Writing

Intent

At Sir Francis Hill, we are committed to providing pupils with an engaging and challenging English curriculum that inspires a love of writing and aims to develop them as confident, capable, and creative writers. Our writing curriculum is structured to develop a broad range of skills, including effective composition, grammar, and presentation, ensuring that all pupils can communicate their ideas clearly and fluently. Writing is deeply linked to reading, ensuring that pupils can draw upon their reading experiences to enrich their writing. Wherever possible, connections are made to wider topics and themes to provide pupils with a deeper understanding and context for their learning, making writing purposeful and relevant. This holistic approach allows pupils to see writing as an essential tool for self-expression, learning, and communication. Our ultimate aim is to foster writers who are not only proficient in technical aspects but who also approach writing with creativity and enthusiasm. We want our pupils to be able to write for a range of purposes and audiences, to use their imagination, and to develop their own unique voices.

Implementation

Our structured writing curriculum is implemented through consistent, progressive, and varied teaching methods to engage all pupils. Key components include:

• Lesson Frequency and Structure: Writing lessons are held at least four times weekly, following the Ready, Steady, Write framework, which includes Immerse, Analyse, Plan, and Write phases to provide structure and ensure progression. Additionally, every other week, "Writing Adventure" sessions encourage extended, independent writing.

• Use of High-Quality Texts: Each class explores high-quality, genre-specific texts, sometimes linked to current topics, which inspire writing activities and allow pupils to connect reading and writing skills.

• Handwriting and Spelling Focus: In early years, emphasis is placed on correct posture, pencil grip, and letter formation. As pupils advance, they follow structured, progressive handwriting sessions and spelling lessons to build fluency and accuracy.

• Differentiation and Scaffolding: Using various strategies such as sentence scaffolds, vocabulary banks, and targeted support, teachers provide tailored instruction to ensure all pupils, including those with SEND, can access and succeed in the writing curriculum.

• Assessment: Formative assessments guide planning, and Insight summative assessments allow for monitoring progress. Constructive feedback is provided regularly to pupils, so each pupil we know how to improve. 

Impact

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are expected to:

• Be able to write with purpose, accuracy, and an understanding of audience.
• Exhibit confidence in their writing, using varied vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation to create desired effects.
• Show pride in their presentation, demonstrating a fluent, legible handwriting style.
• Transfer skills learned in English to other subjects, reinforcing cross-curricular literacy.

Through consistent and purposeful writing practice, our pupils develop into capable, creative, and enthusiastic writers prepared for the next stage of their education and beyond. This curriculum not only enhances pupils’ technical abilities but also strengthens their engagement, understanding, and enjoyment of writing.

Ready, Steady, Write

At Sir Francis Hill, we believe that immersing children in a range of high quality texts leads to effective writing outcomes. Therefore, we use a reading into writing approach for our English units. We use Ready Steady Write to aid us with this. 

Each English unit follows this process:

1. Immerse 

This is where the children are immersed in the focus genre with lots of reading. 
Examples of activities for these lessons include: 

• Reading several examples or extracts of the genre
• Speaking and listening and role play
• 'Magpie' vocabulary and literary language to use 
• Incidental writing opportunities like mind-maps and notes on post its

2. Analyse

This is the time to identify the key features of the genre through discussion and text marking.

Examples of activities for these lessons include: 

• Giving examples of What a Good One Looks Like (WAGOLL)s and text mark together, drawing up a success criteria. This can be displayed on working wall and used in books for writing lessons
• Grammar features relevant to this genre
• Presentational features relevant to this genre

3. Plan and write

We follow a scaffolded, modelled writing approach. Write lessons include opportunities for the children to edit

and improve their written work. 

• Teacher models how to plan an example of the text type, using all the elements captured in the Immerse and Analyse days and the children to then have a go at writing a plan for the different example they will be writing in the text type
• Teacher models how to write the introduction for their example and the children to then have a go at writing their introductions
• Teacher models how to improve their plan/introduction and then the children have a go at improving their own.
• Teacher models the next couple of key features of the text type; children have a go for themselves.
• Teacher models improving the text, children have a go for themselves.
• Teacher models writing the ending for the text type and re-evaluates it against success criteria already agreed and shown on working wall