Writing
Our Academy intent is to enable all our pupils to write confidently, clearly, and enthusiastically across a range of situations and curriculum areas. Our children will be able to understand the need for developing, organising, and communicating their ideas effectively and accurately.
We enable our children:
- To write clearly, accurately, and confidently by adapting language and style in and for a variety of contexts, purposes, and audiences.
- To use discussion to learn: elaborating and clearly explaining their understanding and ideas.
- To develop a consistent, clear, fluent, joined handwriting style and to be aware of the importance of presentation to communicate effectively.
- To understand the conventions of writing, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
- To plan, draft and edit their writing.
- To enjoy writing and feel valued as writers.
- To appreciate the writing of others.
At Norbridge Academy, Talk for Writing is the writing programme we use to teach writing across the academy. Children work on 3 week writing cycles, looking at the features of texts, learning how to edit and improve them, before writing their own. These stages of the writing cycle are known as imitation, innovation, and independence. As part of this, we use text interrogation to identify the key grammatical features in the texts as well as the underlying structures. These are then used to edit and improve as part of the writing cycle. Children use a range of box up plans, text maps and timelines to help support and improve their writing.
Writing Lessons: These are planned and delivered through the Talk for Writing (TfW) units mapped out in our long-term plan. They are based on the ‘Talk for Writing’ (TfW) ethos and structure, which enables children to learn the language and structure of a range of genres and internalise them. Across the year, pupils write in a wide range of narrative and non-fiction genres, including poetry.
Short Burst, Shared and Guided Writing are used as strategies regularly within writing lessons, supporting pupils in further models of the text type they are learning.
Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling: This is taught through our writing pathway. We interweave it within our teaching of different writing genres so our children can apply it in meaningful ways: building on previous learning. Spelling is also taught discreetly through the specific spelling lessons and interventions for targeted children.
- In EYFS and KS1, this is taught through RWI and common exception words.
- In KS2, children follow the RWI Spelling Program.
- Spellings are practised regularly and assessed each half term.
Assessments: Writing is continuously assessed by class teacher and as a result, planning and teaching changes to meet the needs of the children and should be edited to enable continuous progression. A formal assessment of writing is made at the end of each term based on age related expectations.
Children are assessed on a wide range of genres (both fiction and non-fiction) throughout the year. It is essential that all children have a balance of both fiction and non-fiction and the genres in these. See LTP for coverage and text titles.