'‘The overarching aim for English in the national curriculum is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.’'- National Curriculum 2014

Curriculum Intent

At Windmill Primary School, writing is an integral part of our curriculum. We aim to equip our pupils with a strong grasp of spelling, handwriting, punctuation and grammar, to enable them to become confident and fluent writers. By the end of Year Six, we intend for our children to have developed a love of writing as well as being able to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and creatively through the written word. 

Curriculum Implementation

Spelling

• In Reception and KS1 children are taught spelling in line with and through Read Write Inc. phonics sessions.
• In KS2 children are taught spelling through discreet lessons.
• From Years 3-6 children are taught National Curriculum spelling rules and common exception words through the Ed Shed Scheme. The scheme builds on children’s prior knowledge and ensures pupils cover all NC elements. 

Punctuation and Grammar

• Pupils in Years 1 to 6 have discreet grammar punctuation lessons each week. These lessons focus on a particular skill that can be incorporated into pupils’ independent writing.
• We use the Ed Shed scheme to ensure that all National Curriculum expectations are covered.
• Each year group has small step learning episodes covering all key areas of the grammar, punctuation and spelling curriculum: Word, Text, Sentence and Punctuation. Each small step is linked to a National Curriculum statement.
• Children are given the opportunity to apply these grammatical concepts in writing lessons.

Composition

• The approach we adopt to teach writing is based upon Jane Considine’s book ‘The Write Stuff’.  
• We teach three hour long writing lessons each week.
• We use high quality, language rich texts to inspire and motivate our children.   
• We use high quality demonstration writing, whereby children are explicitly taught and shown how to craft the ideas, grammar and techniques of writing. 
• Children are exposed to a range of writing genres: narratives, non fiction, poetry, diary entry, persuasive writing, instruction, newspaper report, autobiographies, recounts, non-chronological reports, traditional tales. This provides our pupils with regular opportunities to write for a range of purposes and audiences. 
• Children write independently, applying their skills and showcasing what they have learnt.  
• Throughout the learning process, children’s writing is celebrated and displayed in classrooms.