The 2025 DfE Writing Framework offers a comprehensive, research-based and thoughtful guide to writing development in schools. As a dyslexia specialist, I’ve identified ten key themes within the document that are particularly relevant. Below are my reflections.
1. Acknowledge and Reduce Cognitive Load
From the outset, the Framework acknowledges a critical truth: writing places considerable demands on working memory. This is especially relevant for learners with dyslexia and other forms of neurodiversity. Children must manage handwriting, recall spellings, organise ideas, and express themselves – all at once. This can be overwhelming. The recognition of this cognitive load in the Framework is welcome.
2. Teach Handwriting Explicitly
Handwriting often remains a barrier to success well into Key Stage 3. The Framework rightly emphasises the importance of explicit instruction from the Reception year, including not just letter formation but also posture, pencil grip, and paper position. In my experience, many children with dyslexia may not have been developmentally ready when these skills were first taught. It is crucial to revisit and reinforce them throughout primary school, and even beyond.
3. Don’t Leave Writing to Chance in the Early Years
It’s a common myth that all children will naturally explore early writing through mark-making and play. But as the Framework points out:
Not all children will play at writing. Given a choice in their play, some children may choose other physical activities, such as building, climbing and balancing rather than sitting and writing.
Emergent writing does not arise automatically for every child. In my experience of assessment, many of those who avoid early mark-making are identified as dyslexic. If we leave the development of early writing to chance or choice alone, we risk initiating the “Matthew Effect” – where the gap between more and less confident learners widens over time – as early as Reception class.
4. Prioritise Purpose Over Forced Creativity
The Framework reminds us of the importance of writing with purpose:
Too often, pupils learn to write for the circular purpose of learning to write and find little personal purpose or value in it.
For learners with dyslexia, writing often brings cognitive overload and repeated correction. Expecting all children to generate large volumes of creative writing is unrealistic, and in fact the message that they should all enjoy this can be harmful. The Framework cautions against confusing authentic purpose with unbounded creativity. Just as not every adult enjoys running marathons, not every child thrives on unrestricted creative writing.
5. Scaffold Writing to Build Confidence
Strategies like paired writing, oral rehearsal, dictation, and guided planning discussions can reduce the transcription burden and help pupils focus on composition. The Framework promotes a structured, step-by-step writing process (See Figure 1) that goes far beyond mechanics; an approach that benefits all learners, especially those with dyslexia.
6. Prioritise Talk and Language Development
Talk precedes text. The Framework reinforces the importance of oral composition, sentence stems, and modelling writing aloud. For dyslexic learners, verbal planning and shared composition demystify the writing process. We must create classrooms where thinking aloud and planning together are the norm.
7. Teach Spelling Systematically
The Framework’s emphasis on systematic spelling instruction (including phonics, orthography, and morphology) is encouraging. Dyslexic learners benefit from structured, explicit teaching that breaks spelling into understandable parts and patterns. While assistive technology has revolutionised the function of writing and undoubtedly relieves the load for dyslexics, we must not use this as a reason to avoid the systematic teaching of spelling.
8. Use Morphology to Unlock Spelling and Vocabulary
Explicit teaching of morphology (prefixes, roots, and suffixes) is clearly recommended by the Framework, and the inclusion of morpheme matrices, which align closely with the portals used in Morph Mastery , is particularly welcome. I’d love to see the morphological approach extended to include more Old English spelling patterns, not just Latin and Greek, as illustrated in figure 2.
The Framework also supports my own research and work in morphological intervention as a complement to phonics based interventions.
Pupils who continue to struggle with spelling beyond the end of their key stage 1 phonics programmes may benefit from continuing with phonics for spelling. They may also benefit from explicit teaching of morphology and etymology.
I couldn’t agree more. Understanding how words are constructed helps pupils decode and encode, relieving cognitive load when phonological skills are less secure.
9. Extend Writing Support into Secondary Education
While the primary phase is the Framework’s main focus, it rightly acknowledges that the need for writing support continues into secondary school. Subject teachers must understand the complexities of writing as it features across the curriculum. Dyslexic students often have the potential to succeed in a wide range of subjects, but literacy is still essential within each subject and needs explicit teaching.
10. Support dyslexics with high quality instruction and intervention
Although the Framework uses an older definition rather than the 2025 research based Delphi definition of dyslexia, the message is the same. Dyslexia can be a significant barrier to writing and high quality teaching with scaffolding is necessary. However, the Framework is clear that diagnostic labels should not be the driving force behind intervention. This is vital. Dyslexia looks different in different individuals; what matters is the need. For interventions to be effective, they must be targeted, needs-led, and based on careful observation and assessment.
Final Thoughts
Literacy underpins every aspect of our education system—but for dyslexic learners, this can feel like a relentless and discouraging truth. Imagine if students could demonstrate their strengths across the curriculum without being limited by pencil and paper. With the rise of technology and AI, I’m hopeful that the metacognitive (thinking) process behind writing will be given its rightful place—and dyslexic learners better supported to flourish. But hope alone isn’t enough. We must get the teaching right. That’s why I welcome the new Writing Framework: too many dyslexic students reach secondary school without secure foundations, and the opportunity to close the gap has already been lost.
This is not good enough. Most children don’t learn to write through creativity alone—and many are left feeling broken by the well-meaning but misguided message that they must read and write for pleasure. What they really need is to read and write for purpose.
Let’s stop romanticising writing—and start making it work for every learner.
If you’re interested in a structured, curriculum-aligned morphological intervention to support learners with dyslexia, take a look at Morph Mastery: https://louiseselbydyslexia.com/morph-mastery/
