Writing

Writing at Holy Trinity is used for children to express themselves, communicate with others and demonstrate the skills they have acquired within a unit of work. Mrs Beech is responsible for this subject in school.

What?

At Holy Trinity, we believe that writing is a personal, expressive and vital skill, which we aim to promote across all areas of our curriculum. We desire our children to become eager writers through inspiring and exciting resources that they can relate to, enjoy and develop their individual love for writing. Our goal is for children to engage with challenging texts from a range of authors, cultures and times, using a wide range of vocabulary effectively in their writing and also their speaking and listening. Our children gain a true understanding that Writing has an important and prevalent place in the world we live in, and that all pieces of writing are written for a purpose (fiction and non-fiction). Therefore, our children will be confident in writing independently for a range of purposes and audiences, choosing the appropriate style required. This will enable our children to develop a secure knowledge of grammatical conventions, phonics and spelling patterns, and apply them, not only in writing lessons, but also across the curriculum. They review and edit their own writing and understand how they can reflect on what they have written; this is so our children see writing as a process. Proofreading pit stops are used with all pupils whenever they write. Pupils review their writing against the non-negotiables of their year groups and check for errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar. Alongside this, we want our children to develop effective handwriting to ensure fluency and speed as they grow as writers, developing a handwriting script that they are proud of.

How?

Within each year group, the teaching and learning of writing follows the same process and are based on books by well-known authors, which model the skills and styles of a good writer. The children are given the time to immerse themselves in the story, getting to know the characters and narrative format. Using carefully selected texts ensures that our children are exposed to and use a wide range of English vocabulary correctly and confidently in their writing and in their speaking. Talk in writing is key, ensuring all children develop an excellent range of vocabulary and practise aloud their ideas and edit before recording them. Grammar is an integral part of Writing and we endeavour to support all children master Standard English. This is completed through a variety of interactive strategies, games and drama to engage all types of learners. The aims of the National Curriculum are taught and embedded across all writing lessons, as well as the wider curriculum. We promote cross-curricular writing so that the children have the opportunity to use a wider range of vocabulary and apply the skills they have acquired from their writing lessons. Writing units of work are taught following the outlined Holy Trinity Writing Process, which typically spans three weeks:

• WAGOLL [What A Good One Looks Like] – exploring key features of a genre and de-constructing the model text
• One lesson each weeks focused on the spelling rule focus for that week
• Grammar skill-based lessons [grammar focus dependent on purpose and audience of text]
• Hot Write [planning and writing]
• Editing

This process is well-organised and adaptable, providing purposeful opportunities for writing, speaking and listening. Our staff endeavour to ensure that the texts focussed on and skills taught are unique and appropriate to each class, creating an ever-changing and exciting learning culture for our children. At Holy Trinity, we believe that good presentation skills are vital, as we want our children to have a sense of pride in valuing their own work, and for others to do the same. To support the teaching of handwriting at Holy Trinity, we use a consistent whole-school scheme: Nelson Handwriting. It introduces cursive handwriting in step-by-step stages from Reception to Year Six. By introducing and teaching handwriting consistently from an early age, this enables our children to be free to concentrate on their composition, spelling and grammar, rather than the mechanics of handwriting. The children are also given the opportunity to use IT programmes to publish and present their work in a variety of formats for different audiences to see. To further promote the love of writing, there are a variety of opportunities where children are able to demonstrate and celebrate their skills and love for writing. The children share their writing to other classes, in Phase Assemblies as well as taking part in different competitions through the year on poetry and creative writing.

So?

We want our children to have an understanding that writing has a real purpose, and that word choice and style can bring about change. We have recognised the importance of fostering a culture where they take pride in their writing, confidently being able to change their language and style for a range of purposes and audiences. Through select book choices and modelling from staff, children are confident in the art of speaking and listening, being able to communicate to others and reflect on their own learning. At Holy Trinity, we develop writers who enjoy taking risks, are confident in sharing their ideas and love discussing their own writing with others. Our children develop a secure acquisition of writing skills throughout the primary curriculum, giving them the tools they need to participate fully as a member of the society we live in today.