We believe that writing is strengthened by instilling a love of reading. Reading a range of genres and text types helps pupils to acquire the structures of language, so that they can be stored inside their memories and manipulated down the line in their own writing. The more exposure a child has to high quality texts, the more experiences they have to draw upon when writing independently. Our reading curriculum not only provides pupils with a diverse range of themes within texts, it also provides challenge in syntax to ensure children are exposed to high quality writing models.

It is our intent that our children understand the social functions of writing in order to use different genres of writing appropriately by considering its purpose and matching it to its audience. Furthermore, it is our intent that every child develops a progressive understanding of grammatical conventions, the way in which punctuation aids understanding and how to apply spelling rules. It is also our intent that all children have a joined, legible and increasingly efficient handwriting style. At Whoberley Hall Primary School, the teaching of writing within the English curriculum has been carefully considered to enable our pupils to become confident and creative writers.

Our aim is to provide inclusive environments and learning experiences where pupils see themselves as real writers; they can take ownership of their writing; they can see writing as an interesting and enjoyable process and they can organise and plan their own written work.

EYFS:

At Whoberley Hall we develop enthusiastic emerging writers who have an enduring and positive attitude to writing, who can form letters and words and who can draw from a rich store of language and imaginative ideas by:

• Valuing the different ways that children make marks

• Teaching the physical skills which will enable them to control and manipulate writing tools

• Teaching how phonemes are represented through graphemes

• Teaching letter formation

• Providing children with genuine reasons to write

• Ensuring that writing tools and materials are readily available

• Modelling the pleasure and purpose of writing • Immersing children in an environment of print e.g. vocabulary, sentences, books, labels

• Developing of children’s vocabulary by rehearsing orally what they are going to write

Development of children’s writing with the support of the  FANTASTICs (used to organise children’s ideas)

KS1 and KS2:

A Progressive Skills Document (Year 1 to 6) has been adopted by the school and is used by staff in order to ensure the necessary, age-appropriate grammar and punctuation skills are taught during discrete lessons.

A Progressive Skills Document ‘No Nonsense Spelling’ has been adopted in order to ensure the necessary, age-appropriate spelling skills are taught within Year 2 to Year 6 (with Little Wandle being used to support spelling in EYFS and Year 1).

The same progressive skills can then be consolidated through the delivery of daily lessons from the Write Stuff Programme. The Write Stuff allows for the teaching and learning of writing within the classroom. It is research informed and practically applies evidence into effective strategies for improving writing outcomes.