English

Writing

Intention

At Christ Church Primary, we know Reading and Writing are interconnected and thus our writing is extensively based on the reading we do. We want our students to be able to articulate their ideas and thoughts well in print so that they are afforded the best opportunities.

We believe that a quality Writing curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately, and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts. We want to inspire children to be confident in the art of speaking and listening, who can use discussion to communicate and further their learning. By doing so, we enable our students to become global citizens who can access the modern world.

We believe children need to develop a secure knowledge-base in Literacy, which follows a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. We believe that a secure basis in literacy skills is crucial to a high-quality education and will give our children the tools they need to participate fully as a member of society.

Further Information and Resources

• Useful Websites

Implementation

The writing curriculum is delivered through whole class texts. These are carefully selected core reading texts from the whole school reading spine. By ensuring there is a seamless connection between reading and writing, students’ literacy development is amplified. By reading a range of genres, language and text structures are decoded, children can then apply within their own writing.

Immersing children in a quality text, they are able to practise and implement fundamental skills. Writing skills are given greater priority than genre types. Spelling, punctuation, and grammar skills are largely taught via these texts. Not only do we inspire students writing through stimulating reading material, but also visual stimuli, enrichment experiences as well as cross -curricula learning. We support our children to write in a variety of styles and with a purpose and audience in mind.

We follow a three-phase approach towards writing. Each phase leads to the final written outcome. In KS1, this is combined with Talk for Writing.

Each week there is a dedicated GPS session dedicated to teaching the theory elements of spelling, punctuation and grammar. Primarily, this is linked to the writing unit. The focus skill is embedded into the writing lessons and students continue to rehearse this.

The teaching of spellings are delivered through Rising Stars. Teachers deliver age-related expectations from the National Curriculum. We believe in ensuring our children are competent spellers so that they are able to focus on skills of composition, sentence structure and vocabulary choices. The programme is underpinned by the following principles:

• Understanding the principles supporting word creation (phonemic, morphemic and etymological);
• Recognising how (and how far) these principles apply to each word, in order to learn to spell words;
• Practising and assessing spelling;
• Applying spelling strategies and proofreading;
• Building students’ confidence as spellers.

A good spelling programme gradually builds pupils’ spelling vocabulary by introducing patterns or conventions and continually practising those already introduced. Short, lively, focused sessions are used within Writing sessions to ensure spelling rules are embedded.

SEND Curriculum

SEND provision starts with assessment of their English needs on entry, usually although not exclusively, in EYFS. Those who are identified as needing support, then follow the Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening SEND Continuum provided by Birmingham’s Access to Education Services. Children can work through key statutory objectives.

Impact

The impact on our children is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills. With the implementation of the writing journey being well established and taught thoroughly in both key stages, children become confident writers who are able to communicate themselves through print. Hot writes, demonstrate children achieving age-related expectations.

By the time students reach Upper Key Stage 2, most genres of writing are familiar to them and the teaching can focus on creativity, writer’s craft, sustained writing and manipulation of grammar and punctuation skills.

We also aim to ensure that our pupils are proud of their writing and have opportunity to see it on display and shared with others in the school and with their families.