Intent - what do we want to achieve?

In the KT Federation we aim to create a curriculum that encourages our children to become enthusiastic and engaged with writing. We link our writing context to our curriculum topics, finding purposeful reasons for children to write. Learning to write is so important, as children use their writing in almost all other subjects within our curriculum. Good writing also gives children a voice to share their ideas with the world.

We believe in creating rich and varied learning opportunities throughout the school.  We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where our children take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts.

Implementation - how will we achieve this?

Early Years

In our EYFS setting, from age 3, children will start to “mark make” and emergent writing is embraced. In Reception children will continue to work on forming their letters correctly. They will be encouraged to use their knowledge of phonics to write words in ways which match their spoken sounds.  By the end of the year, children will be expected to write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others.

Key Stage 1

In Year 1 children will be taught to write sentences by saying our loud what they are going to write about, put several sentences together and re-read their writing to check that it makes sense. They will also be expected to discuss what they have written and to read it aloud.

In Year 2 children learn to write for a range of purposes, including stories, information texts and poetry.  Children are encouraged to plan what they are going to write and to read through their writing to make corrections and improvements.

Key Stage 2

In Year 3 & 4 children are encouraged to draft and write by talking about their writing.  They will continue to learn how to organise paragraphs and if they are writing non-fiction, to use heading. When they are writing stories, children will learn to use settings, characters and plots.  Children in Year 3 & 4 will also be expected to use what they know about grammar in their writing and to read through what they have written, to find ways to improve it.

In Years 5 & 6 children will continue to develop their skills in planning, drafting and reviewing what they have written.  Children learn to identify the audience for and purpose of their writing. They will be expected to use grammar appropriately. In non-fiction writing, children will use organisational skills such as headings and bullet points. They will be expected to describe settings, characters and to use dialogue in their story writing.

Impact - what will be the impact on learning?

Children are taught early on to self and peer evaluate their work and look for ways to improve and grow. There is a clear structure for assessment, including daily marking and feedback. Each half-term, written assessments take place which inform pupil progress and indicate areas to support and stretch children. 

Teaching staff are actively encouraged to undertake regular CPD, whist writing moderation takes place both within school and with other Bedford Borough schools.