Welcome to this week's blog! I'm excited to share what's been happening across our school as we focus on one of our key priorities this year: writing.
Why Writing Matters
At Southill Primary, writing is not just about putting words on paper – it's about giving our children the tools to express their ideas, tell their stories, and communicate confidently throughout their lives. Research shows that teaching writing as a process, with strategies for planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing, helps pupils become more confident and independent writers.
This year, we've made writing a whole-school priority because we want every child to develop:
- Writing stamina – the ability to sustain their writing and develop ideas fully
- Strong handwriting skills – so writing becomes automatic and fluent
- Composition skills – crafting engaging, well-structured pieces across different genres
Our Exciting Writing Projects This Term
Across the school, children are immersed in some truly inspiring writing units this term, each built around high-quality texts that capture their imagination:
Reception are exploring creativity and imagination with The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson – a wonderful story about a magical paintbrush that brings paintings to life. This enchanting tale is perfect for inspiring early mark-making, story sequencing, and developing those crucial early writing skills.
Year 1 are discovering stories about problem-solving and perseverance with Iggy Peck, Architect – following a young boy passionate about building. This text is inspiring descriptive writing about structures and inventions, and helping children develop their composition skills. We're thrilled that a real-life architect is coming in to visit Year 1 to share their work and inspire the children's writing even further!
Year 2 pupils are embarking on adventures with Grandad's Camper – a heart-warming story about a special journey that opens up opportunities for narrative writing, diary entries, and descriptive pieces about travel and family memories.
Year 3 are exploring the natural world through The Search for the Arctic Jellyfish – an exciting text that combines adventure with fascinating facts about marine life, perfect for developing both fiction and non-fiction writing skills.
Year 4 are tackling important themes of equality and activism through The Story of Pride: Harvey Milk – learning about this pioneering civil rights leader whilst developing persuasive writing, biographical accounts, and opinion pieces.
Year 5 are immersed in the historical novel Kaspar: Prince of Cats – following the adventures of a cat aboard the Titanic. This rich text is helping pupils develop sophisticated narrative techniques, historical writing, and character studies. Year 5 will be visiting SeaCity Museum to learn more about the Titanic, which will bring their writing to life and provide real experiences to draw upon in their work.
Year 6 are engaging with Resist by Tom Palmer – a powerful story about the French Resistance during World War II that's developing complex narrative skills, letter writing, and historical perspectives. This links perfectly with their history topic about Weymouth in World War 2, making the learning even more meaningful as they explore local history alongside the text.
What makes these projects special is how they connect reading and writing with real-world experiences. By starting with high-quality texts and enriching them with visits, visitors, and links to other subjects, pupils can analyse excellent writing, understand what makes it effective, and then apply those techniques in their own work.
How We're Supporting Writers
We're using a 'gradual release of responsibility' model when teaching writing strategies. This involves explaining the strategy we're using and why, modelling the strategy, using it together, doing guided practice with gradually releasing responsibility to pupils, and having pupils use the strategy independently. This means children feel confident and supported as they develop their skills.
We're also focusing on the foundations: for our younger pupils, we're teaching handwriting and spelling explicitly alongside composition strategies, so that as these skills become more automatic, pupils can focus on what they're writing.
A Note About Spelling
You may have noticed that we've moved away from weekly spelling tests at Southill, and I wanted to explain why we've made this important change.
We now teach spellings explicitly linked to what children are learning in their English lessons. This means that instead of learning random lists of words in isolation, children are practising spellings that directly connect to the texts they're reading and the writing they're producing.
Why have we made this change?
Research shows that learning spellings in context is far more effective than memorising lists for a Friday test. When children learn spellings that relate to their current learning, they:
- See the words in meaningful contexts – they encounter them in the books they're reading and use them in their own writing
- Understand patterns and rules – rather than memorising individual words, they learn spelling patterns they can apply to many words
- Retain the learning long-term – spellings learned in context are more likely to stick, whereas words crammed for a test are often forgotten by the following week
- Apply their knowledge – they're more likely to use these words correctly in their independent writing
What does this look like in practice?
When Year 6 are studying Resist, for example, pupils might focus on spellings related to World War II vocabulary (resistance, occupied, liberation), French words that appear in the text, or specific grammatical patterns. These words then appear naturally in their own historical narratives and character studies, and connect directly to their learning about Weymouth during the war.
Similarly, Year 1 children studying Iggy Peck, Architect might focus on words related to building and construction (architect, structure, design, tower), or practise spelling patterns that appear frequently in the story. These will be particularly meaningful after meeting a real architect! Year 3, exploring The Search for the Arctic Jellyfish, will encounter and practise scientific vocabulary (Arctic, jellyfish, expedition, marine) that they'll use in their own adventure writing and information texts.
How can you support spelling at home?
- Encourage reading – the more children read, the more they see correct spellings in context
- Point out interesting words – when reading together, highlight words with unusual spellings or interesting patterns
- Practise in context – if your child talks about key vocabulary from their current topic, encourage them to use these words in conversations and help them understand their meanings
- Make it fun – word games, crosswords, and puzzles are all great ways to develop spelling skills
- Be patient with mistakes – spelling is developmental, and errors are a natural part of learning
We're confident this approach will lead to better spelling in the long run, as children develop a deeper understanding of how words work rather than just memorising lists for tests.
How You Can Help at Home
Your support makes such a difference! Here are some simple ways to encourage writing at home:
Talk, talk, talk! Before writing comes speaking. Chat about your day, discuss stories you've read together, and encourage your child to explain their ideas out loud. This oral rehearsal is invaluable.
Make writing purposeful – shopping lists, birthday cards, messages to family members, diary entries about weekend activities. Real-world writing is motivating!
Celebrate their efforts – focus on the ideas and creativity first, rather than just spelling and handwriting. We can work on the technical aspects together at school.
Read together – the more children read, the more they absorb about how good writing works. Point out interesting words, great descriptions, or exciting story openings.
Provide the tools – a special notebook, colourful pens, or a cosy writing spot can make writing feel special.
Ask about their class text – show interest in the books they're studying. Ask them to tell you about the characters, the setting, or their favourite part of the story. Year 5 children will have lots to share after their museum visit, and Year 1 will be buzzing with ideas after meeting an architect!
Seeing Progress
Over the coming weeks, you'll see your child's writing progress in many ways. They might develop longer pieces, use more adventurous vocabulary, or show neater handwriting. Every step forward is worth celebrating!
While children's writing work stays in school so we can track their progress throughout the year, we love to share their achievements with you. Please do ask your child about what they're writing, and we'll make sure to celebrate their successes with you at parents' evenings and through other opportunities to share their learning.
If you have any questions about supporting writing or spelling at home, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Here's to a term filled with wonderful words and creative stories!
Caroline
headteacher@southill.dorset.sch.uk