Writing and Writing across the Curriculum

Key concepts:

These are explored through different text types appropriate to the age and ability of the child.

Composition – Children are taught the structure of different types of text.

Transcription – Children are taught to write legibly and with increasingly accurate spelling.

Second Order Concepts

Within writing sessions, children are taught a range of skills in order for them to develop as confident writers.

Planning – Looking at real texts, children are taught different features of types of text and how to plan both orally and written.

Structure – Children are taught to write cohesively within a range of texts.

Vocabulary – Using awareness of the reader, children are taught to use a range of adventurous language.

Grammar – Children are taught to construct sentences which are grammatically correct.

Punctuation – Children are taught to use accurate and increasingly higher level punctuation including punctuation to create specific effect.

Spelling – In accordance with their age and ability, children are taught different spelling strategies to improve their writing.

Handwriting – Children are taught to form letters correctly according to the school handwriting policy.

Writing is taught on a daily basis through a structured writing sequence. In daily writing sessions, children are taught different skills with an aim to develop a child who writes with accuracy, confidence and increasing creativity.

In Writing,

By the end of EYFS children will:

Be able to write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed. They will be able to spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters. It is expected that they will also write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others. Children will show good control and co-ordination in their small movements. They will handle equipment and tools effectively, including pencils for writing.

By the end of Key Stage 1 children will:

Be able to write narratives, both real and fictional. Children will write using past and present tense mostly correctly and consistently. Children will demarcate sentences using capital letters, full stops and question marks most accurately. Children will spell most common exception words correctly. Handwriting will show consistency in letter sizing.

By the end of Key Stage 2 children will:

Be able to write for a range of purposes and audiences showing increasing manipulation of sentence structures. Children will be able to use a range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs. They will select and use grammatical structures that reflect what the writing requires. They will use a range of punctuation and maintain tense throughout a piece of writing. Children will spell most words correctly or will be able to use resources quickly and efficiently in order to support spelling. Handwriting will be consistently joined in line with the school policy.

Any child working below their age-related expectation will receive a tailored curriculum with personalised objectives taken from the Curriculum Assessment Toolkit. This will enable all children to build the skills and knowledge needed to bridge the gap between themselves and their peers enabling them to reach their full potential.

Implementation:

At Malvern Wells CE Primary Schhol, our curriculum is carefully mapped out into a long-term plan. This enables links between subjects to be identified and carefully planned for to support pupil’s retention of knowledge and skills.

Early writing and phonics are taught following the Read Write Inc phonic programme. Units of writing are carefully planned and taught using a structured writing sequence which contains key elements of grammar, punctuation and spelling appropriate to the year group. Throughout the teaching sequence, the children are given the opportunity to analyse high quality writing examples of a particular text type, practise different writing skills and they complete the unit with an independent piece of writing specific to a text type.

Throughout the unit, teachers and support staff also look where children need extra assistance and offer swift intervention sessions to provide the children with the skills to produce high quality writing.