Writing at Angel Road Junior School

To have an effective and aspirational curriculum in Writing, the curation of the subject is based on 6 guiding principles:

Balance Rigour Relevance Coherence Big ideas Engagement

Our Intent

We intend to create a positive writing culture in the school. We want children to write accurately, and coherently adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purpose and audience.

We want pupils to acquire and feel confident using a wide range of vocabulary and have a secure understanding of how grammar enhances their writing. We want children to be able to spell new words by effectively applying the spelling patterns, rules and grapheme knowledge they learn throughout their time in primary school.

The big ideas in Writing:

- Develop children’s vocabulary across the curriculum.

- Units that build on prior learning.

- Teaching grammar in context.

- Develop fluent, legible and speedy handwriting to support their writing across

- Provide all children with strategies in spelling.

How is the teaching of writing organised? Our Implementation

We follow the Talk for Writing approach . We begin by creating a model text that will support the grammar features to be taught, and a particular writing focus (openings, dialogue, suspense, action).

- The children learn the model text, internalising the sentence structures.

- Each unit of narrative will have a writing focus to develop a range of writing skills.

- We use daily short burst writing to develop writing skills needed for their independent work.

- Grammar is taught in context allowing the children the autonomy to make choices about grammar within their own writing.

- Children innovate the model text. The sophistication of this innovation will depend on the year group and confidence of the writer.

- We encourage children to increasingly play with the structure of the model text and move away from it as much as possible as they become more confident and develop their own writers voice.

- Shared writing is vital to develop the children making choices about their own writing. We model having high expectations and ensuring that every word earns its place.  During the writing process, children receive daily written or verbal feedback to support the editing and re-drafting process.

- The final stage is for the children to apply all of the skills learnt to their own independent piece of work. It is at this stage we can evaluate the progress each child has made with their writing.

What difference will this make? Our Impact

As the writing curriculum develops throughout the school, the impact on children’s learning will be seen through:

- All children, including the weakest writer, make good progress from their starting points to meet or exceed age-related expectations.

- Children will be familiar with a range of writing types and the vocabulary associated with that. - Writing will occur across the curriculum.