This year, our Year 6 pupils achieved something we are incredibly proud of: 81% met the expected standard in the SPaG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) SATs, and 26% reached the greater depth standard with many only one or two marks away from either threshold. While we are pleased with these results, we are even more proud of how we achieved them. Many factors contribute to pupil success, but we strongly believe that a key influence has been our consistent and thoughtful adoption of the Writing For Pleasure approach this year — particularly the way we’ve embedded grammar mini-lessons within it.
We’ve long known that grammar, when taught in isolation, can feel disconnected from the creative and purposeful act of writing. Children may become skilled at identifying clauses in a test or labelling a fronted adverbial, but struggle to apply these craft moves meaningfully in their own writing. That was the gap we wanted to bridge — and Writing For Pleasure offered exactly the pedagogical shift we needed.
What changed?
Rather than teaching grammar as a stand-alone subject, we wove grammar mini-lessons into our daily writing practice in the form of teaching one focus craft move a day (Young & Ferguson 2022). These were short, focused sessions, often just 10 minutes, drawn directly from what our pupils needed in that moment — either based on our observations of their writing, the product goals (success criteria) they had set for themselves, or the genre and form they were exploring.
These mini-lessons were always contextualised. For example, rather than just explaining what relative clauses are, we looked at how published writers use them to add precision or detail.
Pupils were then simply invited to use them in their own writing that day. Because they understood the why, not just the how, grammar began to feel like a powerful writer’s tool rather than a hurdle to overcome.
Shifting ownership
One of the most powerful outcomes has been a shift in pupil ownership. Our learners began to see themselves as writers who make real authorial choices — not just trying to tick boxes (Myhill 2021; Young 2025). As a result, their use of grammar became more sophisticated, purposeful, and embedded.
We saw pupils experimenting with sentence types, playing with punctuation for effect, and revisiting grammar points not because they were told to, but because they wanted their writing to be clearer, more persuasive, or more engaging. It wasn’t unusual to hear conversations like, “I changed that to a passive because it keeps me at a distance from my reader and I sound more formal,” or “I used a dash here to break up the tension.”
The results speak for themselves
While we always focus first on writing for meaning and purpose, we’ve been thrilled to see how this approach has also delivered measurable results. Our SATs data shows a significant improvement:
- 81% of our Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in SPaG, a significant increase compared to previous years.
- 26% reached the greater depth standard, demonstrating a deeper understanding and application of grammar knowledge.
Just as importantly, the children themselves feel more confident and empowered as writers. They approach grammar not as a checklist but as a toolkit, and that shift in mindset has been invaluable.
Looking ahead
We plan to continue deepening this approach across the school, ensuring all pupils —regardless of age or experience — benefit from grammar teaching that is meaningful, responsive, and rooted in real writing (Myhill 2021; Young & Ferguson 2022). We’ve learned that when grammar is taught with purpose and joy, children not only achieve more — they become more as writers.
By Justin Gisby-Clark
English Lead & Year Six Teacher – Kingsnorth CEP & English Hub