Writing

Intent

At Little Kingshill Combined School we believe that a quality English curriculum should develop children’s love of reading, writing and discussion. We endeavour to inspire all children to read and write by delivering an engaging an exciting curriculum and to have the skills to communicate their ideas and emotions effectively. By providing high quality teaching, with teachers showing enthusiasm and passion for English, we can prepare our pupils for transition into secondary school and wider life by becoming successful writers, readers and communicators. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing and reading.

The aim for the children is to develop reading skills that support them to write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. Within our curriculum, we cover a range of topics including current national and international focuses, such as the environment, women’s rights and black history because as educators, we feel it is important to make children aware of the world around them.

With a school ethos centred around a love and enjoyment for reading, we encourage the children to show this within their writing through modelling how to use language and vocabulary in our own writing. Through our English curriculum, we strive to teach children how important their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills will be in the real world. By giving this context to their learning, the children understand the value of English to them now, and in their futures.

Implementation

At Little Kingshill Combined School, we have embraced the CLPE’s Power of Reading approach, ensuring that high quality text is at the centre of what we do. Power of Reading covers a wide range of genre, to support a progression of writing skills throughout our school. Using sequences of lessons, building to a clear outcome, children are provided with the tools to develop skills in spelling, vocabulary, punctuation and grammar. This approach provides opportunities for learning creatively through drama, speaking and listening, share writing and most importantly, it fosters a whole school love of reading and writing. Talk for Writing is used in conjunction with CLPE approaches to build children’s skills in imitating language and adopting high quality language in their speaking and listening.

To achieve this for writing, we use Power of Reading which uses quality texts. Our writing plans are directly linked to the topics for each term, when appropriate. This ensures that extended, purposeful writing opportunities are planned across the curriculum which will engage and encourage the children with their writing. Through these well-structured sequences the children are also directly taught grammar and punctuation. Handwriting is taught regularly and often incorporated into lessons. Each sequence will cover a new genre, building on prior knowledge and ensuring in-depth coverage. Towards the end of the sequence, the children use the skills they have been taught and apply these to their writing with a final piece, which may then be assessed. Within this piece, children will be given opportunities to plan, structure, draft, edit, write and assess, including peer assessment.

In order to create a positive writing culture, we provide a wide range of activities including the use of ICT, modelled, shared and guided writing, peer assessment and discussion. We provide varied and exciting opportunities for writing for purpose and we encourage pupils to see themselves as authors and poets. We promote the importance of written work by providing a writing purpose and opportunities for children’s writing to be read aloud and listened to by an audience. We have developed a range of extra activities which are used to promote English within the school including whole school writing challenges, World Book Day and author visits.

With a focus on our inclusive curriculum, with community at its heart, we offer many opportunities for parent involvement in our English curriculum. We provide opportunities for parents to become more involved in our learning through volunteer readers, library visits and shared writing events.

In order to provide high quality teaching to our children, we provide many opportunities for staff CPD including a whole school membership to the National college, Phonics and reading courses, CLPE courses on the power for reading and regular opportunities to share good practise and moderate children’s work.

Impact

Through establishing high attainment levels in English, children are more equipped to access other subjects within the primary curriculum. Cross curricular writing standards have improved and skills taught in English lessons are transferred into other subjects. Children are showing an understanding of how and when to use specific writing techniques including a range of grammar and punctuation.

At Little Kingshill Combined School, we feel confident that as children move on, they have confidence in their own ability and feel well equipped for the rest of their education. Most importantly, we believe children leave with enthusiasm and enjoyment for writing and reading.