The World's Best Toolbox Practitioners, All in One Place
Learn from the very best Toolbox practitioners from around the world—all in one place, at one time. Schools that have delivered highly effective Toolbox implementations, along with the Toolbox expert team, will share their most powerful practices, insights, and learnings. Plus, Dr Ian Hunter, Writer’s Toolbox Founder, will present an exclusive Writing Masterclass. If you attend only one conference in 2026, make sure it’s this one—you won’t want to miss it.
Keynote Address and Writing Masterclass
Dr Ian Hunter, Founder
Writer's Toolbox
Keynote Address
Christine Jackson, Principal Researcher
Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)
Christine Jackson is a Principal Researcher at the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), where she leads the School Writing Instruction Framework (SWIF) research project. Her work includes the reports Writing Development: What Does a Decade of NAPLAN Data Reveal?, Which Skills Are Important for Future Literacy and Numeracy?, and the recently released suite of SWIF writing resources.
Christine began her career as a secondary English teacher in central west New South Wales, later teaching both internationally and in Sydney. She has also held a research role at the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education at Australian Catholic University, contributing to projects exploring writing instruction, assessment, and the influence of NAPLAN on education policy, school practices, and community understanding.
Rewriting the Writing Process: A Cognitive and Genre-Based Journey with Writer’s Toolbox
Keynote
Madam Azwiza Ahmad, Head of Department, English Language
Ms Tricia Lee Mei Qing, Senior Teacher, English Language
Mr Ng Aik Song, Subject Head, Student Leadership
Mr Brandon Goh Zhen Xiang, English Teacher
Chua Chu Kang Secondary School
Singapore
This presentation examines Chua Chu Kang Secondary School’s experience in integrating Writer’s Toolbox into its writing curriculum, guided by the theoretical underpinnings of Flower and Hayes’ Cognitive Process Model and Hyland’s Genre-Based Approach. Grounded in these frameworks, the implementation re-conceptualises writing as both a process of meaning-making and a socially situated practice.
The gamified features in Writer's Toolbox, real-time feedback, and differentiated learning modules have enhanced students’ metacognitive awareness, precision, and confidence in writing. For teachers, Writer's Toolbox has established a shared professional language and a consistent framework for unpacking Paper 1 rubric expectations—promoting coherence and clarity in instructional practice. The phased rollout, beginning with the Secondary Three cohort, created opportunities for capacity building, collaborative practice, and data-informed reflection; it also facilitated gradual refinement of pedagogy through iterative feedback and evaluation. The impact is clear.
The session will discuss the affordances and challenges encountered, illustrating how technology anchored in sound pedagogy can make writing instruction more purposeful, reflective and empowering.
Enhancing Teacher Capability Unlocks High Performance Culture
Keynote
Dean Kelley, Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning
St Joseph's Catholic School Cloncurry
QLD, Australia
In his captivating keynote, Dean Kelley, Deputy Principal of Teaching and Learning at St Josephs Catholic School, will explore how increasing student outcomes begins with building teacher capacity and creating shared ownership of practice; when teachers grow in confidence and clarity, students inevitably thrive. He will discuss effective change management processes — practical, people-centred approaches that help bring everyone on board and move in the same direction with purpose. Finally, Dean will share strategies for building a positive writing culture across a school — one where leaders model a genuine commitment to writing by creating the conditions, conversations, and expectations that show it is valued by all.
Taking Gifted and Talented Students to the Next Level
Workshop
Jeremy Coley, Deputy Headmaster – Academic
St Paul’s Collegiate School
New Zealand
How do you extend gifted and talented writers beyond excellence? At St Paul’s Collegiate School, Deputy Headmaster Jeremy Coley has spent more than a decade using Writer’s Toolbox to push high-achieving students to the next level.
In this workshop, Jeremy explores advanced paragraph structures—The Philosopher, The Better Quote Paragraph, The Curveball—and the art of teaching students to write with nuance and precision. Attendees will discover how to help students craft paragraphs that function as miniature arguments, integrating evidence, counterclaims, and analytical insight to elevate their writing from strong to exceptional.
