National Writing Project (UK): list of current writing groups across the United Kingdom.

Joining a group is free and easy - please email us or fill in this form to get in touch. There are many benefits to joining a writing group.

Can’t see a group local to you? Please get in contact here to connect and help the Project grow.

ALL SAINTS (EYE, SUFFOLK)

The All Saints NWP Writing Teachers group is based in the All Saints Academy Trust and welcomes all local primary and secondary teachers around Eye, in Suffolk. It meets once a half term from 4 – 6 and is hosted by different schools in the area. We write together and talk about teaching writng. Of course, cake is involved, and book-making, sharing of ideas and mutual support.

Conveners: Emily Rowe and Jeni Smith

BEDFORD

The Bedford group is a community writing group of 14: 6 teachers and 8 other writers from across the local area. We have met 72 times in the last six years. We meet for 2 hours on the first Saturday of each month, hiring a room (with 2 kettles!) in the Higgins museum and gallery. It costs each of us £35 for a year.

We write to explore our memories and current concerns. We learn through writing, and we reflect on the process together. We find that it empowers individual and collective agency. For example, in 2020 we compiled a calendar of our poetry and photographs and thereby raised £300 to help local homeless and refugees.

Convener: Shared leadership across the group

BRISTOL

The Bristol group has been running since 2013. We welcome English teachers with any amount of teaching experience - from heads of department to PGCE student teachers - and any amount of writing experience - some people have written very little before joining; some have published their work. One of the joys of the group is seeing how seamlessly the writers come together to support each other. 

We meet once a term, usually in the University of Bristol's School of Education, from 10:00 - 13:00 (always with a generous coffee break!). Sessions are variously led by the group leader, Lorna Smith, group members, and visiting writers: over the years we've enjoyed working with novelists, poets and journalists. Sometimes we go out and about - to the local museum and art gallery, behind the scenes at the city library and the theatre collection, around the urban nature reserve...

Convener: Lorna Smith

CAMBRIDGE

The Cambridge branch of the NWP is a small but committed group consisting of teachers who work in both primary and secondary schools, as well as in Initial Teacher Education. We meet in a cafe once every half term, sharing out the leadership of sessions between those who are keen to do this. Meetings usually begin with the sharing of something we've each written in the intervening period, and we then focus on a particular theme, genre or style of writing. The sessions are deliberately playful and unthreatening, but we enjoy then taking ideas away to polish when we have more time afterwards. Belonging to the group has helped each of us to cultivate a more regular writing habit, and to reflect on connections between our teaching and our own creative practice.

Convener: Alison Binney

CREATIVE CALM GOLD COLLECTIVE

During lockdown in 2020, as PGCE course leader for English and Head of the MA in Creative Writing and Education, and general lover of what the NWP does in the UK, Francis decided to take the bold step to pilot some Teachers as Writers sessions online, via Zoom. He ran one himself, and then invited others to lead, following the methodology used on the NWP website, and in Jeni and Simon's excellent 'What have writing groups done for us?' article in English in Education. He has participated in quite a few TaW groups over the years, but never led one. The group has initially begun with PGCE English students and MA students joining, but is not part of the official running of Goldsmiths. The online format meant that people with families can join in. The first session got people free writing and reflecting upon their views about writing, and then the following sessions focused more on the issue of 'Decolonising Creative Writing' and 'Black Lives Matter' as this is a particular interest of teachers/students on the course, in London generally, and society as a whole. This session was amazing and was led by a teacher and student-researcher.

References Smith, J., & Wrigley, S. (2012). What has writing ever done for us? The power of teachers' writing groups. English in Education, 46(1), 70-84.

Convenor: Francis Gilbert, f.gilbert@gold.ac.uk

EASTBOURNE

The Eastbourne branch of the Teachers’ Writing Group meets roughly six times a year: once a half term. We usually meet in someone’s home on a weekday evening in the Eastbourne and Brighton area. We are a small group – we have just three or four people at a typical meeting – and we hold a variety of roles in education. We are keen writers and often set ourselves ‘homework’ which we share at our meetings. We are now a tight-knit group but would love to welcome some new members!

