ABSTRACT
Almost all writing can be approached creatively, and, in order to do so, teachers need to create contexts and opportunities for writers ‘to explore the possibilities of ideas and the possibilities of language to express those ideas’ (Cremin and Myhill, 2012: 24). Teacher expertise and direct instruction are, of course, needed, but so is child choice, ownership and decision-making, such that, over time, child writers develop their capacity to take risks in writing, to shape their writing in ways that satisfy them and to reflect upon the reasons for their writing choices. However, accountability cultures tend to incline teachers and young writers to remain within the boundaries defined by assessment structures, and this is likely to limit children’s authorial agency and creative engagement.
