How we teach writing at St Nicolas

Writing

A secure basis in literacy is crucial to a high quality education. Our curriculum prepares all pupils to lead an enriched and fulfilling life by teaching them the skills needed to write effectively.

Teaching writing

Children in EYFS develop their writing journey through mark making; fine motor skills and creating opportunities for children to write.

From year 1 onwards, children follow our writing process:

•  Hook - this could be a piece of music, a crime scene, a school trip, a book etc.
• WAGOLL (what a good one looks like) - children learn what they will be writing; identify how the text is constructed and have some vocabulary and sentence work around the text. Children will 'have a go' at writing their own version of the WAGOLL (or part of it) which is heavily modelled by the teacher through shared writing.
• Planning - ideas and vocabulary are collated to support the children. Children will plan their writing through text mapping, spider diagrams etc.
• Drafting - children will produce their own writing using what they have learnt.
• Editing - children will revisit their writing, making improvements to their draft.
• Publish - children will produce a final version of their writing. This could be as an actual letter to send, a double page spread, a class book etc.

Transcription skills (handwriting and spelling) are taught discretely throughout the school. Children have daily handwriting practice from EYFS and this continues until children have the correct letter formation.

Spellling is taught through our RWI programme.

Dictated sentences are used throughout the school to support children's grammar, spelling and sentence construction.

Assessing children's writing

Assessment is used to inform planning; identify and address misconceptions and to identify children that might need additional support. Teacher assessment frameworks have been created from years 1-6 so there is consistency throughout the school.

Writing interventions

Writing interventions are used to provide additional support to those children who are not writing at age-related expectations. Writing interventions at St Nicolas' include:

• Precision teaching for specific skills
• Pre and post teaching
• Colourful semantics
• SNIP literacy
• spelling interventions