Writing
English Curriculum: Writing
Subject Leader for English: Miss Montenero
Intent - What are we trying to achieve?
At St Michael & St Martin school, we aim for our pupils to be able to write with confidence, stamina, with accuracy (in spelling, use of grammar, and handwriting) for a purpose and for pleasure. Our pupils will be ready for the next stage of their education- ‘Secondary ready.’
Gaps between our disadvantaged pupils and their peers will have decreased or diminished with regards to their ability in writing. Attainment gaps between boys and girls will have decreased or closed across the school.
Our intent is that pupils will have the knowledge and skills to plan, draft and write across a range of genres to suit an intended audience and purpose. They will have sound grammar, spelling and phonic knowledge and apply this to their written work. They will have legible handwriting: transcribing quickly and fluently. They will be able to evaluate their own and others' written work and make changes through effective editing. They will enjoy writing for pleasure.
Implementation - How is the curriculum being delivered?
As a school we follow the National Curriculum for key stages one and two and utilise Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) as the starting point for our teaching and learning for literacy.
From the start of the EYFS, the children are taught to use phonics as the prime approach to segment to spell unfamiliar words. We follow the Read, Write Inc phonics scheme which also incorporates early writing skills into lessons (such as dictation, sentence construction and proof-reading and editing). Phonics teaching continues for as long as is necessary for individual children in order for all pupils to be able to confidently write and attempt to spell with growing automaticity.
We use books as the starting point for all units of learning in English lessons. We have drawn upon quality texts from the Power of Reading scheme and other quality texts and authors have been incorporated into our bespoke English curriculum.
Leaders have used the National Curriculum as the starting point for curriculum design at St Michael and St Martin. Where an objective is to be covered across a phase, e.g. Year 3/4 or 5/6, the objectives have been allocated into the terms in which they should be covered and revisited to ensure progression and challenge. Revisiting an objective with a higher level of challenge ensures for mastery/mastery with greater depth and embedded learning. Knowledge and skills are built on in later terms/academic years and become progressively more challenging.
Teachers have the freedom to teach an objective in a way that best suits the needs of their pupils, ensuring that learning and the contexts for writing are relevant and engaging. A range of teaching approaches and strategies are employed to appeal to different learning styles.
Impact - What difference is the curriculum making?
The writing curriculum at St Michael and St Martin has been constructed to ensure an appropriate level of challenge for pupils of all abilities. A ‘mastery’ approach ensures that skills are embedded and that there is a deepening of knowledge for pupils who are deemed to be ‘exceeding’ with further opportunity to use and apply their skills in other ways within their curriculum stage. All pupils are taught at their National Curriculum stage to avoid attainment gaps widening. The use of scaffolding and small group support for SEND/bottom 20% and EAL pupils helps pupils to meet the Learning Challenge for the lesson as well as provide a challenging pitch and open-ended tasks catering for the needs of the More Able pupils.
Our pupils are provided with many opportunities to develop their English skills beyond those developed during lessons. Cultural capital experiences include author and poet visits, drama workshops, library visits, school trips, Book Week and theatre visits.
If you visited a writing lesson at St Michael and St Martin you would see:
Our school’s English curriculum, as outlined on the ‘Whole School Curriculum Overview,’ makes appropriate links between texts studied in English lessons and the wider curriculum subjects so that children have knowledge of the context and vocabulary required to write competently about a given subject and as a starting point for their writing. From EYFS up the school there are ample opportunities for ‘talk for writing,’ as championed by Pie Corbett.
During writing lessons, all pupils can contribute to discussions about the written form and know that their opinions and individual skills and talents are valued by their peers and teachers. Staff have high expectations for all pupils to develop their writing skills as every pupil is valued. Pupils explore the work of current influences and key individuals from our literary heritage; they examine their use of language, and consider the vocabulary and grammar of Standard English and dialect variations. Pupils regard themselves as writers and value their own work and that of others.
Pupil Voice (quotes across both KS1 and KS2)
“Writing at school is so much fun! We learn skills and grammar throughout the week and then get to show them off in our Big Writing at the end of the week.” Keanne, Year 3.
“I learn my red tricky words every week and then I use them when I write.” Chloe, RB.
“I especially enjoy Big Writing. We have done so many text types, I love newspaper reports and diary entries the most.” Nathan, Year 5.
“We have the opportunity to write both fiction and nonfiction in our English lessons. It’s interesting because we can spot some of these features in the books we read in class as well.” Nigel, Year 4.
Cultural Capital
Our pupils are provided with many opportunities to develop their English skills beyond those developed during lessons. Cultural capital experiences include author and poet visits, drama workshops, library visits, school trips, Book Week and theatre visits.
How does writing at St Michael and St Martin Catholic Primary School promote our school ‘STRIVE’ values?
Spiritual - Pupils are provided with opportunities to extract meaning beyond the literal and consider hidden meanings whilst engaging with writing from all genres: fiction, non-fiction and poetry. They explore how the choice of a writer’s language used and their style affects implied and explicit meaning. Pupils learn how to use language in imaginative and original ways, drawing on knowledge of what they have read and considering how words, usage and meaning change over time.
Thinkers - Pupils are provided with opportunities to write texts that portray issues and events relating to contemporary life or past experiences in interesting and challenging ways. Exploring and analysing their own and others’ work, and writing their own pieces gives pupils the knowledge and ability to question and reason.
Resilient - All children are provided with opportunities to engage with challenging literature and apply their literacy skills when exploring quality texts and models of writing, both within lessons and independently. Pupils are provided with the opportunities to develop their resilience when writing independently for example in ‘Big Writing’ sessions and across the curriculum.
Independent - Participation, creativity, reflection and independence are encouraged in all English lessons. As pupils gain further confidence in their phonic knowledge, composition and transcription skills, they therefore gain greater independence within their learning.
Valued - During writing lessons, all pupils can contribute to discussions about the written form and know that their opinions and individual skills and talents are valued by their peers and teachers. Staff have high expectations for all pupils to develop their writing skills as every pupil is valued. Pupils explore the work of current influences and key individuals from our literary heritage; they examine their use of language, and consider the vocabulary and grammar of Standard English and dialect variations. Pupils will regard themselves as writers and value their own work and that of others.
Empathetic - Literature is selected which encourages pupils to empathise with the feelings and experiences of others to help develop their understanding of other people’s attitudes, ideas and behaviour. Pupils develop sensitive awareness of, and the ability to respond constructively to backgrounds, experiences, concerns, feelings and the commitments of others through a range of different narratives. Pupils learn to empathise with others and offer feedback to their peers regarding their written work in a supportive and collaborative manner.