Developing confident, independent writers starts in the early years, and Ready Steady Write is designed to ensure our youngest learners have the support they need from the very beginning. With a focus on oral rehearsal, sentence construction, phonics alignment, and playful engagement, Ready Steady Write provides a structured and research-based approach to early writing. In this blog, we explore the key features of Ready Steady Write for EYFS, with insights from our consultants and experts who have seen its impact first-hand.

Story Friends: A Friendly Introduction to Narrative Structure

Story Friends are a beloved feature of Ready Steady Write, designed to help children understand the sequence of stories in a fun and accessible way. Our youngest writers need structured support to develop their understanding of narrative, and our Story Friends provide an engaging, memorable scaffold for this learning. While not every story follows the exact same pattern, these characters help children build an awareness of the storytelling elements that will serve them throughout their writing journey.

Louise, our EYFS expert consultant, highlights how this approach extends beyond Reception: "The Story Friends continue into Year 1, reinforcing key story elements and helping children embed their understanding over time. Some schools with nurseries have even introduced them earlier because they are so engaging and effective. Children love these characters and quickly grasp how they support their storytelling."

Sentence Accuracy and Sentence Snake: Building Strong Foundations

Sentence construction is one of the fundamental skills in early writing, and Ready Steady Write ensures children develop this through its Sentence Snake approach. This innovative strategy focuses on oral rehearsal, coherence, and grammar, embedding essential skills through teacher modelling and interactive engagement. Sentence Snake is not just a visual aid—it’s a character that children adore and actively engage with in their daily learning.

Louise explains: "Children need to hear and see how a sentence is constructed. By using Sentence Snake in everyday modelling, we highlight essential grammar features such as finger spaces, capital letters, and full stops—the eye of the snake! Sentence Snake is also closely matched to phonics progression, ensuring it complements any phonics scheme in place at a school."

Phonics Alignment: Supporting Every School's Approach

A common question from teachers is whether they need to use Ready Steady Phonics alongside Ready Steady Write. The answer? No! Ready Steady Phonics is a fantastic companion resource, Ready Steady Write is carefully designed to work alongside any phonics programme.

In the autumn term, EYFS writing units start with simple phrases made up of CVC words (e.g. a pit.) and progresses systematically through phonics phases. Teachers are encouraged to make adaptations based on their cohort’s needs, and because all planning and resources are provided by Ready Steady Write, teacher workload is significantly reduced. This means more time can be spent making meaningful adaptations so that every child can access and thrive in early writing.

Aligned with the EYFS Statutory Framework: Meeting EYFS Writing ELG with Confidence

Ready Steady Write is fully aligned with Development Matters, ensuring children meet the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) for writing. Importantly, it also reflects the latest educational research. Louise notes: "Following the recent Ofsted report, 'Strong foundations in the first years of school,' Ready Steady Write ensures children develop the fundamental skills they need. Oral sentence construction, letter formation, and phonics application are embedded throughout, providing the foundations for successful writing."

Understanding that handwriting can be a barrier to writing, Ready Steady Write includes interactive letter formation videos and printable resources from Ready Steady Phonics. These tools ensure children have ongoing opportunities to revisit and refine their fine motor and letter formation skills.

Enabling Environments: Enhancing Continuous Provision

Every EYFS unit in Ready Steady Write includes an Enabling Environments document, which helps teachers extend writing opportunities across all areas of provision. These documents provide bespoke recommendations for enhancing different areas of the classroom—mathematics, sand play, outdoor learning—all linked to the unit’s Vehicle Text.

EYFS teachers have praised these documents for reducing workload while ensuring that all areas of the curriculum are purposeful and effective. By embedding ambitious vocabulary into everyday activities, children are encouraged to use and apply the rich language they have been exposed to.

Story Songs: The Power of Music in Early Writing

One of the most unique and beloved features of Ready Steady Write for EYFS is Story Songs. Created by one of our Senior Consultants, Jo, who is also a professional singer-songwriter, these songs support language development, phonological awareness, and early writing skills in an engaging and memorable way.

Jo shares her insight into the writing process behind Story Songs: "Musical memory is often underrated, but it plays a huge role in literacy development. When children learn through song, the repetition and melody help them remember new words and concepts. My goal when writing these songs is simple—make them fun! I want them to be catchy, repetitive, and engaging so that children naturally absorb and use ambitious vocabulary in their speech and writing."

Recent Ofsted research supports this approach, emphasising the role of music in developing strong communication and language skills. Singing builds phonological awareness, which is fundamental to early reading and writing. Jo adds: "Music creates an inclusive learning environment. Whether children are singing, clapping, or moving to the rhythm, everyone can participate, making learning accessible and enjoyable for all."

You can see our Story Songs in action here.

S. Kesedzic, EYFS Lead at Banks Road Primary School, highlights the inclusive nature of Ready Steady Write: "For me, the biggest impact has been the inclusivity of the resource in the classroom. I have a varied classroom with lots of needs and abilities, and every child is unique. The musical elements and storytelling actions support children, especially EAL learners and reluctant speakers, by giving them alternative ways to engage and express themselves."

Bespoke EYFS Consultancy: Expert Support for Schools

In addition to the comprehensive resources provided by Ready Steady Write, schools can access tailored consultancy with our EYFS expert, Louise Robinson. Schools using Ready Steady Write have benefited from consultancy sessions that include:

Tailoring and adapting the resource to meet the needs of their specific children.

Developing the wider curriculum to align with Ready Steady Write units.

In-school modelling of high-quality teaching with real EYFS classes.

Classroom environment audits to enhance writing opportunities.

Book looks and moderation support to ensure consistency and progression.

"As a deputy head who brokered some support from Louise, we can't recommend a consultancy day enough! She understood the unique challenges we faced with integrating Ready Steady Write alongside our wider curriculum offer. Louise was friendly, approachable, knowledgeable—everything you want to help Ready Steady Write really shine in your setting. It was beneficial to all: the English Subject Lead, the class staff and, most importantly, our little people! Thanks, team Ready Steady Write and to Louise."
-C. Dootson, Deputy Headteacher at Feniscowles Primary School, February 2025

Final Thoughts: A Resource That Truly Supports Early Writers

With its well-researched strategies, engaging characters, seamless phonics integration, and musical storytelling, Ready Steady Write provides EYFS practitioners with everything they need to nurture confident, enthusiastic young writers. Schools across the country are seeing the benefits of this structured yet flexible approach, and we are proud to support them on this journey.

If you’d like to learn more about how Ready Steady Write can enhance writing in your EYFS classroom, get in touch with us today!

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