Lifting NAPLAN Scores Through Whole-School Implementation
Workshop
Rachelle French, Primary Learning Leader
St Agnes Primary School
QLD, Australia
Differentiation That Delivers
Workshop
Daniel Teo, Head of Department – English Language
Northoaks Primary School
Singapore
At Singapore’s Northoaks Primary School, differentiated instruction meets the power of AI. Head of Department Daniel Teo shares how his team used targeted pre-lessons and Writer’s Toolbox digital learning modules to strengthen sentence craft and narrative control for Primary 4 writers.
In this session, Daniel showcases how a three-tiered approach, tailored for students of differing readiness levels, helped learners master very short sentences for dramatic impact and W-start sentences for smoother narrative flow. By blending explicit instruction with digital manipulation activities in Singapore’s Student Learning Space, students entered Writer’s Toolbox tasks with stronger foundations and clearer understanding.
Attendees will see how thoughtful differentiation, supported by AI tools, can create personalised learning pathways while ensuring every student reaches the same writing goals.
Building Confident Writers, One Year In
Workshop
Leigh Contreras, M.Ed., Literacy Specialist
The Regis School of the Sacred Heart
United States of America
In Houston, Texas, The Regis School of the Sacred Heart is using Writer’s Toolbox to sharpen writing precision, expand ideas, and build fluency across Grades 3–7. Literacy Specialist Leigh Contreras shares how the platform has been introduced in an all-boys learning environment, transforming writing instruction in its first year.
In this session, Leigh highlights practical strategies for onboarding Writer’s Toolbox, engaging teachers and students, and enriching the writing curriculum. Attendees will gain insights into building momentum, strengthening writing craft, and elevating student outcomes through purposeful, structured practice.
Unlocking Writing Confidence in Every Child
Workshop
John Norton, Head Teacher
Alexandra Primary School
United Kingdom
In the UK, Alexandra Primary School is using Writer’s Toolbox to boost confidence, creativity, and independence in Key 2 Stage writing. Head Teacher John Norton shares how his team has used the platform to engage reluctant writers, challenge high achievers, and support teachers in delivering clear, structured writing instruction.
In this session, John highlights Alexandra’s journey, drawing on feedback from both teachers and children to show how AI-driven idea generation, explicit teaching tools, and sustained writing practice have lifted engagement and improved writing outcomes across the school. Attendees will gain practical insights into building writer confidence and fostering writing for pleasure and sustained engagement.
A Blueprint for Writing Success: Integrating Writing Progression Across the Curriculum
Workshop
Mei Mei Tan
Primary English Curriculum Lead
Teacher, Primary Year 2
HELP International School
Malaysia
Explore how HELP International School in Malaysia built and integrated Writer’s Toolbox into their curriculum, mapping the writing skills progression across year groups and embedding the programme into assessment rubrics. Learn how Primary English Curriculum Lead Mei Mei Tan designed student-friendly rubrics that combine Cambridge genre expectations with Writer’s Toolbox to support consistent writing instruction, alongside writing moderation practices to sustain these expectations over time. Get an inside look at how this programme inspired school-wide initiatives, including a dedicated writing competition and a termly newsletter that showcases the students’ writing. This workshop is ideal for schools seeking to foster, celebrate, and sustain a robust writing culture.
From Launch to Transformation: Rolling Out A Successful Writing Programme
Workshop
Lisa Fletcher, Acting Assistant Principal – Religious Education
St Mary MacKillop Primary School
QLD, Australia
Discover how St Mary MacKillop Primary School successfully launched Writer’s Toolbox to transform writing instruction across our school. Join Acting Assistant Principal Lisa Fletcher as she shares how St Mary MacKillop built momentum with staff and students through targeted professional learning, visible impact, and collaborative culture. Learn how the school resourced the rollout with funding from the Parents and Friends Group, leadership support, and curriculum alignment to ensure sustainable success.
