Alarming research suggests many children may not be getting enough writing instruction in primary school classrooms, with some spending as little as 15 minutes a week on it.

The first national survey to investigate how writing is taught in primary schools found most Australian students from years 1 to 6 were spending about three hours a week on writing activities, les than the five hours recommended, while some had only 15 minutes a week.

Dr Deborah Pino-Pasternak, an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Community at the University of Canberra, told Liam Bartlett on 6PR Mornings adequate writing instruction and practice in schools is an essential cornerstone of writing development.

“I think writing has become the poor cousin within the literacy spectrum,” she said.

“Literacy involves reading and writing and what we know in terms of the development of those skills is that better readers are also better writers.

“So there is a strong connection between these two skill sets … they are reciprocal relationships so there is no reason why we shouldn’t placing the same level  of emphasis on writing as we do with reading.”

Tap PLAY to hear what’s happening in schools to address struggling writers