Writing

Intent

At Cheddar First School, we believe that all pupils should be able to confidently communicate their knowledge, ideas and emotions through their writing. We want pupils to acquire a wide vocabulary, a solid understanding of grammar and be able to spell new words by effectively applying the spelling patterns and rules they learn throughout their time in our school. We want them to write clearly, accurately, coherently, and creatively, adapting their language and style for a range of meaningful contexts, purposes and audiences.

Handwriting, spelling and grammar will be explicitly taught to ensure that children are able to understand the conventions of writing and manipulate language to create effects for the reader.

We believe that all pupils should be encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their writing. From Y1, children will learn to effectively present their writing in a range of genres, for both English lessons and the wider curriculum. Through our bespoke grammar centered writing curriculum, children will acquire and learn the skills to plan, draft and refine their written work over time and develop independence in being able to identify their own areas for improvement in all pieces of writing.

Implementation

Grammar-Centered Writers

• The writing curriculum will give children an age appropriate toolkit to write accurate, meaningful sentences. High quality texts will give children access to rich language which they can imitate, innovate and then apply in their own writing alongside sound grammatical skills..
• Children are exposed to a wide range of texts throughout their school life and can therefore imitate numerous different story types.
• Handwriting is taught as a separate skill, using the Unlocking letters and sounds framework.
• Spelling is taught discretely, again using the ULS schemes.
• Explicit grammar assessments will let us know where the children are strong in their grammatical understanding, and will allow teachers to form interventions and adaptations to support areas of grammar that are less confidently understood.

Oracy

• Children will write effectively as they are able to talk about their learning.
• Oracy for writing is developed through excellent modelling of high level vocabulary by the teaching team staff alongside the explicit teaching of vocabulary.

Handwriting

• Regular handwriting practise develops children’s automation and fluency.
• Children take pride in their handwriting and consequently the overall presentation of their work improves.

Impact

Teachers use assessment as an integral part of the teaching and learning process and link it clearly to the children’s next steps. DIRT tasks are used to support misconceptions in children’s learning and further develop their understanding. Teachers plan targeted interventions for children who need further support.