We know that children draw upon their reading when they write and that skilled and fluent readers become able writers.
Through the carefully chosen booklists that form our Reading Adventure, children across the school access great literature from which they draw inspiration for their writing. In addition to this, in each sequence of English lessons, children read and analyse selected texts with their teacher so that they become familiar with the style and tone of the genre they are writing in.
Unsurprisingly, research shows that children are motivated to write better when they are writing for meaning and purpose. Wherever possible, we find real life reasons for children to write, whether that be Year 1 putting up ‘Lost Toy’ posters around the school or Year 6 writing to the Minister for National Parks to make the case for better protection of the natural environment. Writing tasks are linked to the half termly topics that make up our creative curriculum, giving meaning as well as purpose to the children’s writing.
Our children understand the process of writing through seeing their teachers model ‘live’ the process of writing in English lessons. We also arrange regular author visits through which the children learn about the craft of writing and have the chance to ask questions of some of their literary heroes.
Handwriting, spelling, and punctuation and grammar lessons are integrated into our English curriculum through a combination of daily sentence practice, standalone lessons and spelling homework. Regular practice in all these areas gives children the skills they need to transcribe fluently and get their meaning across, freeing up working memory for them to produce writing that will engage the reader.
Writing is highly valued across the school. We celebrate children’s writing through the creation of anthologies, the publication of books, classroom displays and Wonderful Work Certificates. Teachers regularly ask children to read excerpts of their writing to their class and invite them to take written pieces to showcase to other year groups. We also provide opportunities for children to enter local and national competitions.
