Writing

“My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.” – Ernest Hemingway

“You can make anything by writing.” – C.S. Lewis

At Girnhill we believe in the importance of promoting high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with the necessary skills to be confident in their use of spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading to develop exposure to high quality language and to understand the use and placement of linguistic devices.

The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • read easily, fluently and with good understanding
  • develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
  • acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
  • appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
  • write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
  • use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
  • are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

We are ambitious in our expectations of all pupils, ensuring strong cross curricular links are made to develop children holistically.

Throughout their journey with us, children will:

  • be exposed to subject specific vocabulary that an Author would use.
  • develop their understanding of linguistic devices and apply these
  • be fluent in their understanding of sentence structure and apply this to a variety of contexts using their phonetic knowledge to spell words correctly.
  • be able to write clearly with accurate spelling, adapting their writing dependent upon audience, genre and style.
  • use their acquired language to critically evaluate their own work and the work of others.
Intent

In EYFS at Girnhill Infant School we provide a stimulating and high-quality Writing Early Years Curriculum by ensuring challenging and playful opportunities. We understand the need for high quality environments and meaningful interactions, which enable children to develop their understanding of phonics and sentence structure.

In KS1 at Girnhill we believe in the importance of promoting high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with the necessary skills to be confident in their use of spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading to develop exposure to high quality language and to understand the use and placement of linguistic devices. Writing is taught through the ambitious National Curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage Framework enhanced by Read, Write Inc and Jane Considine: The Write Stuff. We map the NC and EYFS framework into a coherent and sequential progression model that outlines the substantive knowledge, disciplinary knowledge, vocabulary and sentence stems needed at each stage which build cumulatively towards learners being able to use and apply their knowledge.

Implementation

We ensure that all teachers, including those who are non-specialists, have excellent subject knowledge and are supported in the implementation of the curriculum.

Oracy is woven through the writing curriculum and children are confident with the expectations such as: the use of chotting, rehearse a sentence and hold a sentence. Within writing, exploratory talk focuses predominantly on the linguistic and cognitive aspects of communication.

Children will learn to write clearly with accurate spelling, adapting their writing dependent upon audience, genre and style. Children will be able to use the wide range of language they have acquired to critically evaluate their own work and the work of others. New material is presented in small steps using the writing progression grid, Jane Considine and the RWI scheme of learning, breaking down large objectives into small manageable chunks.

Modelling is used to demonstrate how to chot, sentence stack and become independent writers. Subject specific vocabulary is taught explicitly through flash cards, teacher talk and applied through discussion. Experience days are used to aid understanding of concepts. Based on Rosenshine’s theory, learners have the opportunity to revisit and build on prior learning through carefully planned revisit and review tasks.

Impact
Pupil Voice will show:

  • A developed ability to use phonic knowledge at their stage of development to segment for spelling.
  • RWI language used during writing sessions to support spelling and reading.
  • An understanding that certain letters together (diagraphs/ trigraphs) make specific sounds, some making more than one sound.
  • An understanding of how letters are formed e.g. this is an ascender/descender.
  • Age-appropriate understanding of grammatical terms e.g. an adjective is a describing word.

Displays around school and books will show:

  • There has been a consistent approach to the delivery and implementation of handwriting and writing sessions as children’s work will showcase increased progress in letter formation and presentation as well as a good level of understanding in order to write for different purposes.

The curriculum leader will:

  • Collate appropriate evidence over time which evidences that pupils know more and remember more.
  • Monitor the standards in the delivery of writing and handwriting sessions to ensure consistency and accuracy across school.
  • Ensure assessment in completed fairly, accurately and in a timely fashion to ensure that all pupils continue to be challenged and supported as they need.
  • Provide ongoing CPD support based on the outcomes of subject monitoring to ensure that the impact of the curriculum is wide reaching and positive.