Student Growth Through Explicit Teaching of Writing Across the Curriculum, Years 4-10
Workshop
Kate Furlong, Assistant Principal Learning Growth P-12
Elisabeth Lord, Learning Partnerships Leader P-12
Rachel Kilby, Year 7-12 Learning Engagement and Data Leader
St Francis College
QLD, Australia
Join the team from St Francis College—Kate Furlong, Elisabeth Lord, and Rachel Kilby—to examine their successful agenda to supercharge writing through explicit teaching. This workshop details their strategic approach to fostering student growth in Years 4-10 by implementing Writer's Toolbox and promoting explicit teaching across all curriculum areas. Discover how they effectively monitor writing abilities and leverage diverse data sets to support observations, ensuring robust learning outcomes and targeted support for all students within the college.
Clear, Coherent, Measurable: How Leaders Can Share Practice Across The School
Workshop
Sarah Johnston, Principal
Tawhiti School
New Zealand
Clarity is the cornerstone of successful schoolwide implementation. In this workshop, Tawhiti School Principal Sarah Johnston explores how building a shared scope and sequence, coherent learning progressions, and clearly defined expectations for explicit teaching can drive real consistency across classrooms.
Drawing on practical examples—including progressions and coaching templates—Sarah will demonstrate how leaders can embed and sustain shared practice across a school. Throughout the session, she’ll reveal how purposeful use of data underpins every layer of the process: informing decisions, guiding feedback, and driving continual improvement from classrooms to leadership.
Empowering First Nations Voices Through Writing
Workshop
Ren Mahe, Data and Educational Lead
Hymba Yumba Independent School
QLD, Australia
At Hymba Yumba Independent School, writing is more than a skill; it’s a celebration of culture, identity, and voice. In this session, Data and Educational Lead Ren Mahe shares the inspiring journey of integrating Writer’s Toolbox across a First Nations school community.
Through weekly culture-based writing challenges and classroom-wide implementation, Ren and her team have nurtured confidence in both jarjum (children, Yagara language) and teachers alike. Writer’s Toolbox has become a powerful tool for empowering authentic storytelling and strengthening every learner’s voice.
Knowing Your School Context Drives Effective Change in Writing
Workshop
Paul Mead, Deputy Principal
San Damiano College
QLD, Australia
Context is everything. Knowing your school and its students, and implementing effective change to gain traction, are important considerations. Having introduced Writer's Toolbox into three very different colleges, San Damiano College Deputy Principal Paul Mead offers practical advice, reflections, and implementation strategies for the best efficacy in student writing.
Whole-School Literacy: A Multidimensional Approach to Improving Student Outcomes in a Queensland Public High School
Workshop
David Munn, Principal
Chris Cummings, Head of Humanities
Aviation State High School
QLD, Australia
At Aviation State High School, literacy isn’t just for English—it’s everyone’s business. Principal David Munn and Head of Humanities Chris Cummings will share how a whole-school initiative transformed writing outcomes by making literacy a shared responsibility across all subject areas.
Using a multidimensional approach that included leaderboards for staff and students, department-specific goals, daily writing challenges, and healthy competition linked to house points, the Aviation team built momentum and consistency across the school. Supported by Writer’s Toolbox data, their strategy drove measurable gains in engagement, confidence, and student achievement, proving that when every teacher teaches writing, every learner can succeed.
Building a Culture of Writing Excellence
Workshop
Carmel O'Brien, Principal
Saint Mary’s Catholic College
QLD, Australia
At Saint Mary’s Catholic College, the implementation of Writer’s Toolbox has transformed writing outcomes for both students and staff across this rural P–12 community. Led by Principal Carmel O’Brien, the initiative began with a carefully phased rollout targeting Years 2, 4, 6, and 8—key stages for measuring long-term impact.
