Writing

I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.

Anne Frank

Our curriculum ensures that all children have plenty of opportunities to write for different purposes. We encourage writing through all curriculum areas and use quality reading texts to model examples of good writing. Opportunities for rich speaking, drama activities and stimuli give our children the imagination and the experiences that will equip them to become good writers.

As a school, we have adopted Pathways to Write to bring clarity to the mechanics of writing.  Pathways to Write utilises a range of quality texts in order to inspire and model the best possible writing.

Pathways to Write offers a progressive development in vocabulary, reading and writing skills through the mastery approach. It utilises previously taught concepts (Gateway Keys) as a starting point ensuring all children have the prerequisite skills to face newly taught concepts (Mastery Keys)

In Reception, children are encouraged to develop their emergent writing through mark making. Letter formation is practised on a regular basis. Children are taught how to form a comfortable pencil grip. Opportunities to practise their writing are provided within a rich environment through play-based activities and our newly introduced ‘Drawing Club’.

In Key Stage One, children are taught to develop printed letter formation, leading into cursive writing. The spelling of high frequency words is learnt in school, and tested on a regular basis. Children are encouraged to use these correctly in their written work. Children start by orally rehearsing sentences, writing them and reading them back. Children are also taught basic punctuation and grammatical structures. At the end of a unit, children will produce an independent, best piece of writing.

In Key stage Two, children are expected to join their handwriting. A range of genres are modelled through the Pathways to Write scheme, giving opportunities to write for a range of purposes. Grammar and punctuation are specifically taught throughout and expected to be demonstrated in their writing. At the end of each unit of work, children will produce a best piece of writing, which they have edited independently.

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Pathways to Write progression

SPELLINGS

In EYFS and Year 1, the children are taught spellings and spelling patterns through our Unlocking Letters and Sounds phonic scheme. Everyday, the children practise spelling words using the new phoneme learnt or reviewed that day. This also includes tricky words that do not always follow a pattern or rule, but need to be learnt as a whole word. As the children progress through EYFS and Year 1, the children practise applying the spellings within dictated sentences and within their English learning. 

When children reach Year 2, they move from the Unlocking Letters and Sounds programme to the spelling programme, Pathways to Spell which continues throughout Key Stage 2.

The spelling resource focuses on the teaching of spelling so that children can build on prior learning, make connections with existing learning and understand how to apply patterns, strategies and knowledge to other words and not just a list of words given for that week. The children are given opportunities to discuss their learning and spelling words in the context of a short sentence. Using dictation will show whether the learning has stuck and can be applied. Pathways to Spell runs alongside our Pathways to Write books so the spelling lessons include their familiar novels. 

The weekly timetable, will contain:

• Introduction to, and learning of, the spelling rule for the week. This could be a spelling game, investigation or a taught lesson.
• A dictation, handwriting or transcription activity relating to the weekly rule.
• A Quick 10 activity x 2.
• A retrieval quiz or test which may also include words from previous weeks.

Pathways to Spell Progression 

Handwriting
From Reception to Y6, we teach children to form their letters using cursive script.  This begins in reception and Y1 with children learning pre-cursive script and then towards the end of Y1 and beginning of Y2 they learn to join.  By the end of Y2 all children are encouraged to join their writing.