Writing

Intent

At Wheatfield, we aim for all pupils to develop a lifelong love of writing and an appreciation of the importance of writing as a means to communicate ideas, opinions and emotions. Through this understanding of the relevance of writing, our curriculum enables pupils to become confident and competent communicators who appreciate the purpose of writing and relish the process of writing itself. 

Through the exploration of carefully selected texts, pupils read as writers, analysing how structure, language and literary devices are used effectively. Pupils are encouraged to utilise these in their own writing. Grammar is taught in context so that pupils understand how it conveys clarity, precision and effect. 

Writing at Wheatfield is meaningful and purposeful, with pupils writing for real audiences with opportunities to communicate what matters to them. Therefore, pupils are engaged and develop not only as capable writers but as passionate communicators with a strong sense of voice. By the time pupils leave us, we intend that all pupils will have become confident, skilled and reflective writers able to communicate effectively in the next stage of their education and in life beyond school.

Implementation

Wheatfield teaches writing through the Essential Writing curriculum which is fully aligned with the National Curriculum for English, ensuring a clear progression of skills in writing, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.

An understanding of audience and purpose is at the heart of each unit of writing  and a wide range of stimulating classic and contemporary texts are used as writing stimuli. These texts support the children to read as writers and they facilitate an exploration of pertinent text structure, language and grammar. Regular opportunities for discussion within writing lessons develop our pupils’ oracy skills, including the ability to articulate opinions and discuss decisions made during the writing process. Teachers use metacognitive talk when live modelling to explain the impact of specific literary devices and vocabulary choices, thereby demonstrating and explaining the writer’s craft in their own writing.

Writing is taught progressively, with pupils building on their understanding of grammar and punctuation, sentence structure and writing for different purposes. This purposeful progression ensures a clear understanding of audience, intent and tone. In Year 1, pupils begin by writing to entertain and inform. In Year 3, they are introduced to persuasive writing and by Year 5, they are introduced by writing to discuss.

Each unit of writing is carefully sequenced, building on prior learning. Pupils begin by investigating a stimulus text and exploring related content in experiential sessions. Next, pupils explore the text’s key components and features and practise the inherent techniques through a range of independent and group activities. Pupils then apply this understanding to generate ideas, plan, draft and edit their own writing before publishing it for a specific audience. This approach develops technical skill and encourages authenticity, pride and ownership in the pupils’ writing.

Spelling is taught within Essential Writing lessons but also through discrete spelling lessons delivered through a progressive curriculum aligned with the National Curriculum for English. Handwriting, fluent and cursive, is also taught through the delivery of discrete lessons,  utilising the progressive Letter-join curriculum which follows National Curriculum guidelines.

Impact

Through pupil voice, we will see:

• Pupils are enjoying writing and see themselves as authentic writers
• Pupils are able to articulate the effect their writing has had on their intended audience
• Pupils are able to reflect upon, analyse, celebrate and discuss their progress and areas to develop within their own writing

Through learning walks, we will see:

• Pupils fully engaged, participating and enjoying writing lessons
• Pupils provided with opportunities to discuss the stimuli texts, express their own opinions and converse about the writing process
• Pupils and teachers referring to vocabulary, punctuation and grammar and their effect on the intended audience
• Pupils and teachers utilising a live co-produced working wall 
• Pupils reflecting on their own writing and discussing this with others
• Pupils celebrating and taking pride in their writing through various different modes of publication

Through pupils’ learning, we will see:

• A passion for writing through the creation of individualised, innovative pieces of writing
• A pride in writing through the production of carefully presented published work
• A desire for pupils to reflect upon and improve their writing with evidence of pupils frequently editing, redrafting and refining their work

The following methods are used to measure impact:

• Reflective and adaptable approaches to teaching and learning which provide opportunities for all in every lesson
• Regular learning walks, and book looks with pupils to monitor teaching
• Writing moderation within the school and across the wider academy trust
• Termly assessment data