In many primary schools there are rules related to what should be included on an English display. The reason for these rules is often to create consistency ensuring that the same high standards are maintained throughout the school. Different schools have varying expectations dependent on decisions made by the senior leadership team. These expectations extend to the types of displays there should be within the classroom and around the school.

If you are a teacher, you may be in a school which allows you free reign over your displays. From my experience working in many schools, it is more likely that you will have some leeway mixed in with criteria which is non-negotiable. Hopefully, you are in a position where you can add your own flair or ideas. At the heart of all decisions should be a consideration of how pupils benefit from displays. Here are five types of English display that effectively engage students:

1.Working Walls

The most prominent feature of an English working wall is likely to be flip chart paper containing written information linked to the current unit of work. This information might include progressive steps towards understanding a text-type such as annotated examples, modelled work, vocabulary lists and success criteria for writing or reading outcomes. Working walls engage pupils by being relevant and up-to-date. They are designed to be used by the pupils. Teachers are likely to continually refer to an English working wall throughout a teaching unit. Rather than being a static display working walls are constantly changing. They are great for pupil learning and as a bonus for teachers they don't involve hours of time to prepare and create. Flip chart paper containing information which is likely to be useful as teachers work through a unit is simply added to the working wall at the end of a lesson.

2. Reference Displays

Reference displays often feature printed materials relevant to a subject or unit of work. The aim of reference displays is to support learning and strengthen understanding. Reference materials can be helpful for teaching and serve as handy reminders for pupils. They can be intergrated into working walls to support current learning.

At Primary Texts we offer sets of bright, cheerful and engaging English posters which explain the vocabulary, grammar or punctuation objectives for every year group. Our year 4 poster pack which contains 10 posters is available as a free sample. Click the images below for more details.

Examples of Year 4 Posters

If you would like to check out our vocabulary, grammar and punctuation posters for other primary year groups, click here.

3. Decorative Displays

Displays which are mainly decorative are sometimes the subject of criticism . The benefit of an attractive display which does not require much of a response from the pupils is often questioned.  I have heard comments referring to such displays as being no more that 'pretty wallpaper'. Despite such scepticism, many people feel that decorative displays create a warm and welcoming environment which is pleasant for pupils and beneficial in terms of their well-being, desire to attend school and to learn. No-one thrives in a bare, dull, uninspiring environment!

An example of a decorative English display might be a visually-stunning display based on a book featuring collages of settings or/and characters. Many people would agree that a display like this does much to engage pupils, promote reading and place a value on the subject.

Inside the classroom, practicality over looks is often favoured when it comes to English displays with the use of working walls. Though they are primarily functional, it is a good idea to try to  make your working wall look bright and attractive. Using coloured markers or card can make a huge difference. Research indicates that appearance is important when it comes to classroom displays.

Attractive displays aid learning; however, it is worth noting that classrooms which are overly colourful with 'busy' displays at very turn have been found to be distracting for pupils. It seems that there can be too much of a good thing! Professor Peter Barrett produced a report called Clever Classrooms based on his extensive research into classroom design and environment. The report states that:

Interestingly, the appropriate level of stimulation for learning turns out to be curvilinear – neither chaotic, nor boring, but somewhere in the middle. That is, it is easy to over-stimulate pupils with vibrant colours and overly busy displays, but a white box is not the answer either.

Greating a suitable classroom environment is crucial for learning.  This involves considering the use of colour and maintaining attractive displays which offer suitable, but not overbearing stimulation. The Clever Classrooms report states:

The headline finding is that differences in physical classroom design parameters accounts for 16% of the variation in the learning progress of the children in those spaces over a year.

It contains useful pictorial examples of classrooms which get the balance right. You can view a short 2 minute video in which Professor Barrett discusses his finding in the video below:

4. Work Showcase Displays

These are displays which feature pieces of pupils' work that are of a high standard. For example, in English high-quality final pieces of writing could be put up on display. This usually involves honing text through editing so that is ready for its final write-up. Displaying polished pieces of writing provides a purpose for writing. It can also be motivating for pupils striving to get their work put up on display. Seeing their work up on the wall can provide pupils with a sense of accomplishment.

In his report Clever Classrooms, Professor Peter Barrett states that based on his research 'a classroom that includes pupil-created work in displays is more likely to provide a sense of ownership.' He also cites other evidence which strengthens this view:

It is argued that intimate and personalised spaces are better for absorbing, memorizing and recalling information (McMillan 1997). When children feel ownership of the classroom, it appears the stage is set for cultivating feelings of responsibility (DeVries and Zan 1994). Classrooms that feature the products of students’ intellectual engagements, projects, displays, and construction are also found to promote greater participation and involvement in the learning process. (Ulrich 2004).

It would be quite hard in many classrooms to find the space to showcase individual pieces of writing for every child at one time, so these displays could involve just a few best pieces which are rotated throughout the year giving every child in the class a chance to have their writing displayed.  Showcased work need not be perfect, the only criteria required should be that the pupils has produced the very best work possible for them.

If writing is showcased on a larger scale outside the classroom and in corridors, this serves as a way of demonstrating standards of writing throughout the school. Work showcase displays provide pupils with examples of high-quality work to which they can aspire.

5. Interactive Displays

Interactive displays have elements which require pupils to interact with a display rather than just look at it. A common way to encourage pupils to engage with displays is by placing questions on them. Whether this actually works is debatable. Within the classroom, there is very little time for pupils to gaze around considering the answers to questions on different display boards. Another aspect to consider is that research shows that if all of the display boards in a classroom are 'lively' this can be distracting and detrimental to learning, so posing questions on every display board is probably not a good idea.

Creating interactive displays which intergrate purposeful tasks which appropriately engage pupils can be tricky. One way to keep things simple is to create KWL grids for new topics such as the one shown below:

Many teachers are familiar with using these charts. As a reminder, pupils fill in post-its for the first two columns of the chart at the beginning of a unit of work and then complete the final column at the end of the unit. The W section (What I would like to know) can be used as a starting point for areas of research. The L section (What I have learned) provides a great way for pupils to recognise what they have discovered. Rather than featuring distracting questions or tasks pupils may not have the time to complete,  KWL grids are designed to be used within lessons and built on throughout a unit of work

KWL grids are not only the only ways of using post-its to create interactive displays which can be intergrated within lessons. Post-its can be used in many ways. Providing written contributions for class brainstorming sessions, writing comments about characters or stating opinions about an issue of debate are just a few examples of ways in which post-its can be used.

When it comes to displays outside the classroom, we tend to encourage pupils to walk to their destination with purpose rather than 'dilly-dallying' so once again there may not be an opportunity for them to respond to questions or tasks posed on corridor display boards. It is important to consider the location of a display board when adding interactive elements and whether pupils will have enough time to respond to them.

Which type of English display is best for learning?

This article does not contain a judgement on which type of display is better for learning. What works best is dependent on purpose. It is also dependent on location. A display which works well in a classroom may not be suitable for a corridor and vice versa.

Many of the display types discussed work well in combination. For example, English working walls could be combined with printed reference materials such as the posters available in the English Display section of Primary Texts. Working walls can also feature interactive elements by including areas where pupils can contribute during lessons. Decorative displays could feature an area which showcases pupils' work. Reference materials can be presented in a decorative manner. It does not have to be a case of strictly one type of display or the other.

If you are looking for ideas, doing an internet image search for primary English display boards will provide you with numerous examples of practical, attractive displays which engage pupils, stimulate learning and bring your classroom to life.