Convener: Rachel Crystal

Ipswich

The Ipswich NWP Writing Teachers group serves Ipswich and surrounding villages. We are quite a new group and welcome newcomers. We meet monthly, after school (4.30 – 6.30) at The Meadows Montessori School. This group is super friendly and relaxed. We love making books as well as sharing published books we have found useful. On-line booksellers may notice a spike in sales around the time we meet each month! And we do like writing in different coloured inks. Above all, our group would say that we like to share how our enjoyment of writing has helped the enjoyment of writing in our classrooms.

Convenors: Laura Bunting and Jeni Smith

ISLINGTON

We are a small, friendly writing group which has been going since 2012. We meet every couple of months on a Sunday afternoon at my house in Angel. Although we are based in Islington, we have teachers from all over London. We enjoy eating banana cake, drinking tea, writing and talking together. After a few warm ups we tend to do a semi structured activity, share what we have written, our thoughts about the process and what adaptations we might make for the classroom. New members are always welcome.

Convener: Emma Simpson

LONDON (FREE SPACES)

We meet in museums and galleries in London about once a term. Each time we meet it’s in a different space and the exhibitions or displays provide inspiration for writing. Starting time is usually 10.30am on a Saturday and it’s usually finished by 12.30. Great company, (usually) great coffee and incredible art. What could be better? Contact me if you’re interested in joining us at the next meet-up.

Convener: David Marshall

READING

The Reading group meets about once a month at the wonderful Global Cafe (part of the Reading International Solidarity Centre: (https://www.risc.org.uk/main) - a really fabulous venue for creative writing - for about an hour and a half.  The structure of the meetings usually centres around a theme (such as time) and I set up a series of shortish writing activities (we've used lots from the NWP website) which lead to longer pieces that individuals are free to continue in their own time.  We do share our writing with each other, although this is entirely voluntary.  

Convener: Rachel Roberts

SUSSEX (South downs)

We are a small group of cross-phase teachers who aim to meet once each half term in locations all over Sussex including Brighton, Crawley, Horsham, Littlehampton, Billingshurst and Storrington. We usually alternate between meeting in someone's home and in public spaces such as parks, cafes, libraries, universities and museums. Meetings last around two hours and include plenty of writing time, the sharing of writing, and discussion of how the writing experience might work in the classroom. And cake. There's usually cake.

Convener: Theresa Gooda

UEA WRITING TEACHERS (NORWICH)

The Writing Teachers NWP group in Norwich is the longest standing group. We are friendly, enthusiastic and full of energy. We write first –short pieces, longer pieces, playful and more challenging. Biscuits form part of the routine and, after a break – with plenty of time for networking, we focus more on discussions of teaching and writing. Teachers who come to the group represent the whole age range –from reception to A level- so we learn from each other. We have found that the ideas that set us writing are easily adapted and we look forward to hearing how people have done so in their classrooms. We love making books, writing outside and sharing Haribo. We have a Facebook page called Writing Teachers.

Convener: Jeni Smith

WEMBLEY

Our group started in February 2018 in Wembley, although we’ve branched out to meet in London now. We currently have ten members (some shared with the NWP Whodunnit group), whose specialisms include: secondary English, modern foreign languages and maths. The average number of writers at any one meeting is normally six. We meet one Saturday every half term from 10am – 1pm. Places we’ve met at include: National Poetry Library, Museum of London, Fleet Street Press Café, St James Park and the writing stimulus is normally (but not always) led by location. We’ve participated in two research projects in 2019 with Bristol University.

Convener: Alison Jermak

Whodunit

The main consideration for our group is that we meet in a café where there is good coffee – and croissants. It is a truth universally acknowledged that communities of writers require sustenance. We explore different venues from the British Library to the Wellcome Collection to Tate Modern to Southwark Cathedral to Westminster Abbey and lots of other places with good cafes. The other requirement is that they are easily accessible for our writers who travel across London and from much further afield. We begin with writing warm ups followed by own writing space and then the opportunity to share. We enjoy hearing the writing of each other and welcome the multitude of twists and turns and alleys and by ways our writing takes us in. We enjoy welcoming new members. We meet once a term on a Saturday from 10 am to 1 pm.

Convenor: Marjory Caine

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