses on improving children’s writing skills through the art of storywriting. It teaches children how to express emotions in writing, as well as how to use literary devices to enhance their writing style. Within this course, children improve their vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar, as they are integrated naturally into the process. In the first five sessions, we focus on learning different skills or techniques, including mastering figurative language, using the Show Don’t Tell technique, and learning how to build suspense effectively. In the second five sessions, we focus on learning how to structure a story, including describing the character and setting, as well as learning how to create a powerful story starter and first paragraph.

Our Creative Writing Skills book is used during the course to accompany the sessions. This book has sold over 7000 copies on Amazon with a 4.6 star rating. It is a book which students can use long-term to support their writing skills and inspire a love of writing.

Example Lesson:

Here is a taster of what our lessons look like. Just click on the three dots to make it full screen!

Parent feedback

We collect and analyse parent feedback. In our 2024 Annual Survey, 100% of parents stated that they were ‘delighted’ or ‘happy’ with the course. 86% of parents were ‘delighted’.

Assessments

Influenced by the UK National Curriculum, we developed our own ‘Raising the BAR’ assessment for writing. Since autumn 2023, we have assessed children’s writing before and after the course, using 21 writing criteria customised for each year group. Here are the results from fifteen students who submitted pre-course writing and on a weekly basis over 12 weeks in the summer term of 2024:

Here are the results of 5 students from low-income households, who attended our Igniting Writing Course:

These results show the significant progress that can be made during our courses.

For more information on our ‘Raising the BAR’ writing assessment, please visit our blogpost here.

During the Spring 2024 term, 6 children from low-income households attended our Igniting Writing Course for free. Here are samples from one of the students, as she progressed through the 10 week course. As well as weekly constructive feedback, we assessed her work summatively, using our BAR assessment grid. She progressed from 5/21 at the start of the course, to an overall score of 20/21 at the end of the course. You can read her final report here.

After 3 Weeks

The student is now using a range of figurative language to develop her descriptions.

After 10 Weeks

The student is incorporating language, skills and structure effectively to create her story.

“My 9 year old absolutely loved your creative writing course. Every week she built on her existing skills, she was challenged (in a good way!) and the feedback was encouraging and useful. The tutor was super friendly and the course has really helped to grow her confidence and given her the skills to write with greater depth. Thank you!” Parent

“What a fantastic course! We had a great teacher. My daughter is so much more confident in both – her abilities and in working independently in writing tasks at home and at school. Am glad to have found you folks! I used to worry about her, now am at peace knowing she will be fine and thriving.” Yamini, Parent

“The Igniting Writing course is a real gem! My son’s story writing and structure has greatly improved Over the term, he’s acquired many more literary devices and overall knowledge about story structure and puts that into his writing with confidence and ease. Many of his pieces throughout the course and the progress he made, astonished me and I felt grateful to the teacher who was able to motivate and enhance my son’s writing skills and story telling. I would HIGHLY recommend this course.” Patti, Parent

“It was our luck. I just looked at the creative writing course online and thought it might help our child. He never liked writing especially if given task to explain or be creative. After joining we could see the improvement from the very first session. The teacher has been amazing. Very professional she knew how to bring out the best from him. Very happy and satisfied. I think it’s the best we did for him. Now booking the next course. If you are confused and trying to help your child regarding creative writing then think no more. You will see the improvement and confidence soon.” Syedah, Parent

“My daughter really enjoyed her creative writing course! It’s amazing to see such a marked improvement in her writing. She has learnt so much- we both have! The course greatly increased her confidence- no more ‘blank page syndrome’; no more frustrated cries of “I hate English!” and “I can’t do it!” She’s a completely different girl! 10 weeks ago she dreaded writing tasks, rated herself as “rubbish” at English and only read under duress. Now, she loves reading (and pointing out all the techniques she’s learnt) and can happily make a solid effort writing about pretty much anything (with some beautiful description!). Thank you so much for helping her get on track, ready for year 5. I’m hoping the enthusiasm you’ve ignited will endure and she will continue to grow.” Iram, Parent