From the Head of Learning and Teaching – Writing Matters
There is something wonderfully human about writing.
Long before writing becomes an assessment task or a NAPLAN test, it begins as a way for children to make sense of the world. Through stories, journals, poems, speeches and essays, young people discover what they think, explore possibilities, test ideas and find their voice. Writing is not simply a school skill, it is one of the most powerful ways we learn to think.
Over the past decade, writing has frequently been the subject of public concern in Australia. Headlines have lamented declining writing standards, curriculum reviews have questioned how writing is taught, and educators have debated how best to help young people become confident writers. It is an important conversation because writing sits at the heart of learning itself. Students write to think, to reason, to persuade, to create and to communicate.
Against this backdrop, this year’s NAPLAN results provide something worth celebrating. At MLC School, we are not seeing the decline that has shaped the national conversation. This year, 98% of our Year 3 students achieved Strong or Exceeding in writing, followed by 96% in Year 5, 92% in Year 7 and 90% in Year 9. While writing performance often becomes more challenging as students progress through school, our girls continue to demonstrate confidence as writers.
While these results reflect excellent teaching, they also remind us of something more important: writing develops through regular practice and genuine enjoyment. Students who write beyond the classroom, whether they keep a journal, write fan fiction, draft short stories, compose poetry or simply enjoy playing with words, develop confidence, fluency and creativity. They begin to see themselves not just as students who complete writing tasks, but as writers.
Parents play an important role in nurturing this identity. Encouraging your daughter to write for pleasure, asking about the stories she is reading or writing, celebrating her ideas rather than simply correcting her grammar, and providing opportunities to write for authentic audiences can all make a lasting difference.
For families looking to further foster a love of writing, Sydney offers some wonderful opportunities. After-school workshops offered by The Writing Workshop in Annandale (offered in various locations and online) provide a supportive environment for young writers to develop their craft, while Story Factory in Parramatta runs outstanding holiday programs that inspire students to tell their own stories with imagination and confidence.
In an age when artificial intelligence can generate text in seconds, helping young people become thoughtful, curious and authentic writers has never been more important. Their voice and their unique way of seeing the world is something no technology can replace. Our hope is that every MLC School student leaves not only as a capable writer, but as someone who knows that writing is a lifelong tool for learning, creativity and self-expression.
The Writing Workshop – Annandale
– Melissa McMahon
Head of Learning and Teaching