How Working Walls Make Writing Visible in Primary Schools
At Banks Road Primary School, Liverpool, the dedication to literacy excellence is clear in every classroom. Since adopting Ready Steady Write, the school has achieved significantly improved writing outcomes for all children, and their use of Working Walls is a shining example of how the resource supports high-quality teaching and learning through Ready Steady Write.
What is Ready Steady Write?
Ready Steady Write is an evidence-based writing resource that provides a clear teaching sequence: Immerse, Analyse, Plan, Write. It is designed to give all children the skills and confidence to develop their own writer’s voice. Using high-quality literature and carefully structured lessons, Ready Steady Write ensures progression, while supporting teachers with detailed units, Example Texts, sentence accuracy sessions, and planning tools.
Working Walls play an integral role in this process, helping children to reflect upon and internalise the writing journey while making learning accessible for all. The working wall offers a footprint of teaching as a class moves from reading into writing.
What Are Working Walls and How Do They Work?
In Ready Steady Write, Working Walls are unfolding classroom displays that show the writing process in real time. This acts as a footprint of the teaching that has taken place. Amongst many things, they provide a strong visual of the grammar, vocabulary, shared writing and sentence accuracy work that has been explored with the children. In Ready Steady Write they reflect the research-informed teaching sequence of Immerse, Analyse, Plan, Write, and help children understand just how writing works.
Importantly, Working Walls are not an additional workload for teachers. They are built during lessons with the children, making them an authentic representation of shared learning rather than a pre-prepared display. This approach supports children in internalising writing skills and knowledge, and provides a practical tool for applying their learning to independent writing tasks.
Impact on Writing Outcomes
At Banks Road Primary, the use of Working Walls has transformed the teaching of writing, providing consistency across year groups. Each wall includes features such as:
vocabulary
grammar
setting galleries
Sentence Accuracy
handwriting
Writer’s Knowledge
Example Texts (WAGOLL)
and more!
This ensures that children have access to the tools they need to write confidently and independently. With a strong visual presence in the classroom, they also allow children to revisit and apply their learning, helping them develop stamina, accuracy, and creativity in their writing.
“Literacy Counts have transformed the teaching of English at every level in our school (from teaching assistant, teachers to leadership). We cannot praise them enough.”
A Closer Look at Banks Road Primary
Banks Road’s dedication to the teaching of English is evident in their careful implementation of Ready Steady Write. Their Working Walls capture the spirit of the resource, engaging children in meaningful learning while reducing teacher workload. Their classrooms exemplify the value of Working Walls, combining high standards with practical desktop tools to support children’s learning journey.
“The online resources were better quality than I could have provided myself, which saved on workload and led to better learning and outcomes.”
A Big Thank You to Banks Road!
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Banks Road Primary School for highlighting the value of Ready Steady Write and Working Walls. Your dedication to improving writing outcomes is inspiring and demonstrates the impact on children’s writing outcomes.
You can learn more about Banks Road on our Flagship School page, here.
Discover Ready Steady Write for Your School
Ready Steady Write equips schools with the tools, resources, and support needed to transform writing outcomes. From Working Walls to expert consultancy, we’re here to help every school achieve literacy excellence.
👉 Find out more here.
