Writing

Eggbuckland Vale Primary School Intent Statement For Writing

At Eggbuckland Vale Primary School we have designed our writing curriculum to enable pupils to be able to communicate through accurate, interesting, creative and entertaining writing.  We see writing as both a vehicle for expression and a worthwhile activity in its own right.  Our planning and delivery of learning to write focusses on accurate transcription skills, and purposeful composition.  Children should leave us with confidence in, and a sound grasp of, this wide-ranging skill-set, and enthusiasm for the various purposes for writing.  As a result, our pupils are ready for the demands of the next stage of their learning, and lives.  The links with reading are strong, and we plan for opportunities across many text-types, using quality texts to inspire and demonstrate effective writing. Vocabulary development through reading and writing is a strong focus.  Furthermore, our long term plan ensures a balance of experiences between non-fiction and narrative genres, including poetry.

At Eggbuckland Vale, our approach is structured and progressive.  Children acquire the building blocks of writing early on, and through our progression of teaching (transcription and composition) they develop to be fluent writers.  We want children to make good progress based on their own starting points.

‍

Eggbuckland Vale Primary School Implementation For Writing (How We Teach Writing) 

EYFS 

We inspire our youngest children to write and see themselves as writers.  Every child’s journey is personal.  Writing begins in oracy, physical development and building confidence. 

Physical development:  this includes activities to develop core strength, balance, muscle tone to support gross and fine motor skills.  Examples for the latter are: manipulating small and loose parts, gripping and squeezing using tweezers, lacing and threading, cutting and snipping.  Gross motor skills are developed through PE and other whole body activities (especially through the outdoor continuous provision).

Mark making is a fundamental early step.  We encourage a love for this.  Marks are valued to build confidence, developing the first steps in mark-making for meaning.  Children share their marks and ideas, and we provide opportunities for children to practice making a range of movements in big, open spaces using a range of media.

Talk and writing are valued, with explicit, adult-led talk about writing. Adults also model language and vocabulary, using prompts such as puppets, objects, the natural environment which in turn stimulates spoken language in the children.  Environmental print is used, and words in stories /books are referred to, in order to make the link between spoken and written words.  Opportunities for writing are planned for in our adult led and continuous provision activities, for example shopping lists, recipes, letters, story-characters. 

The link with reading and enjoyment of texts is strong, and children are immersed in stories through story time, book talk, drama, role-play, text mapping and re-telling, thus providing inspiration and encouragement to write and share ideas.  High quality texts are chosen to inspire this learning.

Pupils acquire their phonological awareness through our SSP, Essential Letters and Sounds.  Children write the sounds they have been learning and apply their knowledge.  Children write every day, rehearsing out lout, then spelling the words using the sounds and ‘harder to learn and spell’ words that they know.  As appropriate, children practice and apply spelling and grammar rules to their writing.

In foundation, pupils are taught printed script based on ELS (SSP programme)

Key Stage 1 & 2 Writing

The programmes of study for writing at key stages 1 and 2 are constructed similarly to those for reading:

• transcription (spelling and handwriting)
• composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing).

The teaching at Eggbuckland Vale develops pupils’ competence in these two dimensions. In addition, pupils are taught how to plan, revise and evaluate their writing.

Writing down ideas fluently depends on effective transcription: that is, on spelling quickly and accurately through knowing the relationship between sounds and letters (phonics) and understanding the morphology (word structure) and orthography (spelling structure) of words. Effective composition involves forming, articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. This requires clarity, awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Writing also depends on fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting.

‍

Spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

The two statutory appendices in the National Curriculum – on spelling , vocabulary, grammar and punctuation –inform our teaching at Eggbuckland Vale. Separate progression documents for these areas, plus handwriting are used by teaching staff to plan progressive units of work across the two key stages.

Opportunities for teachers to enhance pupils’ vocabulary arise naturally from their reading and in writing, they are developed through writing units.  Cross curricular work and a focus on oracy in our wider learning, further develops the vocabulary of our pupils.  As vocabulary increases, teachers show pupils how to understand the relationships between words, how to understand nuances in meaning, and how to develop their understanding of, and ability to use, figurative language. They also teach pupils how to work out and clarify the meanings of unknown words and words with more than one meaning.

Pupils are taught to control their speaking and writing consciously and to use Standard English. They are taught to use the elements of spelling, grammar, punctuation and ‘language about language’ listed in the statutory appendices. These do not constrain or restrict teachers’ creativity, but  provide the structure on which they can construct exciting lessons. The school follows the definitions provided in the non-statutory glossary in the national curriculum.

