Creative writing can be a transformative experience, especially in primary schools. Judy Waite, an accomplished author and Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Winchester University, has dedicated much of her career to integrating creative writing into educational settings. Her journey and innovative methods offer valuable lessons on how to make writing an engaging, holistic activity for young students and she has been working with Awbridge Primary, Wellow Primary and Droxford Junior school over the past 3 years. All of these schools are part of The University of Winchester Academy Trust Creativity Collaborative and you can read more about the wider work of the Collaborative here.
Judy's creative writing career began with conferences and competitions, where she encountered opportunities such as writing for DC Thompson, a comic publisher. These early experiences, combined with her diverse writing portfolio, spanning picture books, young adult fiction, and special needs education, shaped her approach to teaching. As she transitioned into educational roles, Judy's understanding of the school environment deepened, providing a unique perspective that she later brought into her creative writing projects.
In her work with The University of Winchester Academy Trust Creativity Collaborative, Judy has developed a distinctive approach to incorporating creative writing within primary schools. She emphasises techniques such as silence, meditation and visualisation. These methods aim to slow down the classroom pace, allowing students time to think, role-play, and immerse themselves in their creative processes. The goal is to foster a more thoughtful, imaginative, and engaging learning environment.
By doing this type of work Judy faces challenges such as ensuring that her creative methods align with the existing school environment and curriculum. Schools are often cautious about incorporating new techniques that could disrupt their established routines. Judy's solution is to work alongside teachers, introducing new ideas gradually and ensuring they complement the current educational framework. This collaborative approach helps teachers feel more comfortable and willing to experiment with innovative methods.
A technique that is popular with teachers is taking a book that is already on the curriculum such as the boy who swam with piranhas and re-working the text so the children come up their own main character and pet, by using props and prompts and visualisation techniques the children can develop their own version of the story. It's also nice to get the children to draw out some illustrations to accompany their story too. Or if they prefer to express themselves through drawing they can just draw or just write.
One standout project in Judy's work involved creating characters and stories set in a local historical context. Students developed characters who ended up living in a local workhouse in the 1800. This holistic project included role-play, writing, and even field trips to gather sensory details, connecting students to their own community and bringing history to life through sensory experiences such as walking through the local woods, looking at old photographs, and mapping out the lives of people from the past. Such projects exemplify how creative writing can transcend traditional classroom activities, offering students a deeper connection to their studies and surroundings.
An example of the work that the children did was to imagine the life of a local person before they went into the workhouse. They picked historically accurate names for their characters, thought about where they would have lived, what they would have worn and eaten etc. Then they thought about what could have happened in their lives that led them to have to enter the workhouse. Then the children discovered that often children would enter the workhouse with an object such as an acorn or a pinecone or a stone etc. They were not expensive items as these people didn’t have much money but they had huge sentimental value and may have been picked up on a favourite walk. So the children all chose an item they wanted to bring to the workhouse with them and they wrote a paragraph about their lives before they entered. The day they entered and while they were in the workhouse. This process took place over several weeks and by the end the children had 4-6 paragraphs that they had written that could then be made into a story and it was so much easier for them to write these stories because they felt completely immersed within these people’s lives. They cared about them and their journey. And the physical objects, notes and overall history helped the children to discover what life was really like for people living in their local area in the not so distant past.
Sustainability and integration are crucial to the success of these creative writing projects. Judy works closely with teachers to ensure that the methods she introduces can be continued long after her involvement ends. She provides materials and encourages teachers to incorporate creative techniques into their lesson plans, aiming for these practices to become a natural part of their teaching toolkit.
One of the most significant impacts of Judy's creative writing initiatives is on students who struggle with traditional literacy methods. These creative approaches often resonate with such students, making literacy feel less like a chore and more like an engaging, imaginative activity. Role-playing and creative exercises provide alternative pathways to connect with writing, fostering a more inclusive and supportive learning environment.
Judy's vision for the future of creative writing in education is one where it becomes an integral part of the curriculum, not just an occasional project. Overall, Judy paints a compelling picture of how creativity, storytelling, and mindfulness can transform traditional educational landscapes. Her insights are a testament to the transformative power of inclusive and innovative teaching methods that enable students to think, create, and learn beyond the confines of standardised curriculum.