In the Early Years, our pupils learn to write sentences dictated by the teacher from memory and commence crafting short narratives, initially composing sentences verbally. In both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, our pupils have daily writing opportunities, either during English lessons or broader curriculum activities. They explore various genres, including letter writing, narratives, diary entries, and non-fiction reports. We employ the CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) and The Literary Curriculum recommended texts, which expose our pupils to advanced vocabulary and illustrations that ignite creative ideas, fostering rich writing possibilities.

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During writing lessons, children engage in verbal brainstorming to gather ideas, using collaborative writing, film, imagery, and whole-class discussions to solidify their comprehension. In the older year groups, our pupils are encouraged to revise and evaluate the effectiveness of their own and peers' writing, considering intonation and guiding the reader. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are integral components of literacy instruction, continually taught throughout the year. Our spelling program, Spelling Shed, also supports the acquisition of sophisticated vocabulary by instructing pupils on word morphology and etymology while offering opportunities to apply this learning through various engaging tasks and games.

Read every day, whether it's your child reading to you or you reading to them; this time is crucial to best support their reading progress. Creating writing opportunities at home is a great way to nurture a love of writing. Diaries, letters, and postcards provide easy ways to engage children. If your child is reluctant, you may find that using a special pen or notepad helps. Writing doesn't have to be on paper; using a computer still aids in composition and sentence structure. Remember, if your child makes spelling or grammatical errors, don't highlight them all. Instead, choose 1-2 things to ask your child to double-check.