Writing – subject information

Intent

Like reading, writing is a core skill and as such, we strive to provide purposeful opportunities for children to transfer and make effective use of their writing skills across the curriculum.

Writing at Sutton Park is closely related to the texts used for daily reading practise and topic work, with teachers drawing out opportunities for writing intended to excite and inspire. By utilising texts they are exposed to daily, pupils have opportunity to develop their depth of understanding about different subjects, characters and settings, allowing them to communicate their knowledge confidently, creatively and effectively.

Although it is a discrete subject, writing is an essential skill for pupils to access the wider curriculum and world. As a result, we strive to develop pupils’ understanding of the key ingredients of a range of writing styles and text types so that they can develop in to independent, confident, creative writers who are able to express their thoughts, feelings, ideas and opinions and enjoy the writing process.

We aim for pupils to:

• consistently apply accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar

• communicate clearly for a range of audiences and purposes

• be resilient, developing their writing to be precise, well-considered and effective

• take pride in their work, presenting it in a clear, legible, fluent handwriting style

Implementation

Children begin their writing journeys from vastly different starting points and so, at Sutton Park, we follow a clear sequence to ensure everyone gets the instruction they need.

Whilst writing is taught as a subject in its own rite, we also strive to make connections across the curriculum to build in meaningful, purposeful writing opportunities which will engage and excite children to produce creative pieces that draw on their knowledge and understanding of the context in which they are writing.

All writing units follow the same sequence:

Writing at Sutton Park begins in the early years through a range of activities intended to develop fine and gross motor and speaking and listening skills as well as daily systematic and synthetic phonics (delivered through Little Wandle) where children begin to make connections between the spoken and written word- laying the foundations for accurate spelling.

In KS1, pupils continue to develop accuracy in their spelling through daily phonics delivery and opportunities to apply this to written tasks where the focus is on securing basic punctuation and grammar skills within sentences and expanding their vocabulary bank. Children work towards a cursive script to support them with the speed and fluency of their writing as they begin to develop resilience by producing more sustained written pieces.

In KS2, pupils build on their growing knowledge and understanding of spelling, punctuation and grammar, with the focus being on becoming more accurate, consistent and well-considered in their writing choices for a range of audiences and purposes.

Impact

Our overall aim for our pupils reaches far beyond statutory assessments- whilst we want them to achieve academically, the ultimate goal is for them to be given opportunities to explore and play with language in order to be able to communicate effectively with the world around them. Pupils should leave Sutton Park with a range of experiences in writing that will mean they are confident and capable of using their knowledge and understanding for a range of purposes.