Teaching pupils grammar does not improve writing, research suggests
There is a mismatch between government policy and techniques proven to work in the classroom, academics have revealed.
As reported by Tes, the way that grammar is taught in schools shows a “significant” and “persistent” mismatch between government policy and academic evidence showing what works.
The report states that teaching pupils technical grammar terms actually does nothing to improve writing ability, despite the national curriculum placing strong emphasis on teaching traditional grammar.
Research was carried out by Dominic Wyse from the UCL Institute of Education and Carol Torgerson, of Durham University, who looked at evidence revealed by randomised controlled trials testing the effectiveness of teaching grammar.
The results found that current study concludes that current evidence from randomised controlled trials “does not support the widespread use of grammar teaching for improving writing among English-speaking children”.
Read moreLatest News
18/11/2025 - 09:28
Education Support, the charity dedicated to the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff, has released its ninth Teacher Wellbeing Index.
17/11/2025 - 09:26
Nearly two thirds of Initial Teacher Training providers believe that teachers are not currently prepared to meet the government’s ambition to raise the complexity threshold for SEND pupils entering mainstream schools.
14/11/2025 - 11:04
England’s councils are warning of a "ticking time bomb" in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, with new data showing deficits that could bankrupt local authorities within three years.
13/11/2025 - 12:14
Event for school leaders, governors and education professionals relocates to the historic Old Billingsgate venue in London.
13/11/2025 - 09:49
The regulations have been set following a second consultation and detailed collaborative working with organisations and people across deaf and hearing communities.
