Writing
At St Wilfrid's our children are...
Intent
At St Wilfrid’s, we understand that the teaching of English is fundamental in not only the development of children as readers and writers, but in the preparation for adulthood. Throughout the teaching of English, we aspire to engage children with writing through a rich diet of texts and clear teaching sequence. Throughout school, our teaching of writing encompasses all of the skills necessary to develop children as authors, including transcription (handwriting and spelling) and the composition (articulating the ideas in writing, using appropriate grammar and vocabulary).
‘The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:
- read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
- write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
- use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
- are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.’
Implementation
Pathways to Write - At St Wilfrid’s, we use Pathways to Write to structure our teaching of writing. Pathways to Write ensures that all elements of the English curriculum are taught in a clearly sequenced, evidence-based curriculum. The teaching of writing is based on the use of ‘keys’ to structure the children’s learning:
- Gateway keys: These are previously taught elements of writing which are consistently revisited in the teaching/assessment of children’s writing
- Mastery Keys: The introduction of the new objectives for the unit in line with the National Curriculum expectation
- Feature Keys: the genre specific elements expected from that unit
Pathways to Write uses a text-based approach to the teaching of English. Please see below for the texts covered half termly for years 1-6, in addition to the progression in mastery keys at St Wilfrid’s.
Handwriting – In EYFS and Y1, children will be taught to print letters, with cursive handwriting being introduced from Y2. This is in line with government guidance and to ensure that children are fully secure with their letter formation prior to moving on to cursive writing. All children will be taught to join using our school handwriting policy.
Spelling – The teaching of spelling is done daily. In KS1, the Little Wandle systematic synthetic phonics programme is used to teach spelling (see early reading and phonics for more information).
From years 2-6, spelling is taught daily using our spelling scheme. The structure of spelling lessons follow a ‘revisit/review, teaching of new sound/pattern, application’ sequence which is implemented consistently throughout school.
The use of spellingframe is also encouraged both in school and at home to support children’s knowledge of taught spelling patterns and rules. In KS2, spellings will be sent home half-termly to allow grown-ups to see an overview of focused spelling patterns for that half term and support children in their learning/practice.
Speaking and listening – Through the use of Pathways to Write, enrichment activities and within other subjects, children are taught to develop their speaking and listening skills. This may be in the form of discussion, debates, presentations or performances.
Impact
The impact of our English curriculum is measured in the following ways:
- Formative assessment – children are given lots of opportunities to demonstrate their spoken language and listening skills throughout lessons in the classroom, extra-curricular activities and enrichment activities. Children are also given opportunities to write frequently with regular opportunities to produce extended pieces with opportunity to compose, edit and redraft writing.
- Pupil Voice – the engagement of our pupils with the English curriculum will be reflected in pupil discussions
- External assessments – At the end of KS2, pupils will be assessed against the National Framework for writing. See below for the example framework and writing exemplifications
- Handwriting – evidence in children’s written work (across all subjects) is reflective of taught handwriting scheme
