Writing is an essential life skill and at Creswell Junior School we are committed to ensuring that all children develop the confidence and skill to be successful writers. Our English lessons expose children to a wide range of text types and genres to enable them to learn how to successfully write for a range of audiences and purposes. Year upon year, children’s knowledge and skills are built upon, so that by the end of their time at Creswell Junior School, learners are well prepared for their secondary education.

Our aim is for all learners to achieve their full potential in writing and we are committed to providing the scaffolds and challenges needed in order for our children to achieve this.

As being a successful writer is such an important skill, we ensure that children have opportunities to write a variety of high quality pieces across the curriculum; especially in history, geography and science. We believe this not only produces higher quality writing, but also allows our learners to apply their skills to a variety of purposeful contexts.

We also intend for our children to develop their creativity and a love of writing and as such our lessons introduce children to interesting, high quality texts. We believe it is through being exposed to, and reading, the work of other authors, that children are most enthused and inspired to create their best work.

Aims:

We intend to help our learners become confident writers who:

• can analyse the key features of a range of texts in a variety of genres;
• have a good understanding of quality vocabulary which they can use correctly in their work;
• can plan and draft their own independent pieces of writing for a range of authentic purposes;
• have a solid understanding of English grammar that they can use appropriately;
• can evaluate, edit and improve their own writing and offer purposeful feedback to peers;
• can publish their writing to a high standard, using joined up cursive handwriting;
• can use a range of punctuation appropriately;
• are able to spell, both the prescribed spelling list and beyond, through the teaching of spelling rules;
• are resilient writers who can sustain their writing, building up to write at length.

Implementation:

Writing is a key life skill, so at Creswell Junior School we ensure children have daily English lessons that focus on the teaching of writing.

At our school we follow the Read in to Writing programme. It is a reading rich programme of study with key objectives for spoken language, reading, grammar and writing.  It firstly promotes a love of reading for pupils as it is through the rich study of books and the authenticity of writing that children become invested. They want to write, have plenty to say and know how to say it.

The English programme of study states “through reading in particular, pupils have chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially plays a key role in such development. Reading also enables pupils to acquire knowledge and to build on what they already know.”

Children study one key text per half term; so that over the course of the academic year they have studied six novels in depth. It is necessary to devote time to each text, to engage children fully in the text and to fully develop the learning journey; from overview to understanding. In each year children will read a range of classic and modern literature. These novels have a range of cross-curricular links that enhance the cultural capital of our children.

Children will have regular writing opportunities in each unit; there are usually three key pieces of writing, including one final extended piece to conclude the study that draws on everything the children have learned in the unit.

Children read a whole text in depth and undertake convincing writing tasks that are embedded within the reading experience.  Deep reading knowledge and understanding are therefore crucial to the success of their writing.

Additionally, pupils develop their speaking and listening skills as the use of talk and questioning is central to the Read into Writing teaching sequence. Teachers ensure questioning encourages children to engage with what they do as readers and writers. Learning is initiated through open ended questioning and strategic pupil talk. This enables children to understand what they have read, acquire knowledge and broaden their vocabulary. This is then incorporated into their writing.

Read in to Writing ensure high levels of challenge.

Learning is carefully structured and presented in detail. Lessons in each unit are carefully planned to ensure progress. As talk is key, all children, no matter what standard they are working at, can make good progress.

Our learners with SEND have their learning more scaffolded; their teachers ensure they receive bespoke support that is tailored to their individual needs.

Alongside the daily Read in to Writing sessions pupils also have discrete grammar and punctuation, handwriting and spelling lessons. Whilst taught discretely, children are encouraged and expected to apply their learning in these lessons to their writing, in English and across the curriculum.

Children have:

• At least weekly grammar lessons. We use Rising Stars Skills Builders to structure our lessons.
• Regular, twice weekly, handwriting lessons. Children are taught the continuous cursive script.
• Twice weekly spelling lessons using the Spelling Shed scheme of learning.

In addition to our Read in to Writing English lessons, to ensure that children have regular cross-curricular opportunities to write at sustained length and for a specific purpose, pupils undertake an English writing task linked to their geography and history learning, in alternating terms. These pieces can be both fiction and non-fiction, but allow children to write for legitimate purposes and enable them to put their writing craft to good practice in the wider curriculum.  

Impact

The impact of writing teaching is carefully monitored to ensure that children make sustained progress throughout their time at Creswell Junior School. Attainment in writing is measured on an ongoing basis throughout the academic year; by class teachers, the English subject leaders and the senior leadership team.

Monitoring and assessing the impact of writing teaching takes several different forms:

• Class teachers carry out in-depth assessment of children’s key pieces of writing at least three times each term using a year group specific check list of writing objectives.
• Children complete NFER assessments three times each year in Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar. Teachers use assessment scores to carefully track progress and ensure they are aware of children not making expected progress.
• Class teachers have pupil progress meetings with senior leaders.
• Class teachers have moderation meetings with their year group partners and their colleagues in other years to ensure the cumulative development of writing skills.
• English leaders complete learning walk, book looks and pupil voice interviews.

Monitoring writing in this way enables teachers to both identify gaps in learning amongst wider groups of children and identify individual children or small groups who are not making the expected progress for their year group.  Teachers are then able to plan lessons to address gaps in learning and provide interventions and support for those most in need.

The impact the implementation of our writing process has on our children’s learning is clear. They have the knowledge and skills to be able to write successfully for a purpose and an audience. Children are becoming more confident writers, with the ability to plan, draft and edit their own work. By the end of Key Stage Two, children have developed a writer’s craft; they write at sustained length and can manipulate language, grammar and punctuation to create effect.

As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, cross curricular writing standards have also improved and skills taught in English lessons are transferred into other subjects; this shows the consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific language, grammar and punctuation.