Lea Community Primary School
Exploring the impact of story-based interventions on boys’ writing
Who we are
My name is Nicola Killeen, Reception teacher and EYFS leader at Lea Community Primary School.
Like many schools, we face the ongoing challenge of the gender gap in writing, with boys often showing less motivation, confidence and stamina compared to girls. This project explored:
Can superhero-themed, story-based play boost boys’ engagement and progress in writing?
What we learned
- High engagement: Leuven scales showed consistently strong involvement and wellbeing. Boys looked forward to sessions and asked when the next one would be.
- Improved attitudes: boys began to see themselves as writers, showing pride in their work and greater willingness to write.
- Progress in writing: final pieces were longer, more detailed, and showed greater focus compared to baseline work.
- Play matters: embedding writing within imaginative, story-rich contexts made the process enjoyable and purposeful.
- Small scale limits: with only five children over eight weeks, results are promising but not conclusive for long-term attainment.
Why it matters
Research consistently shows boys underperform in writing, often due to lack of interest rather than ability. By linking writing to stories, superheroes and role play, boys were more motivated, engaged and confident. These findings support wider evidence that purposeful, play-based contexts are key to early writing development.
A pupil summed up the success of the project by asking after each session:
When’s writing club again?
What’s next?
- Embed more story-rich, creative approaches in writing provision
- Explore Greg Bottrill’s Drawing Club as a next step
- Continue classroom-based research to reflect and adapt teaching practice
- Expand interventions to larger groups to test long-term impact
At Lea Community Primary, we’ve seen how imaginative story play can transform reluctant writers into enthusiastic storytellers; boosting both confidence and progress.