English/ Literacy

INTENT
At Hampstead and The Ilsleys Primary School, we are committed to developing confident and fluent writers. We want all our children to develop into prolific writers who can effectively engage, inform and persuade an audience.
Our English units are based on a high quality text spine and allows children to explore writing across different genres for a range of purposes. We recognise that confident writers stem from confident speakers and thus, the development of oracy skills underpins our entire writing curriculum.
Disadvantaged children and those with SEND are given full access to the writing curriculum. Teachers use a range of strategies to enable all children to become successful writers including:
Word mats, templates and additional resources to support with written tasks
Guided group work with teacher or LSA
LSA led interventions (where appropriate)
Opportunity for children to showcase writing to wider community (School newsletter/ village newsletter)
IMPLEMENTATION
Early Writing
We recognise the importance of developing children’s story telling skills as a key foundation to developing strong writing.
Children share their ideas and stories with an adult who then scribes for them. These stories are then shared where appropriate. As they progress in their development, children are then encouraged to scribe their own stories.
What writing looks like in lessons:
Children write in the majority of English lessons.
Each unit is based around a high quality central text or is linked to the curriculum.
Units start which children unpicking the features of a key text and then writing closely around this modelled text (imitate)
Children are then encouraged to use the modelled text but put their own twist of interpretation on it (innovate)
Finally, children create their own free writing within the genre (invent)
Children are encouraged to develop and refine their skills though lots of mini writes in any given unit.
At key stages teachers model high quality writing and share the writing process.
Working walls are used to share key vocabulary and tool kits to support learning in each unit.
Grammar is taught in the context of the genre being studied as well as isolated SPAG lessons to allow children to apply these skills straight away.
What writing at the school looks like outside of lessons:
Practicing and developing skills from English lessons to develop learning in other subjects i.e. diary, letter writing in history, instructions in science.
Author visits and workshops
Whole school Book days
Regular staff training
Writing displayed in classrooms and around the school
IMPACT
Formative Assessment
Verbal Feedback – the vast majority of feedback is in conversation with the pupil, allowing misconceptions to be spotted and effectively addressed at an early stage.
Teachers may use marking to identify strengths and weaknesses in writing, we recognise that this has the highest impact in mini writes to then develop skills before children write independently.
Summative Assessment
Year groups submit termly writing assessments
Teachers moderate as a team and with other schools in the federation.
Year 2 and 6 teachers attend termly writing moderation sessions.