Writing

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.

— William Wordsworth

Why do we teach writing?

At Southill Primary School, we want every child to become a confident, fluent and purposeful writer who can communicate their ideas effectively.

Writing gives children a voice. It enables them to express ideas, develop their imagination, communicate knowledge and participate fully in the wider world. Our ambition is that every child leaves Southill able to write with confidence for a wide range of purposes and audiences.

Our Approach to Writing

Our writing curriculum is book and experience-led, carefully sequenced and ambitious for all pupils.

High-quality texts sit at the heart of our approach. We choose engaging and diverse books that provide rich opportunities for children to explore language, encounter excellent writing and develop the knowledge they need to become successful writers themselves.

Writing units are deliberately connected to meaningful contexts. Where appropriate, links are made with children's wider curriculum learning and enriched through experiences, visits and visitors. This gives children knowledge to draw upon and a genuine purpose for writing.

Across the school, children learn to write for a broad range of purposes and audiences, including narrative, explanation, persuasion, discussion, information and poetry.

How We Teach Writing

Our teaching follows a clear and consistent approach that supports children as they develop from supported to increasingly independent writers.

Teachers explicitly teach and model the knowledge and strategies successful writers use. Children have opportunities to explore high-quality examples, discuss vocabulary and language choices, rehearse ideas, compose sentences and develop complete pieces of writing.

Teachers use modelling, shared writing and guided practice before gradually releasing responsibility to pupils.

Children learn that writing is a process. Depending on the purpose and stage of learning, this can include:

• generating and organising ideas
• planning
• oral rehearsal
• drafting and composing
• evaluating and revising
• editing
• proofreading
• publishing and presenting writing

As children's knowledge and confidence develop, they are expected to make increasingly independent choices about how best to communicate with their reader.

Building Strong Foundations

Successful writing depends upon children developing both composition and transcription.

From the earliest stages, children are taught the foundations they need to become fluent writers. This includes:

• spoken language and vocabulary
• phonics
• spelling
• handwriting
• sentence construction
• grammar and punctuation
• composition

In Reception and Key Stage 1, writing builds closely upon children's phonics knowledge through our Little Wandle programme.

Handwriting and spelling are taught explicitly and systematically. As these skills become increasingly automatic, children are able to devote more attention to the content, structure and effectiveness of their writing.

Spelling

Spelling is taught explicitly and progressively.

Children learn spelling patterns, rules and conventions and are taught how to apply this knowledge within their writing. Spelling teaching is connected wherever appropriate to the vocabulary and writing children are currently using so that new learning is meaningful and applied in context.

Children are also taught the statutory spelling requirements and common exception words appropriate to their year group.

Grammar and Punctuation

Grammar and punctuation are taught explicitly and through meaningful application in writing.

Children learn how grammatical structures and punctuation can help them communicate meaning and create particular effects for the reader. Teachers model these choices and give children opportunities to apply them independently.

Reading as Writers

Our strong reading culture is fundamental to the teaching of writing.

Children encounter a wide range of high-quality literature throughout their time at Southill. In writing lessons, they learn to read as writers, noticing how authors use vocabulary, sentence structures, organisation and literary techniques to communicate effectively.

We want children not simply to imitate successful writing but to understand the choices writers make and gradually develop a voice and style of their own.

Writing for Purpose

Wherever possible, children write for meaningful purposes and audiences.

Our wider Bright Futures Curriculum provides rich knowledge and experiences that children can draw upon in their writing. Links with literature, history, geography, science and other curriculum areas give children something meaningful to think, talk and write about.

Trips, visitors and other enrichment opportunities further develop children's vocabulary, knowledge and experiences.

Supporting Every Writer

Our writing curriculum is ambitious for all children.

Teachers identify barriers to writing and provide appropriate adaptations and support while maintaining high expectations. Explicit instruction, modelling, scaffolding, vocabulary development and carefully structured practice help all pupils to participate successfully.

Children who need additional support with transcription skills, including phonics, spelling or handwriting, receive targeted teaching so that these difficulties do not unnecessarily limit their ability to communicate their ideas.

Developing Independent Writers

Ultimately, we want children to take ownership of their writing.

As they move through the school, pupils develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of audience and purpose and learn to make deliberate choices about vocabulary, structure, grammar and style.

They are taught to evaluate their own work, respond to feedback and make purposeful improvements.

By the time children leave Southill, our aim is for them to see themselves as writers: confident communicators who have the knowledge, skills and creativity to express themselves effectively.

Our Writing Curriculum

Our curriculum documents below show how children's writing knowledge and skills are carefully developed from Reception to Year 6.

 Our Writing Curriculum 

• Curriculum - WRITING download_for_offline
  download_for_offlineCurriculum - WRITING

Curriculum Mapping

• Writing Coverage download_for_offline
  download_for_offlineWriting Coverage