It also introduced a "blog of the week" prize for the most exceptional piece of writing. Children were encouraged to write their own short stories – with many producing 5,000-word essays at whim.

New boys keen to write own story lines on whatsapp (opens in a new window) Save. By Jonathan Wilson. Jump to comments section Print this page. Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free.

Boys as young as three could be pushed to learn to write. By DAILY MAIL REPORTER . Updated: 16:03 EDT, 29 December 2009 ...

And two fifths of boys cannot write a simple shopping list, or a letter to Santa, compared with a fifth of five-year-old girls. While almost one in 10 boys cannot count up to 10, compared with six ...

In 2010, 9% of boys in England - about 18,000 - achieved a maximum of level 2 in reading by the age of 11 - the standard expected of a seven-year-old, with that figure even higher (15%) in Manchester.