intent
At Senacre Wood Primary School it is our intention for all pupils to be confident and competent writers. We aim to provide them with a high-quality education in English that will teach them to become enthusiastic writers who can write fluently and communicate their ideas effectively. We aim to do this by equipping them with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature as well as their understanding of our literary heritage.
Within English lessons, based on the National Curriculum for English, we aim to ensure that we:
- Provide regular opportunities for pupils to plan, revise and evaluate their writing.
- Develop children’s awareness of different audiences and purposes for speaking and writing so that they can adapt their style appropriately.
- Use speaking and listening opportunities to support pupils’ learning and influence their writing.
- Enable children opportunities to acquire and use new vocabulary, across all areas of the curriculum, so that they are competent, confident and independent in their use of language.
- Provide pupils with a secure understanding of grammar so that they are able to apply this to written work.
- Provide opportunities for pupils to develop writing stamina so that they are able to write at length.
- Enable pupils the opportunity to develop fluent, legible handwriting.
- Teach pupils methods, and understanding of spelling, so that they are able to spell words accurately.
For details of how we implement this within our school and how we measure the impact, please read our English Policy.
For an overview of our writing opportunities in each Year Group, please see our class book maps which are available on the English reading page under the tab "Important Information and Documents".
Embedding a Love of Writing
We think that writing is a brilliant way to communicate our ideas! We write for a purpose, across different genres and to respond to what we have learned. Pupils here at Senacre Wood work exceptionally hard on the transcription and composition of their writing, illustrating some of our school values: resilience, innovation and reflection.
Each term children will take on different roles in their writing and therefore notation in books will be heavier towards the beginning of the year as teachers scaffold learning and address misconceptions.
After the National Phonics Screening at the end of Year 1, teachers will begin to look at how to move their children on from words that can be sounded out phonetically. The move from phonics to spelling can be from as early as part way through Year 1 for higher ability children. We have chosen a programme that leads on from our RWInc phonics programme to bridge the gap between phonetic knowledge and common spelling rules in the English language, which begins for most children in Year 2.
There are various barriers to learning that need to be considered at all times, from confidence and self-esteem to dyslexic tendencies and poor phonic knowledge. We use the RWInc Spelling Zone, alongside games, songs and discrete teaching to enforce and retain new spelling expertise. Our staff work hard to ensure that key vocabulary is woven through the curriculum, and discussions take place about how words can be categorised according to word class, subject specific and cross subject specific language, as well as how to spell them. In Years' 5 and 6, the etymology of words (the origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning) is also used as a teaching point.