Subject Leader: Kelly Gregory

Intent:

At Corby Primary Academy, we believe that writing should empower our pupils to become motivated and skilled writers. Through a collaborative approach, children are encouraged to explore ideas, challenge themselves, and support one another in their writing journey. From the Early Years to the end of primary school, our aim is to develop passionate and proficient writers who can use language effectively to express themselves across a variety of genres. Our inclusive and memorable lessons provide rich opportunities for all pupils to share their ideas, refine their skills, and grow in confidence. By nurturing creativity and encouraging a bold approach, we inspire children to produce writing that is engaging, original, and powerful.

Our curriculum for writing ensures that all pupils:

• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate

Implementation:

Our writing curriculum is organised into units consisting of high-quality text-based units and short film units. We ensure the curriculum engages, inspires and motivates the children by following the two dimensions that make up the writing curriculum. These are:

• transcription (spelling and handwriting)
• composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing).

We passionately believe that reading and writing are inextricably linked, and this will encourage children to become both imaginative and ambitious in their writing.

Our long-term planning ensures that a variety of genres are progressively taught and built upon throughout the year and across year groups. Children will have opportunities to create effective compositions for different purposes, audiences and contexts gaining a wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Vocabulary is planned for and is present across all units of writing. As a school, we have embedded ‘Word of the Week’ which is a tier 2 word and begins in EYFS. There are also opportunities for application of the word list words for years 3/4 and years 5/6 and common exception words for year 1 and year 2.

Using the aims and objectives of the National Curriculum, we intend to create writers who will learn how writing requires 'crafting' through a repeated process of re-reading, revising, editing and improving and for children to feel pride in publishing these compositions. Opportunities are also purposely built in to transfer this knowledge to other subject areas across the curriculum.

At Corby Primary Academy, we have adopted the I do, we do, you do approach, which enables children to see the process of writing being modelled and the thinking behind it. We then work together, scaffolding writing before children then engage independently. Every lesson ensues the use of discussion and talk partners allowing children to build understanding and make links in their learning.

Spelling

We have implemented Spelling Shed as our spelling programme. This teaches children to learn rules, patterns, to make connections, and even learn the etymology of words as set out in the National Curriculum.

Handwriting

At Corby Primary Academy we use the Kinetic Letters programme to teacher handwriting to ensure that every child gains the necessary fluency for writing, with knowledge of accurate letter formation and how to join letters so that they can meet the National Curriculum expectations for each key stage.

Impact

Pupils will make at least good progress from their individual starting points. They will be equipped with a strong command of the written word and acquire a wide vocabulary and an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for writing.  Children become confident writers and will write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. Pupils understand how to edit their work to ensure that they can adapt their writing and improve it.

Assessment is an integral part of the teaching and learning process at Corby Primary Academy and is always an on-going process. Lessons begin with a ‘flashback’ of prior learning in order for children to retrieve and activate prior learning. Teaching staff will ‘live’ mark and/or give written feedback within lessons and before the commencement of the next lesson to ensure all gaps, misconceptions and errors are noted and addressed. Each half term, children will produce two pieces of published writing which is then assessed against National Curriculum statements.

In order to measure the impact of our writing provision, leaders will complete regular monitoring and assessment of books, planning and use pupil voice. We undertake termly pupil progress meetings, INSIGHT data tracking and attend trust moderation meetings.

Pupils will leave Corby Primary Academy with the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to begin Key Stage Three.