Writing at Wroot Travis Charity C of E primary School
At Wroot Travis
At Wroot Travis Charity C of E Primary School, writing forms part of our core curriculum. All children from Foundation Stage to Year 6 are provided with a wide range of opportunities to develop and apply their writing skills across the curriculum.
Our intention is for pupils to be able to plan, revise and evaluate their writing. To be able to do this effectively, pupils will focus on developing effective transcription and composition. They will also develop an awareness of audience, purpose and context, alongside an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. We also intend for pupils to leave school being able to write fluently and legibly.
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Coverage and Progression
Statutory requirements for the teaching and learning of English are laid out in the National Curriculum in England: Framework Document (2014). The full programme of study can be found on the DfE National Curriculum website.
The programmes of study for writing at key stages 1 and 2 are:
- transcription (spelling and handwriting)
- composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing)
Teaching will develop pupils’ competence in these two dimensions. In addition, pupils are taught how to plan, revise and evaluate their writing.
A whole school overview for the coverage and progression of the teaching of writing has been created and teaching staff follow this within year groups.
Teaching and Learning
In EYFS through to Year 6, children are taught English within their classes. Through quality first teaching, differentiation and the support of additional adults, all children will receive high quality teaching and appropriate support in order for every child to reach their full potential.
Children may receive additional targeted support if necessary outside of the English lessons, for example, to work on targets from their SEND plans. A clear lesson objective and success criteria are a feature of all English lessons. Working walls support learning in the classrooms and are updated to reflect the current writing unit. Evaluative marking is used, following the school’s marking and feedback policy, and children are given time to respond to feedback. Assessment informs planning and reference is made to the National Curriculum in medium term plans. We encourage children to use ICT as a resource for learning, whenever appropriate. We provide a rich and varied experience for pupils to draw on in their writing which should include the whole curriculum. Where possible, links are made to foundation subjects, half-termly or termly themes, and high quality texts which are used as whole class reading books and during reading lessons.
To develop our children as writers we:
- treat children as writers, from the earliest stage, who have ideas that they will want to communicate, building on writing skills they have acquired and their knowledge of print from their environment.
- provide experiences where the children can acquire confidence and a positive attitude to writing.
- develop and sustain writing skills by providing opportunities for children to write for a range of purposes and audiences.
- use shared and guided writing sessions to model writing skills, teaching children how to compose, amend and revise their writing.
- teach children to become critical readers of their own writing by using self-evaluation and checking their work independently for sense, accuracy and meaning.
- teach grammar and punctuation in the context of children’s own writing, as well as through discrete lessons.
- teach children to develop their ability to organise and present imaginative and/or factual writing and poetry in different ways.
- teach strategies for spelling to enable children to become confident and competent spellers.
Handwriting
At At Wroot Travis Chaorty C of E Primary School, the importance of children being able to write legibly, fluently and at a reasonable speed is recognised. With these skills, children have a much greater chance of being able to reach and demonstrate their true potential throughout their school careers and in their lives beyond school.
To ensure a consistent approach, the school follows the Nelson handwriting scheme - a whole-school programme designed to help all children develop a confident, legible and personal handwriting style and meet higher curriculum expectations. The programme includes resources for pattern practice and motor skills work as well as fun activities to bring handwriting to life. Children are explicitly taught the skill of handwriting up to three times each week. Across the school, handwriting is carefully modelled by the teacher and recorded by the children in their handwriting exercise book .Children in EYFS use activities from Nelson. The use of patterns to support letter formation and appropriate letter-joins is also embedded enabling children to also further develop their fine motor skills. High expectations are also communicated as part the success criteria for the lesson. A high standard of presentation is also encouraged and expected in children’s written work across the wider curriculum.
Teaching and Learning
We believe that handwriting is a developmental process with its own distinctive stages of progression from readiness for handwriting, through to letter joins, practising speed and fluency and higher presentation skills. A flexible, fluent and legible handwriting style empowers pupils to write with confidence and creativity. In order to achieve this, pupils will be taught:
- To develop fine motor control
- The importance of correct posture and paper position
- To use a pen/pencil and to hold it effectively
- To write from left to right and top to bottom on a page
- To start and finish letters correctly
- To form letters of consistent size and shape
- To use the language of writing and how to use the correct terminology, (e.g. ascenders)
- To put regular spaces between words
- How to form upper and lower case letters
- How to join correctly
- To use different styles of writing for different purposes
- The importance of neat and clear presentation in order to communicate effectively
Pencil grip
• Children should write with a pencil (or pen when children have earned a pen licence) with a rounded nib. Pencils should be reasonably sharp.
• A tripod grip is the most efficient way of holding a pencil 
For right handers
• Hold lightly between the thumb and forefinger about 3cm away from the point
• The paper should be placed to the right tilted slightly to the left
• Use the left hand to steady the paper
For left handers
• Hold lightly between thumb and forefinger resting on the first knuckle of the middle finger
• Hold about 3cm from the tip
• The hand should be kept below the writing line
• The paper should be tilted slightly to the right at about 20 - 30°
• Use the right hand to steady the paper
Across the school, handwriting is carefully modelled by the teacher and good handwriting and excellent presentation are expected in children’s book at all times and in children’s work across the wider curriculum. When writing is neat enough, pupils are awarded a pen licence and will be allowed to use pen in their books (except maths, where they continue to use pencil).
Teachers follow the Nelson handwriting scheme for their year group – children who are not working at the expecting level, use activities from previous years suited to their needs and ability
This systematic approach of both schemes ensures development in the skill of handwriting throughout each year group. Children take pride in their written work and achieve proficiency in their own use of the Nelson handwriting script. Outcomes in children’s wider curriculum work, as well as in their literacy books and school displays, evidence the progress that children make in this area, as well as the consistency of the approach across the school.
If you would like to know more about Writing at our school or if you have any questions please contact the English subject leader (Mrs Judge) at the school.