Creative writing through the arts in primary schools

Can more arts and creativity in primary schools improve children’s writing? Our research to address this question began at a time when primary schools were facing continuous pressure to raise writing standards and, simultaneously, struggling to maintain a broad and creative curriculum. Integrating arts with writing… Our strategy to integrate arts with writing coincided with publication of a new National Curriculum (DfE, 2014). Designed to raise standards in core subjects, the programme of study for English is detailed and prescriptive, with more than 60 pages of precise specifications for Key Stages 1 and 2. In contrast, there is little emphasis upon art, design or music, with guidance for these subjects slim at just two pages each. This goes against many educators’ better judgement, as it risks forcing a narrowing of the curriculum, including restricting approaches to the teaching of writing, in order to meet required levels of performance on standardised tests (Beard, 2019).