Writing

Our vision

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we intend to provide a Writing curriculum, which is accessible to all children across the whole of the primary phase from EYFS to Year 6. We deliver lessons that are engaging and well-resourced to enable access to learning for all children including those with PP, SEND, EAL or FSM. Our children strive for excellence, always showing REACH, and are able to work both independently and co-operatively. We are dedicated to encouraging all children to be passionate about writing and aspirational in their thoughts. We are determined that ALL children will become highly competent and confident writers by the end of their time with us. We are also committed to ensuring that children are able to recognise the importance of Writing in the wider world, developing empathy, and preparing them for all aspects of life including their transition into secondary school.

We use a wide variety of experiences, aspirational and quality texts and adapted resources to motivate and inspire our children all following a scaffolded approach using styles from a range of English schools of thought – Talk for Writing and Big Write.

'My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.' Psalm 45:1

What does English look like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?

All pupils receive a daily English lesson (except on REACH Friday’s).

The process looks like this:

1. Exploring text type – text marking.
2. Retell
3. Big write – initial assessment piece.
4. VCOP session
5. VCOP session
6. Big write – VCOP assessment opportunity
7. Innovation – planning
8. Writing phase – modelled.
9. Writing phase – modelled.
10. Writing phase – modelled.
11. Purple Write assessment piece – independently completed after a short break.

Supporting your child to write at home

 Early writing activities:

• Encourage children to look for print in their environment - road signs, food packets, shops etc.
• Try activities to develop fine motor skills e.g. cutting, using playdough, tracing, using tweezers or clothes pegs to pick things up.
• Use a chalkboard to write family messages on.
• Make labels for things around the house.
• Write a shopping list - real or imaginary! Or any kind of list.
• Letter formation - practise forming letters using paint, in sand, using playdough or pastry.
• Let your child write their own Christmas cards or birthday cards to people.
• Use magnetic letters - your child can leave you a message on the fridge.
• Encourage and praise early squiggles which show your child is beginning to understand writing.

Improving writers:

• Write party invitations
• Encourage children to write thank you letters after birthdays and Christmas.
• Write postcards when on holiday.
• Write simple sentences from pictures (Pobble is a really good website for this!)
• Email or write a letter to a family member or friend.
• Write short stories involving real life experiences.
• Write an information leaflet about something they find interesting e.g. a favourite sport, dinosaurs etc.
• Ask them to correct a sentence you have written with a deliberate mistake e.g. a spelling mistake or missing punctuation.

More confident writers:

• Write a diary.
• Write a story for a younger family member, in the style of their favourite author.
• Write a holiday journal.
• Write a recipe or instruction manual e.g. how to play a game.
• Write to the local newspaper about an issue they feel strongly about.
• Look out for writing competitions! e.g. Radio 2's 500 word story competition.
• Encourage them to proof read and edit their writing (could be homework) once they have finished. Ask them to check that spelling, punctuation and grammar is accurate.