WRITING
We want all our children to be thoughtful, imaginative and reflective writers who are able to write confidently for a range of purposes and audiences.
A writer will:
-
confidently use strategies to check, edit and improve writing.
-
thoughtfully reflect upon writing and learn from mistakes.
-
write in a range of genres using the appropriate features.
-
confidently use the appropriate grammar when writing.
-
apply strategies to ensure spelling is accurate.
-
write regularly for authentic purposes and audiences, inside and outside of school.
-
can write in a legible and joined script.
From the beginning of Early Years, children are encouraged to mark make in a variety of ways and experiment with how to make the shape of letters. This develops in to words, sentences, paragraphs and so on. Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences independently is the aim at all levels. Throughout the school, children are exposed to high quality examples, oral rehearsal and the opportunity to edit and improve. Children experience both structured writing lessons and those which provide the freedom to run away with their imagination.
Progression of sentence structure
A series of sentence pictures are introduced in line with the National curriculum expectations to give children a visual representation. These are used throughout the school from simple sentences to the more complex. Alongside this IPACE cards are introduced as a tool to vary sentence starters.
Adult Feedback
Within lessons, all adults give constructive feedback to pupils about their writing. This responsive teaching enables children to make improvements to their work immediately.
Sometimes, specific groups are given targeted support. Adults use tickled pink and growing green to show children where they have been successful and what they can improve on.
Handwriting
As a school, we follow the Nelson Handwriting scheme. It introduces cursive handwriting in step-by-step stages in line with the curriculum. Children’s personal handwriting style is developed to ensure they meet the ‘expected standard’ in the end of key stage writing teacher assessments. Letters are introduced systematically and each unit includes pattern practice and motor skills work with three levels of differentiation.
​
The four letter sets
Set A: c o a d g f s q e (all the of these letters are formed by going anti-clockwise)
Set B: i l t j u y (all of these letters start by going straight down)
Set C: b h k m n p r (all of these letters have a curve formed by going clockwise)
Set D: v w x z (all of these letters have straight lines)
The four letter joins
Join 1: diagonal join to small letters
Join 2: diagonal join to tall letters
Join 3: horizontal joins to small letters
Join 4: horizontal joins to tall letters
Break Letters
b p g q j x y z
Children complete regular handwriting practice according their year group and needs. Clear handwriting is an expectation for all writing across the curriculum and actively encouraged.
Spelling
In Early Years and Year 1 spelling is taught within the discreet daily phonics session following the phonics programme.
In Early Years they will start to learn to spell some tricky words as well as using the grapheme phoneme correspondence to write words. They will learn that each phoneme is represented by a grapheme when spelling.
In Year 1 they will learn to spell the year 1 common exception words and they will learn alternative graphemes for spelling. (please see the phonic overview)
Lesley Clarke’s SSP phonics program culminates with phase six and the National curriculum requirements for Year 2.
​
In KS2 we use the Oxford Owl, Read Write Inc. spelling scheme, which is underpinned by phonics.
​
Common exception words (EY-2) and statutory spelling lists (KS2) are taught alongside these programmes and are regularly practiced at school and home.
​
Daily Practice
Daily whiteboard spelling is essential to transfer spellings from the short memory to the long term memory. It is instead of weekly spelling tests but is a key assessment activity which allows teachers to see which patterns or words children are confident with or need to repeat.
​