English (Writing)

At Broseley C of E Primary, we deliver a high-quality Literacy curriculum that teaches children to speak, read and write fluently so they can communicate their ideas and emotions in a cogent and articulate manner.  We also recognise the importance of Literacy as a means of developing the whole child, in which pupils are enriched and inspired culturally, emotionally, and spiritually. The school’s vision and educational aims for Literacy provision, therefore, are to provide pupils with a curriculum which is engaging, inspiring, and challenging for all, regardless of starting point or ability.

Writing Intent

We intend for our children to become masters of the 4 key writing domains of writing to entertain, writing to inform, writing to persuade, and writing to discuss. Children will begin by mastering verbal fluency and will quickly progress to apply this to the written form. We believe children who have a secure grasp of these 4 domains become better communicators - a skill which is essential to thrive as a global citizen. The study of writing creates the knowledge and skills necessary to help shape the modern world. Students of writing are global citizens, with intellectual prowess and leadership abilities, who are flexible and adaptable to the changing contexts and demands of the modern world.

Writing is a way for children to express their thoughts and ideas. We want to make it enjoyable for the children and focus on quality rather than quantity. We recognise the link between reading and writing and strive to build links between the two areas. Our children need to recognise that writing can sometimes be difficult, but we seek to give them the resilience to think and talk about what they will write, to use models and resources, and use editing and proof-reading to ultimately construct a text that they are proud to share.

At Broseley C of E, we provide speaking and listening opportunities through a variety of activities such as drama, choral speaking, debate, discussion, and performance. We provide informal opportunities through times such show and tell, story-sharing and book talk to further development in this area.

Implementation: How is English taught at Broseley C of E? 

At Broseley C of E, we use the Literacy Tree programme to build our literacy curriculum. The Literacy Tree exposes children to a wide range of high-level texts to help build a love of literature. Texts are carefully chosen to cover a range of genres and diverse issues around the world. 

English in EYFS

The Process:

• Exposure to vocabulary and verbal communication
• Phonics (continued throughout)
• Use of vocabulary to articulate thoughts leading to the construction of full verbal sentences
• Mark making
• Labels
• Words (synonyms) within given sentences
• Simple sentences with the application of phonic knowledge using a modelled structure.

English in EYFS is intrinsically linked to phonics and speaking and listening. From the outset, children are taught how to articulate their thoughts about the world around them through highly skilled modelling and questioning which enables them to reach their Early Learning Goals. Children are exposed to challenging vocabulary and are encouraged to use this vocabulary when verbally constructing sentences. Children in Reception have regular practice with mark making. They are taught that writing is a form of communication and when mark making, the children are explicitly taught that when writing, we are recording ideas. They are exposed to many forms of writing and will be encouraged to discuss where they see different marks.

Children are taught discrete phonic knowledge every day and explore language with shared reading, imaginative play, and the practice of fine and gross motor skills. New vocabulary is then applied to a new context e.g. during child-initiated sessions.

Writing is the last part of the process. Everyday learning: phonics, mark making, fine and gross motor skills, and explorative play works towards the children being a writer, where they write about real recounts, retelling stories leading to more imagined texts. Children in EYFS follow the Drawing Club programme alongside the Literacy Tree scheme, where appropriate, which build readiness when moving to Year 1 and beyond.

English in Key Stage 1 and 2

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).

Transcription Y1 to Y6:

In addition to letter formation taught as part of phonics sessions, we have explicit handwriting lessons, and we expect children to take pride in their written work and have a high standard of presentation. As with everything in school, we do not expect everything to be perfect, but we expect children to give 100% effort and be proud of their books and want to show them to parents, staff, and peers.

We teach spelling skills daily building on from systematic phonics and look at the spelling rules and patterns throughout the school. We then provide opportunities for pupils to use the words in context. Pupils are given these spellings as homework.

Spelling:

In Year 1, in addition to daily phonics, the children are given a set list of spellings that are linked to the sounds they are learning that week as well as common exception words. These are sent home to be practised with parents/guardians and these spellings are then tested in school.

In year 2, most of the children follow the same spelling/vocabulary format as KS2; however, children who did not pass the phonics screening have their own targeted words based on their phonics teaching.

From Key Stage 2, children are discretely taught vocabulary and spelling sessions. Teaching pupils to use morphemes (root words, prefixes, and suffixes) can develop their vocabulary while also improving phonological awareness, decoding, and spelling. The National Curriculum provides lists of words that pupils must learn to spell at Year 3–4 and Year 5–6.

Spelling Process in KS2:

• Teach spelling patterns/prefixes only grouping words from the statutory spelling lists.
• These spelling words are used within vocabulary lessons.
• 10 words per week to learn to expose children to words following a spelling rule.

Revisiting the spellings gives children the best chance of retaining this new learning and moving it to their long-term memory.

Composition Year 1 to Year 6:

The curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that pupils build on the knowledge and skills they have been taught. Each genre of writing has been carefully chosen to ensure maximum exposure to the four domains of writing: writing to entertain, writing to inform, writing to persuade, writing to discuss. Each domain has a clear progression to show explicit difference between each year group. E.g. a Year 3 recount will look different to a Year 6 recount.

Children will be exposed to a range of genres each term as set out in school’s long term planning document. Children are guided through a process of understanding, knowledge, and skills development towards a ‘Best Writing’ piece at the end of a unit that assesses their level of understanding and to evidence progress made throughout KS2. Through this writing approach, we develop an understanding of a range of writing genres and their characteristics and ensure that pupils can write in a variety of styles and forms appropriate to the text type and audience. Providing a balance of text types ensures children are exposed to a breadth of material and have experience in writing for different purposes.

Modelled Writing

Our teachers are expert writers; therefore, most lessons will contain explicit instruction on the formulation of sentences. Initially, through speaking and listening. Then, in the application to written sentences. Teachers will live model the writing process and articulate their thinking as a model to the students.

Independent work

During the independent work section, pupils apply their knowledge to a task and will use the gathered vocabulary and modelled examples within their own writing. Tasks provide a scaffold for pupils who may need it. All pupils have the opportunity to meet the same learning objective. 

Editing

At Broseley C of E, we believe writing is re-writing and we dedicate a significant amount of time modelling and applying the knowledge and skills needed to edit a piece of writing.

Assessment

At the end of each writing unit, children’s edited writing will be published as their ‘Best Write’. These pieces of writing are marked by teachers using the National Curriculum objectives which have been broken down into a child-friendly format so that children can clearly see what they can do well and what their targets are for future units of writing.

Children are presented with the opportunity to edit and improve their ‘Best Writes’ to ensure their writing is the best they can make it.

Impact 

Regular learning sessions show that pupils are confident and able to articulate what they have learned using a broad vocabulary. The pupil voice discussions show that pupils greatly enjoy writing and can recall their learning and knowledge over time, making links between units of work. Lesson observations also triangulate this. 

Children participate in writing competitions and write for pleasure; they enjoy having their work displayed on the whole-school writing display when they have done writing they show great pride in.

Work in pupil exercise books demonstrates that English is taught at a high standard across the school with opportunities for pupils to work at a greater depth. As a result, pupils make sustained progress across both key stages. Work is of high quality, with pride taken and demonstrates pupils are acquiring knowledge, skills, and vocabulary in an appropriate sequence.