Writing

Writing Leader: Mrs Sophie Foster 

Curriculum Design

Our curriculum is designed to ensure progression in writing skills, covering a wide range of genres, styles, and purposes, whilst also embedding handwriting, grammar, spelling, and punctuation in a meaningful context.

Intent - what will we teach and why?

At Old Mill Primary School, our English curriculum aims to provide a rich and comprehensive foundation for pupils to become proficient communicators, writers, critical thinkers, and develop metacognitive skills through the study of English language and literature. The curriculum is designed to foster a love of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and to develop a deep understanding and appreciation of the nuances of the English language. Teachers are passionate about English, delivering stimulating lessons that captivate and inspire our pupils. Our intent is to ensure that every child, regardless of background or ability, achieves their full potential in English and is well-prepared for their future education and beyond.

Implementation - how do we teach to achieve excellence?

High quality texts, written by a wide variety of authors, are at the heart of our English curriculum, serving as inspiration and models for pupils' own writing endeavours. By exposing pupils to a wide range of literary works and genres, we cultivate a love of reading and writing, fostering creativity, language acquisition and critical thinking skills. We ensure that representation, inclusion and diversity are central to our curriculum, and incorporate a diverse range of genres and themes throughout fiction, non-fiction and poetry units. We ensure that all pupils see themselves, and others, reflected in the texts that they engage with, thus promoting a sense of belonging, understanding and empathy amongst our pupils and therefore promoting a positive and inclusive learning environment.

Our English curriculum adopts a varied and engaging approach to teaching, encouraging accuracy and coherence in pupils' written and oral work. We provide tailored support through scaffolding techniques to assist lower attainers and those with special educational needs and disabilities. This includes pre-writing activities, visual aids, sentence starters and individualised feedback to help these pupils overcome any barriers to learning, and to make progress in their writing. In addition, teachers provide tailored feedback to stretch our most able children, nurturing their potential and encouraging them to excel in their writing abilities.

Our curriculum strikes a harmonious balance between discrete Handwriting, Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling lessons, ‘Experience Days’, ‘Sentence Stacking’ and ‘Independent Writing’. Resources from Jane Considine’s The Write Stuff, Rising Stars Spelling and Martin Harvey’s Achieving Excellence in Handwriting are used to support our English curriculum.

We ensure the explicit teaching of grammar, vocabulary, handwriting and punctuation as discrete components of our curriculum. By delivering focused lessons on these areas, we enhance pupils' language precision, linguistic dexterity and written accuracy, instilling a strong foundation in language mechanics. Through the systematic teaching of such lessons, we scaffold the development of writing skills, enabling pupils to progressively enhance their abilities, and as a result, teachers ensure that children apply the knowledge and skills acquired to their independent writing.

‘Experience Days’ incorporate drama and role play activities to enhance pupils' language skills, creativity and confidence. Through dramatic performances and role-playing exercises, pupils deepen their understanding of characters, narratives and language. Placing a strong emphasis on developing pupils' spoken language and oracy skills through structured speaking and listening activities, debates and presentations, we aim to enhance pupils' abilities to express themselves verbally, articulate their thoughts coherently and engage effectively in discussions. In addition, ‘Experience Days’ involve trips and Learning Outside of the Classroom opportunities, thus enriching pupils’ learning experiences and broadening their understanding of the world. By actively incorporating cultural capital into our curriculum and exposing pupils to a diverse range of cultural 3 perspectives, art forms, literature and other historical contexts, we foster a sense of cultural awareness, appreciation, and social cohesion amongst our pupils.

‘Sentence Stacking’ and ‘Independent Writing’ place a strong emphasis on developing sentence structure and vocabulary to enhance pupils’ writing fluency and sophistication. Through targeted activities and resources, we empower pupils to construct complex sentences, use a rich and varied vocabulary and apply language conventions effectively in their writing. Teacher modelling is an essential component of our English lessons, providing clear examples of ambitious language use and writing techniques to guide pupils in their learning process. By demonstrating language structures, expression and writing strategies, teachers set the highest standard for pupils to aspire towards. In addition to teaching language skills, we place emphasis on editing, proofreading, and improving written work. By guiding pupils through the editing process, providing feedback on grammar, structure, and coherence, we empower them to refine their writing and develop a keen eye for detail, cultivating a strong sense of attention to quality in pupils' written output. Children unanimously enjoy independent writing and are proud to share their compositions with their peers and their teachers.

Our English curriculum is designed to link seamlessly with other subjects, such as History, Geography, and Science, to provide a holistic and interconnected learning experience for our pupils. By integrating English skills into various subjects, we enhance pupils' understanding of concepts and reinforce their ability to communicate effectively across different disciplines.

Impact - how are our pupils successful?

The impact of our English curriculum is profound, with pupils demonstrating enhanced communication skills, literary appreciation and confidence in their abilities. Through consistent assessment and feedback, we have observed significant progress in pupils' language proficiency and written expression, reflecting a deepening engagement with the subject.

Our pupils exhibit a genuine enthusiasm for English, actively participating in literary activities and showcasing their creativity and analytical thinking through their writing. This passion extends beyond the school environment, with many pupils enthusiastically exploring literature and language in their personal time.

The impact of our English curriculum at Old Mill Primary School is evidenced by the holistic, personal and academic development of our pupils. Equipped with strong English skills, metacognitive abilities and a love for language, our pupils are well-prepared for future educational challenges and equipped to thrive as articulate, culturally aware individuals.