On the laundry list of concerns in education right now, the stubbornly persistent slump in writing achievement looms large.

Doubling down on spelling and grammar hasn’t fixed it. Which leaves many educators wondering where to next.

“It’s time to stop throwing things at the wall to see what sticks,” says McVeity. “Teachers are depleted and overwhelmed. They need a clear game plan for teaching writing that actually works.”

McVeity is the founder of Seven Steps to Writing Success, an evidence-based writing program that focuses on the authorial skills of writing.

She argues that writing is not just about spelling and grammar; it’s about communicating.

“Strong communicators get better jobs, have more positive relationships, negotiate the world more confidently.”

Teachers from over half of Australia’s schools are now part of the Seven Steps community. And the program has scored multiple industry awards for its curriculum-aligned training and resources.

“The awards are nice and transforming writing at scale is incredible,” claims McVeity, “but it’s the individual stories that make it so real and rewarding and tangible. Which is why I wanted to share these writing wins from three very different schools.”

Win #1 Empowered teachers in PNG

Teaching writing is complex. And many teachers report they lack the confidence and skills to teach it.

Wayne Kirk saw this amplified when he joined the International Education Agency PNG as Education Advisor – a role that supports 17 schools across Papua New Guinea.

While the teachers he worked with were committed and enthusiastic educators, the majority were unsure how to effectively develop students’ writing.

“For a long time, reading was the sole focus of teacher professional learning in literacy,” Kirk says.

Add to this the challenge of multi-age classrooms, with only two teachers from Foundation to Year 8 in some instances. Despite all this, Kirk saw the perfect opportunity to improve students’ writing skills by empowering their teachers.

“When I was teaching in Queensland, I discovered the Seven Steps program. I was excited to introduce it to schools in PNG.”

Kirk invited the Seven Steps team to train leading teachers from the 17 schools, who then returned to their schools and trained other teachers in the Seven Steps.

Within weeks of implementing the program, writing results began to soar. They saw an average 35% improvement in writing data across 4,500 students in just one term.

“The craft skills of writing significantly improved. And students look forward to writing lessons.”

“Seven Steps has significantly enhanced teachers’ confidence, knowledge and skills in the effective teaching of writing. Wherever I travel, teachers are eager to share their students’ writing,” says Kirk.

“Most importantly, they enthusiastically talk about the fun and enjoyment they’re having each day in their writing sessions.”

Win #2 A collaborative approach at Al Sadiq College

Research shows that when students work collaboratively, they learn and retain more and have a far more positive attitude towards their learning. Collaborative classrooms are vibrant, interactive and include speaking, writing, reading and listening.

Talk is a vital scaffold for writing for all students, but especially for those from EAL/D backgrounds.

“If you can't say it, you can't write it, so speaking is very important for our students. And the Seven Steps approach helps develop oral language,” says Mary Semaan, Head of Primary at Al Sadiq College, a K–12 school in Sydney where the majority of students come from non-English speaking backgrounds.

When Semaan joined the school in 2018, less than 25% of Years 3–6 students could compose a ‘satisfactory’ piece of writing. Semaan and her team resolved to not just improve student writing, but also impart a love for it. Their hunt for evidence-based practices led them to Seven Steps.

“We’re really passionate about Seven Steps,” says Semaan. “Before, teaching writing was like: Ugh, we’ve got to teach writing again. Now, it’s like: Wow! This really works!”

“This year, 80% of Year 3 and 90% of Year 5 students achieved at strong or exceeding level in NAPLAN. Many of our Year 7 students hit the top scale for the first time!” 

And the wins didn’t stop there. Last year, they entered the Australian National Virtual Debating Competition for the first time. Despite undertaking a debating course, Semaan says it was Seven Steps that made the difference.

“We ended up doing so well because students used the Seven Steps persuasive techniques to build and structure convincing arguments. And our kids knew the techniques to engage the adjudicators.”

Students made it to the knockout stage in the virtual debate, and second place in the Islamic tournament. “This was huge for the kids,” enthuses Semaan. “And huge for the community as well.”

Win #3 Evidence-based resources at Bunbury PS

A recent report by AERO recommended that teachers have greater access to evidence-based resources as a way to improve student writing outcomes.  

Australian School of the Year Bunbury Primary loves data, so when they turned their focus to improving writing results, they did their homework.

“We researched the best writing resource out there that was evidence-based and effective. Seven Steps was the program that reflected our whole-school practices,’ says Principal Franca Dillon.

“Not long after implementing Seven Steps we could see a definite shift in our school writing data. One of the key reasons was the excellent professional learning and practical strategies that could be easily implemented.”

The school uses Teacher Hub, Seven Steps’ online platform, which provides teachers with training videos, planning and assessment tools, and curriculum-aligned teaching resources.

For Year 5 teacher Jodee Whittaker, Teacher Hub has proven invaluable.

“It’s a well-sequenced way to ensure my students are getting taught all aspects of writing to improve its quality. It gives me great ideas, awesome tips and background information to make writing lessons enjoyable, engaging and beneficial to my students.”

Keep it simple

“I really hope educators can take inspiration from what these incredible schools are achieving,” says McVeity.

“It goes to show that you don’t need over-priced software or time-draining onboarding or yet more screen time in the classroom. A simple approach that empowers teachers and engages students works wonders, whatever the demographic.”

Read more about the impact Seven Steps is making within schools here.