Throughout the programmes of study, teachers teach pupils the vocabulary they need to discuss their reading, writing and spoken language. Pupils therefore learn the correct grammatical terms in English and these terms are integrated within teaching of writing.

Grammar is taught mainly within the content of a writing unit, and children can practice and apply the concepts in their practice and their independent writing.  Some aspects of grammar are taught or reviewed more discretely, to ensure pupils can recall and apply prior learning.

EVPS Spelling Programme:

Through 2023-24 the Essential Letters and Sounds Y2 spelling scheme is being trialled in KS1. From Year 3 we use the  Spelling Shed spelling scheme. Lessons are taught and pupils can practice using the Spelling Shed web-based game in school and at home. We aim to have pupils working within their year group focus for spellings.  Pupils with specific needs may have alternative provision/catch-up. 

Pupils make use of a ‘have-a-go’ sheet for spellings which encourages independence and high aspiration in spelling.  Teachers highlight appropriate spellings to be corrected in written work. 

‍

EVPS Handwriting:

Through KS1 the school uses the Twinkl Handwriting scheme.

From Y3 pupils start to experiment and be taught to write in pen, for example to present a special piece of writing.  This continues in Y4, and in Y5 pupils will write in pen for all their work.  Pupils with additional needs may need adaptations in this progression or alternative implements/pens/slopes.

EVPS Writing Composition:

Year teams follow the EVPS long term plan for writing purposes to ensure coverage writing genres -entertain, inform, discuss and persuade.  Cross curricular links are made where appropriate.  The long term plan is regularly revised to account for great books that inspire us, making links with other learning/interests, and the needs of children changing.  Writing skills are also be applied across the curriculum.  The school uses various approaches to teach compositional aspects to writing (aspects of Talk for Writing, Slow-writing, Success  Criteria and WAGOLLS) .  Inspiring texts are used within our writing units, using suggestions from CLPE, Devon Book Writes (formerly Texts that Teach), Somerset Literacy Network, Hamilton Trust, Literacy Tree and The Reader Teacher. Editing writing is developed from the earliest age groups, for example using editing stations and peer review. Success criteria are used to enable pupils to apply learning from lesson sequences to their independent writing and to self-review.  These can be adapted to support pupils who are struggling, or to extend those with potential for achieving a ‘greater depth’.

An English journey is planned for each writing unit:

• Quality text link (sometimes linked to other learning)
• Immersion into texts to identify & define features/structures
• WAGOLL to look for features
• Word, sentence and grammar learning  (contextual, integrated work)
• Modelled and shared writing
• Planning, drafting, editing and publishing
• Evaluating using WAGOLL and success criteria.
• Bitesize Writes are used regularly to re-visit prior learning in a new context

‍

Adaptations for writing:

Teachers identify the difficulties a child has in writing.  Scaffolds and support are then sued appropriately. For example – structure strips to help with composition, spelling lists, sentence openers.

‍

Assessment in Writing

Teacher assessment for writing and grammar are recorded on INSIGHT each term (3x per year).  Teachers use our writing assessment grids based on the Teacher Assessment Frameworks for Y6 and Y2.  Interim versions are used for the other year groups.  Staff meeting time is used to moderate our writing judgements internally, and we also have opportunities to moderate across the schools in our MAT.  Y2 and Y6 teachers receive appropriate moderation training annually from our providers.  

‍

Summative Assessment

• Baseline and the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile in the Foundation year
• Phonics screen in Year 1 (and in Y2 as appropriate) and additional regular phonics assessment and tracking (into KS2 if needed)
• Year 6 NC tests (spelling and grammar)
• Head Start or old SATS grammar and spelling tests from Y2 up
• Termly teacher assessment for writing composition and effect/grammar on INSIGHT

Staff development/support

Writing forms a regular element of CPD at EVPS.  The subject leader provides regular updates, and support in planning writing units.  External training is also regularly organised to support specific areas we identify.

‍

Impact

Successful writing teaching leads to an increase in the percentage of children meeting the age related expectation standard in writing, and the greater depth level. A key outcome of that, is that more of our pupils are ready to access the writing requirements of the KS3 curriculum. Pupils who have accurate and effective writing are able to communicate in ways that support other learning, and have self-satisfaction and enjoyment of writing.