How we Teach Writing
Intent:
Why Writing is Important.
Writing is a way of communicating our thinking to others. In school this can be through fiction, poetry and non-fiction, across all areas of the curriculum. In life this can be through email, letters, reports, lists, etc.
It is imperative that children learn to write and communicate effectively, as this is an important life skill.
Implementation: Nursery
Writing
In the Nursery phase of Victoria School, all children take part in multi-skills and dance every week, and this helps to develop their gross motor skills. They have a focussed time in class to develop their fine motor skills through a variety of activities and children also take part in a weekly sketching session to develop their pencil control. All children also produce a piece of writing half termly linked to their topic. We also receive library book boxes which link to their topics. Throughout the year, they have access to the writing station in the continuous provision.
Handwriting
In the Nursery at Victoria School, all children have access to letter and number formation tracing sheets, which are also sent home as homework to develop their letter and number formation. They also have access to whiteboards and different resources for them to mark make with and practice their handwriting.
Implementation: Reception
Writing
In Reception, we develop children’s gross motor skills – through movement, bikes and scooters, using paintbrushes, using playground equipment and we develop children’s fine motor skills – through threading activities, using play-dough, scissors, etc. These motor skills are important for children’s physical development and allow them to develop the skills to write. We teach children pre-cursive letter formation, but digraphs in phonics are taught joined, from the start.
We teach children to write using capital letters to start sentences, full stops to end sentences and finger spaces between words Finger gym is an essential and important part of reception’s writing. It allows children to develop their gross motor skills alongside weekly multi-skills and dance sessions. Activities are set up in their continuous provision to develop their fine motor skills as well. Children write independently once every half term, and complete guided writing every week.
Resources are available for the children to use in and out of the classroom and teachers model writing every day to the children.
Handwriting
We teach children to use a correct pencil grip – crocodile grip, to sit up straight and face forwards when writing. We teach children pre-cursive letter formation, but digraphs in phonics are taught joined, from the start. In reception at Victoria School, children are given daily handwriting sheets linked to the phoneme that they have learned in their phonics lesson. This allows them to be familiar with the words and sounds and for it to actually have meaning to them. Alongside this, daily name cards and alphabet sheets are completed every morning. Writing is carried out during their literacy lessons and number formation practice is carried out during their numeracy lessons.
Implementation KS1 (years 1 and 2),
We embed these basic skills and further develop them, teaching question marks and exclamation marks. We also begin to teach grammar skills – plurals, adjectives, nouns, noun phrases. By the end of year 2, children should be able to write a legible joined script, using paragraphs and including the grammar and punctuation taught in the infants.
Phonics
We have adopted and implemented the mastery approach in phonics in Victoria School, using the Read Write Inc (RWI) scheme. All pupils have a 25 minute phonics lesson daily, apart from those children to have passed their phonics screening. Those children move on to SPaG lessons in year 2, but are exposed weekly to phonics to ensure they are retaining the sounds.
Each half term, common exception words are tested and tracked. This is to ensure children are reading them on sight and not sounding out the words.
Spelling
We follow Twinkl’s sequence of lessons for each spelling rule and word list. These are different for each year group. The sequence and teaching approach is not deviated from or adapted in anyway although teachers can use their professional judgement to add any supplementary resources on top of what is already stated in the scheme/sequence. This ensures consistency and rigour and allows children to develop a deeper understanding and confidence with spelling. Children also have the chance to write their spellings into sentences weekly, so they are used in context and if children are unsure on meanings of words they can be explored.
Precision teaching is used for children who are identified as needing a spelling intervention. This can be to extend greater depth pupils or help working towards pupils.
Writing
Writing focusses on quality not quantity although we are always aware of the importance of stretching and challenging our writers to increase their writing stamina.
At Victoria School, pupils write independently at least once every two weeks, stimulated by the Power of reading Book, in order for grammar, punctuation and spelling skills to be applied and developed effectively.
In addition pupils are given an opportunity to write freely once a week on a subject that encourages creativity and expression of thoughts.
All independent writing from the Power of Reading book is titled and assessed against a specific learning objective. It is on yellow paper to differentiate it from the rest. It is marked and acknowledged in line with school’s feedback and marking policy.
Writing in Year 2 is assessed every 2 weeks against the Interim Assessment Framework criteria.
There is also a writing intervention in place for Pupil Premium boys to help raise their attainment from a young age.
Handwriting
We follow the Letter Join handwriting scheme at Victoria School. Handwriting is modelled daily to pupils by their teachers. Children have time to practice their handwriting weekly, in Letter Join booklets and on the Letter Join app on their iPads.
Implementation In KS2 (years 3-6)
Children are taught further grammar and punctuation skills and are also taught how to use content to engage the reader. These are taught through explicit skills lessons, alongside use of quality texts which model these skills and engaging content
Phonics
We continue to monitor pupil progress in phonics and use Phonics Tracker until pupils have developed the competencies they need.
Spelling
We follow Twinkl’s sequence of lessons for each spelling rule and word list. These are bespoke for each year group. The sequence and teaching approach is not deviated from or adapted in anyway although teachers can use their professional judgement to add any supplementary resources on top of what is already stated in the scheme/sequence. This ensures consistency and rigour and allows children to develop a deeper understanding and confidence with spelling.
Writing
Writing focusses on quality not quantity although we are always aware of the importance of stretching and challenging our writers to increase their writing stamina.
At Victoria School, pupils write independently at least once every two weeks, stimulated by the Power of reading Book, in order for grammar, punctuation and spelling skills to be applied and developed effectively.
In addition pupils are given an opportunity to write freely once a week on a subject that encourages creativity and expression of thoughts.
All independent writing is titled and assessed against a specific learning objective. The learning objective has a SPaG focus that has been taught leading up to the independent writing task.
It is marked and acknowledged in line with school’s feedback and marking policy. The title should reflect the purpose of the writing, for example “A non-chronological report explaining Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.”
Assessment of writing:
The overall, termly writing grids we have for Autumn 1, Autumn 2, Spring and Summer are updated in assessment week to give an overall assessment over time as to where pupils are performing. Writing in Year 6 is assessed termly against the Interim Assessment Framework criteria.
Impact
The impact on our children is clear: progress, achievement, sustained learning and transferrable skills.
With the implementation of the reading, writing and speaking and listening journey being well established and taught thoroughly in both Key Stages, children are confident writers and communicators.
By the end of Key Stage 2, all genres of writing are familiar to each pupil. Pupils have developed creativity, writer’s craft, sustained writing and manipulation of grammar and punctuation skills. Cross curricular writing opportunities which include creativity, spelling, punctuation and grammar are transferred and embedded into other subjects; this shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific writing styles.
Pupils are confident and clear communicators and can articulate themselves confidently in a wide range of contexts.
We aim to ensure that as children move on from Victoria School to further their education and learning that their creativity, passion for English and high aspirations travel with them and continue to grow and develop as they do.
