Writing
Writing
Writing is a life skill and, at Alton Park Junior School, we believe that every child should have the opportunity and support to become fluent, confident and skilled communicators, irrespective of their context or starting point. We are passionate about facilitating a purposeful and engaging writing curriculum so that there is a sense of achievement for all pupils. Writing underpins our whole curriculum; therefore, we nurture opportunities to expose our pupils to a rich and diverse range of experiences to challenge, deepen and apply their English skills and knowledge throughout the curriculum. Using the CUSP curriculum, expert subject knowledge is carefully woven into each writing module which gives teachers the opportunity to teach and rehearse key knowledge and skills before applying this learning to meaningful extended outcomes. The careful architecture of this curriculum ensures that pupils build on prior learning and maximise purposeful curriculum connections to become writers for life. To support this, we teach handwriting regularly during our school week and focus on joining, speed, fluency and presentation. Additionally, our spelling programme teaches spelling using evidence-based practice to ensure pupils acquire a deep knowledge about the English spelling system. The approach draws together phonics, vocabulary, pattern seeking and reasoning.
Our Intent
By the end of Year 6, we want all pupils at Alton Park Junior School to:
Aspiration - have developed a love of writing and be inspired to want to write for pleasure. They will be imaginative and use this to come up with creative ideas. They will write with fluency, using the essential skills of grammar, spelling, punctuation and composition. Pupils will have a good understanding of the writing process including drafting, proofreading and editing to enhance their work. They articulate and express their ideas in pairs and groups clearly before writing and take pride in their writing ensuring it is the best that it can be.
Learning - have a secure understanding of the writing skills needed to achieve well in the next stage of their education. Pupils at Alton Park Junior School will be confident and competent within:
- grammar
- punctuation
- sentence structure
- vocabulary choices
- paragraphing
- composition
- the writing process
- handwriting
- spelling
Tenacity - be resilient learners and use a growth mindset towards writing.
Opportunity - have life-long skills and be able to write fluently and confidently and communicate clearly across the curriculum.
Nurture - have a love of writing and be able to write for a variety of purposes.