At Fairstead, opportunities to nurture and apply writing skills are provided across the curriculum and to all year groups.
We are aiming for all children to develop:
The ability to write fluently and with interesting detail on a number of topics throughout the curriculum.
A vivid imagination, which makes readers engage with and enjoy their writing.
A highly developed vocabulary and an excellent knowledge of writing techniques to extend details or description.
Well-organised and structured writing, which includes a variety of sentence structures.
Excellent transcription skills that ensure their writing is well presented and punctuated, spelled correctly and neat.
A love of writing and an appreciation of its educational, cultural and entertainment values.
Implementation
Using the principals of ‘Talk for Writing’ from EYFS to Y6, a clear writing process has been mapped out. This is to ensure a consistent and systematic approach but also so that children know what to expect as they transition through school.
Early writing is taught through early mark making, then when the children begin RWI phonics they are taught the letter formations. This begins with writing (whether with a writing tool or in the air) CVC words, moving onto short sentences using the sounds they have been taught. The children also learn to remember and write stories using the Talk for Writing approach. They are encouraged to write independently in continuous provision.
This process continues into Year 1, where children are encouraged to use the sounds they have been taught. They have access to RWI sound mats, when they are writing, whether this is with the teacher, in continuous provision or independently.
Once the writing process reaches the ‘Published’ stage, teachers assess content against year appropriate interim writing grids, both to inform about progress (class based and school wide data drops) and future teaching needs.
A vocabulary deficit was recognised across school and so in order to support this there is a heavy focus on new and adventurous vocabulary as part of the Talk for Writing that overlaps greatly with Shared Reading and the exposure to particular text types through the ‘7 plagues of Reading’ spines.
A further area of need that was identified is children’s working memory and therefore the resultant sensory overload when needing to learn, apply and edit new skills. As editing requires all of these at once, the writing process requires slow writing to allow for edits of one type, one sentence at a time. The concentration being first on the newly applied skills, then vocabulary, then spelling, then grammar. Once all of this is present on a mini-white board, the concentration is solely on handwriting as the edited sentence is copied into books.
Impact
The Writing process is evaluated through:
Learning walks.
Assessment of working walls.
Book looks.
Writing interim grids post published piece.
Summative assessments 3 times a year.
In school moderation
KS1 and KS2 outcomes are moderated by external moderators.
From September 2024
At Fairstead we have been working towards transitioning our English Writing curriculum towards a whole-text approach that more supports the teaching and learning of grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) and gives children more frequent exposure to different text types. In January 2024 we decided to buy some sample units of work from The Literacy Tree to trial in our school. Following this we will decide whether to move forward with Teaching English Writing in this way from September 2024 onwards or to continue our talk for writing approach.
Our planned units for the Summer are:
Reception
(Trial only as the school continues to use Drawing Club methodology this academic year)
Term
Summer 1
Summer 2
Text
The Tiny Seed
I will not ever never eat a tomato
The Night Pirates
So Much
Outcome
Advice leaflets Labels and captions, advice, retellings, writing in role, narrative, letter
Own stories about a fussy eaters Statements, writing in role, shopping lists
‘How to be a pirate’ guides Writing in role, letters, labels and captions
Own ‘So Much’ narrative poems Past tense sentences, writing in role, performance/ narrative poetry
Year 1
Term
Summer 1
Summer 2
Text
Lubna and Pebble
Pig the pug
Iggy Peck, Architect
Julian is a mermaid
Outcome
Own version gifting narratives Labels, thank you notes, speech bubbles, advice postcards, instructions
‘How to’ guides Character comparisons, fact sheets, shared poetry, own version narratives
Fact files Labels, character comparisons, character descriptions, building descriptions, posters
Three-verse poems Instructions, writing in role, advertisements
Year 2
Term
Summer 1
Summer 2
Text
Toys in Space
The Dragon Machine
Rosie Revere, Engineer
Last Stop on Market Street
Outcome
Own version fantasy world narrative Found posters, diary entries, speech bubbles, notes of advice, space logs, invitations, fantasy setting descriptions
Own version dragon stories Dragon guides & encyclopaedia, letters of advice, dragon machine explanations, shopping lists, descriptions, letters
Explanation text Short explanations, adverts, advice letters, character description (school report), invention descriptions
Own version narrative Poetry, simple character descriptions, interview questions, adverts, advice slips, letters