Bishop Hooper Church of England Primary
Believing Together, Achieving Together
Writing
"If you want to change the world, pick up a pen and write." - Martin Luther King
Intent
At Bishop Hooper C.E. Primary School, we strive to help our children develop into articulate and imaginative communicators, who are well-equipped with the basic skills they need to become life-long learners; English learning is key in this. We aim to ensure all of our children develop a genuine love of language and the written word, through a text-based approach; this links closely to the way we teach reading. Careful links are made across the curriculum to ensure that children’s English learning is relevant and meaningful: where possible linking our reading, writing and the topic that we are covering in History and Geography. We ensure that children develop an understanding of how widely writing is used in everyday life and, therefore, how important and useful the skills are that they are learning.
Our intentions in writing are for children to:
- Write for a purpose
- See themselves as writers
- Take ownership of their writing
- See writing as an interesting and enjoyable process
- Acquire the ability to organise and plan their written work
Implementation:
In order to develop enthusiastic and confident writers who can express themselves through a variety of different styles and across a variety of contexts, our teaching is often cross-curricular and linked to topics. This enables us to provide regular opportunities to write for a a range of purposes and audiences through writing tasks that are meaningful and specific so that children engage and see how their writing skills can be applied to real life contexts.
Spelling is taught daily in school in Key Stage 1, through phonics lessons, and daily/weekly in Key Stage 2 (dependant on level of support needed by individual pupils). Children learn spellings at home each week and these are tested in school. Children who need additional support with spelling receive a variety of interventions that are tailored to address their individual needs and gaps in knowledge.
Some examples of writing progression.
Impact:
Pupils will make good progress from their own individual starting points. By the end of Key Stage 2, they will be able to write clearly and accurately, adapting use of language and style for a range of purposes, contexts and audiences. They will enjoy using a wide vocabulary and have a strong command of the written word. Pupils will have developed a love of writing and be well-equipped and ready for the next stage of their education.