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This programme was published in September 2023 and we are no longer reviewing emails and messages from schools for inclusion in the lesson or on the page.

Kickstart your students' story writing with some top tips and inspiration in this star-studded Live Lesson for primary schools.

This curriculum-linked literacy programme, broadcast live from the Story Museum in Oxford, gives KS2 pupils the tools to create their own original short stories.

What happens in the 500 Words Live Lesson?

Throughout the lesson, we come up with our own 500 Words story idea and demonstrate how to develop characters, plot and endings.

How to get involved:

Download resources to accompany the Live Lesson here:

We’re also joined by award-winning authors and 500 Words judges Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon and Charlie Higson, who share their story writing tips and answer questions from schools.

The 30 minute Live Lesson is presented by Blue Peter’s Mwaksy Mudenda, and C91�ȱ� presenter Joe Tasker and is available to watch via 91�ȱ� Teach on this page.

When did the 500 Words 2023 competition take place?

The 500 Words competition ran from Tuesday 26 September to Friday 10 November 2023. The competition has now closed. Over the past 12 years it’s inspired over a million children across the UK to write their own short stories, generating over 500 million words! Find out all you need to know, including terms and conditions, here

This year the two age categories for the competition are 5-7 year-olds and 8-11 year-olds. You can find 500 Words resources to inspire 5-7 year olds here and 7-11 year olds here.

Curriculum links: English/Oracy/Language and Literacy for 7-11 year-olds.

• Think about the audience and purpose of their writing.
• Understand, enjoy, and create stories.
• Create and compare settings, characters, themes, and plot.
• Use language, dialogue, and structure in their writing to engage and influence their readers.
• Discuss and plan their ideas for writing before beginning.

Useful story writing resources

• Oxford University Press story writing booklet.

Where next?