English: Writing
Our Writing Curriculum Aims
At Healey Junior, Infant and Nursery School, our writing curriculum is designed to ensure that all learners develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to become successful communicators and lifelong writers.
We aim for all learners to:
- Develop a genuine enjoyment of writing and take pride in their achievements as authors.
- Become confident, articulate and effective communicators who can write fluently for a wide range of purposes, audiences and contexts.
- Acquire and apply a rich and ambitious vocabulary to enhance the quality, precision and impact of their writing.
- Develop a secure understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling, enabling them to write accurately and effectively.
- Build strong transcription skills through the systematic teaching of phonics, spelling and handwriting.
- Draw upon high-quality texts and language-rich experiences to inspire creativity, deepen understanding and enrich their own writing.
- Understand and apply the writing process, developing the ability to plan, draft, edit, revise and evaluate their work independently.
- Develop resilience, stamina and independence as writers, enabling them to write at length and sustain high standards across the curriculum.
- Apply their writing skills confidently across all areas of learning, making meaningful connections between subjects.
- Develop fluent, legible and efficient handwriting that supports effective written communication.
- Build the cultural capital, language knowledge and literacy skills needed to succeed in the next stage of education and beyond.
- Leave Healey as ambitious, reflective and independent learners who are equipped to contribute positively to their communities and thrive in an ever-changing world.
Implementation
At Healey, our writing curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that knowledge and skills build progressively from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 6. Learning is designed to enable all learners to know more, remember more and do more over time.
High-quality texts form the foundation of our English curriculum. Carefully selected literature exposes learners to rich vocabulary, diverse perspectives and exemplary models of writing. Through reading, discussion and explicit teaching, learners develop an understanding of how authors craft language and structure texts for different purposes.
Writing is taught through a progressive sequence that enables learners to:
- Develop and apply vocabulary effectively.
- Understand and use a range of grammatical structures.
- Write for a variety of audiences and purposes.
- Edit and improve their work independently.
- Build stamina and confidence as writers.
Teachers use ongoing assessment to identify strengths and next steps in learning. Teaching is responsive and adapted to ensure all learners, including those with additional needs and disadvantaged learners, can access the curriculum and achieve success.
Oracy is embedded throughout the curriculum. Learners are encouraged to articulate their ideas, engage in meaningful discussion and rehearse language before writing, enabling them to develop confidence and precision in both spoken and written communication.
Impact
The impact of our writing curriculum is evident in the quality of learners' written outcomes, their confidence as writers and their ability to apply writing skills across the curriculum.
Learners demonstrate increasing independence, resilience and creativity as they progress through school. They develop a secure understanding of writing conventions and are able to write effectively for a range of audiences and purposes.
By the end of Key Stage 2, learners can:
- Write with increasing accuracy, fluency and stamina.
- Select and adapt vocabulary and grammatical structures appropriately.
- Edit and improve their writing independently.
- Apply writing skills across a range of curriculum subjects.
- Communicate ideas effectively through both spoken and written language.
Learners leave Healey well prepared for the next stage of their education, equipped with the literacy skills, knowledge and confidence required to succeed in secondary school and beyond.
The quality of writing is monitored through a range of quality assurance activities, including lesson visits, learning walks, book scrutinies, pupil conferencing, assessment analysis and moderation activities. These processes enable leaders to evaluate curriculum implementation, ensure consistency of practice and identify priorities for continuous improvement. Findings from monitoring activities inform professional development and curriculum refinement, ensuring that all learners receive a high-quality writing education.
English in the Early Years
English is one of the seven aspects to the Early Years Framework, known as Literacy and is fundamental to a child’s successful development of Reading and Writing as they progress throughout the rest of the school.
In Early Years, we promote early Reading and Writing as we believe it underpins their natural curiosity of storytelling and early mark marking. In Nursery and in Reception, we carefully plan for Literacy throughout our continuous provision, enabling mark making and early sound recognition throughout their independent time. Within every area of the classroom we can provide opportunities for children to mark make, for example, in the Construction Area, we provide simple slips of paper for the children to ‘name and label’ their creations so that we know it is theirs.
Throughout our EYFS, we provide fun and exciting reading activities for children including: fishing out sounds from the water tray, squirting different phonemes using water guns as well as taking books into the outdoor areas for children to enjoy while sitting on the grass.
The English Lead Teacher is Miss Charlett.
