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For over 20 years, my team and I have focused on one core mission: helping educators simplify complex leadership tasks. We believe the most powerful guidance is that which can be easily translated into meaningful action in a busy school. So, when the Department for Education released its new Writing Framework this month, we immediately thought about how we could help schools bring it to life.
Frameworks like this are incredibly valuable, offering research-informed direction for raising standards. However, we know that for school leaders and literacy leads, a new document can also feel like another mountain to climb. The real challenge is turning detailed guidance into a practical, sustainable process for improvement that all staff can engage with.
That’s why I’m excited to announce that we have developed a new, purpose-built iAbacus template based directly on the DfE Writing Framework. We’ve done the work for you, transforming the framework’s key audit questions into a dynamic tool for self-evaluation and strategic planning.
Here’s how it works:
The ‘Areas’ down the left of the abacus are the seven audit sections from the framework, such as ‘Writing in reception’, ‘Composition’, and ‘Leadership and management of writing’.
Behind each area, the ‘Criteria’ are the framework’s own audit questions, presented as simple, RAG-rateable statements.
This design allows school leaders to conduct a robust evaluation of their writing provision directly against the DfE’s own success criteria. You can instantly see your school’s strengths and pinpoint your exact priorities for development in a clear, visual format. It transforms the framework from a static document into a live, collaborative improvement plan.
The feedback from schools who have seen it has been fantastic. They tell us it makes the framework accessible and less daunting, providing a clear, structured way to foster a whole-school conversation about improving writing.
If you’d like to see how this new template can help you and your team, please get in touch to book a friendly, no-obligation online meeting. We can show you how simple it is to turn this important new guidance into a powerful catalyst for change in your school.
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