Write here, write now

In March 2000 the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) launched a new national writing competition for schools, Write Here, Write Now.

Open to Year 4 and 5 pupils, the aim of the competition was to improve writing skills in support of the National Literacy Strategy, and fire children's enthusiam for, and confidence in, writing.

Four professional writers, Jacqueline Wilson, Roger McGough, Alan Ayckbourn and Phil Redmond each wrote the start of a story, poem, play or film/TV script and the children then followed on from these opening lines to complete the work.

The result is Write Here, Write Now: A Celebration of Children's Writing - a wonderful collection of the winning entries in each genre.