Writing in English
Statement of Intent
At Heddington, we nurture a culture where children view themselves as writers. From EYFS, children are immersed in a language rich environment and take pride in their writing. We aim for all children to write clearly and adapt their language for different contexts, purposes and audiences, taking inspiration from the range of high-quality texts they are regularly exposed to.
Throughout the whole school, writing units are taught over a two or three week period, with lessons including modelled and shared writing, drama and discussion. Time is provided for an extended, independent piece of writing to be created, allowing children to apply their learning, including new and refined skills, spelling and grammar. Finally, children reflect on, evaluate and edit their work before publishing or sharing a final piece.
Additionally, children are encouraged to be respectful and confident when speaking and listening. The aim is to provide all children with the necessary tools to discuss and write in every area of their learning.
What do we want Children to Gain from English?
We want children to…
- See themselves as writers
- Understand they can use language to express their thoughts, feelings and beliefs
- Write for a range of purposes
- See writing as an interesting and enjoyable process
- Present work neatly and take pride in the presentation of written work
- Become confident and independent writers
How we Implement
Writing is taught daily across the school. Each class uses a high quality book or extract as a model and to draw inspiration from for their own writing. Children are also exposed to images, film and music to support their creativity.
Writing skills are sequenced and explicitly taught using modelled, shared and independent writing. Children have the opportunity to explore and use these through a range of activities during a unit, before publishing or sharing their final piece. To gain independence in writing, children are encouraged to orally rehearse sentences and to plan, draft, evaluate and edit larger pieces.
Click here to access the Programme of Study for Key Stage 1 & 2
How we Assess Impact
The impact on children at Heddington will be clear progression from the start of their writing journey. Children will be confident writers who can write for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. They will be equipped with rich, varied and subject specific vocabulary which they will use in both their speaking and writing across the curriculum.
Furthermore, children will have a good command of grammar and punctuation, and use accurate spelling. On leaving Heddington, children will be reflective and creative writers who take pride in the work they produce.
Our English co-ordinator is Mr Humphries and Mrs Coombs.