This deliberate approach enabled the College to monitor progress through both Writer’s Toolbox data and external reporting, revealing remarkable growth in writing confidence and achievement. The success created a ripple effect throughout the school, fostering collaboration, consistency, and a thriving culture of writing excellence.
Creative Classrooms, Measurable Results
Workshop
Katherine Perotin, Toolbox Lead – Primary Teacher
St Laurence’s College
QLD, Australia
At St Laurence’s College, writing lessons are anything but ordinary. From teachers dressing up and classes acting out paragraph structures to students striving for the title of ‘Writing King’, Toolbox Lead Katherine Perotin and her team bring energy, imagination, and fun to every lesson. By weaving creativity into structured practice, Laurie’s ensures writing is something every student looks forward to.
Behind the fun lies a thoughtful and deliberate rollout. Katherine has led a measured approach to implementing Writer’s Toolbox, building both teacher confidence and student skill at a steady pace. The result is clear, reliable growth across classrooms—proof that a balance of creativity and structure leads to measurable improvements in writing outcomes.
Leading Change Through Data and Collaboration
Workshop
Kate Ruddy, Deputy Principal
Amanda Schimke, Assistant Principal – Learning and Teaching
St Columban’s College
QLD, Australia
In a rapidly evolving educational landscape, improving student writing is both a challenge and an opportunity. At St Columban’s College, Assistant Principal Amanda Schimke and Deputy Principal Kate Ruddy share how strategic leadership, collaborative practice, and evidence-informed approaches have driven meaningful change across their secondary classrooms.
Their journey reveals how purposeful data use and strong pedagogical leadership can transform writing instruction, creating a culture where every teacher becomes a catalyst for literacy growth.
Where Writing Meets Thinking
Workshop
Candice Smith and Tanya Zohar, English Learning Leads
Bialik College
VIC, Australia
At Bialik College, writing and thinking go hand in hand. English Learning Leads Candice Smith and Tanya Zohar demonstrate how Writer’s Toolbox supports a rich, thoughtfully designed curriculum and strengthens student writing across all levels.
In this session, they’ll share how the platform complements the school’s Cultures of Thinking pedagogy, enhancing clarity, craft, and independence in student writing. Attendees will see how combining these approaches elicits deeper thinking and more purposeful writing decisions from students.
Embedding Writing Success in Every Task
Workshop
Gunilla Tinius, Head of Department – English
Kingston State College
QLD, Australia
Strap in as Head of Department Gunilla Tinius takes a deep dive into how the Kingston State College English team embedded Writer’s Toolbox into every assessment task, ensuring that it would genuinely support and enhance the curriculum. Experience a step-by-step process for integrating the platform into task design, helping students confidently meet the achievement standards. Through practical examples and classroom insights, Gunilla will highlight how having Writer’s Toolbox as an explicit component in all English tasks can strengthen both student outcomes and teacher confidence in writing instruction.
Masterclass Series
by Writer’s Toolbox Professionals
You will ABSOLUTELY (adverb) love this, and you will definitely (yep, another adverb) leave a better writer and more informed teacher.
Across the WRITE! 26 Conference, in amongst the already remarkable keynote addresses and workshop presentations by incredible schools and educators, the pros at Toolbox are sharing and teaching their deep writing knowledge.
Here’s the awesomely amazing (hyperbole) list:
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Writing Masterclass with Dr Ian Hunter
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How to Accelerate Tier 2 Learners
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Everything You Wanted to Know about Grammar but Were Too Afraid to Ask
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How to Get More Focused, Deeper Writing from Your Students
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Writing and Teaching Unputdownable Poetry
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How to Use Thinking Tools Powerfully
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How to Write (and Teach) Brilliant Narratives
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Building Better High School Tasks
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Building Deliciously Scrumdilious Primary Tasks
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Sentence Train Masterclass
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How to Write Better Paragraphs 101
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Advanced Paragraphing for High School
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Using SubjectLand Effectively in Your Classroom
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Using Toolbox for First-Timers (Don’t Forget Your Computer)
395A Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland 1023, New Zealand