At our school, we believe that every child is a writer and that writing is a powerful tool for communication, creativity and self-expression. Our writing curriculum is designed to inspire pupils to develop a love of language and become confident, articulate and purposeful writers across a range of contexts.
Our intent is to provide a broad, ambitious and carefully sequenced writing curriculum that equips all pupils with the knowledge, vocabulary and skills they need to succeed both academically and in later life. Through high-quality texts, rich vocabulary experiences and meaningful writing opportunities, pupils build the confidence to write fluently, accurately and with increasing sophistication.
The curriculum is designed to:
- Develop pupils’ spoken language, vocabulary and understanding as the foundation for writing.
- Ensure pupils acquire secure transcriptional skills, including spelling, handwriting, punctuation and grammar.
- Enable pupils to write for a range of purposes and audiences with increasing independence and creativity.
- Build stamina and resilience so that pupils can sustain writing over time.
- Expose pupils to diverse, high-quality literature that reflects different cultures, experiences and perspectives.
- Ensure progression in knowledge and skills from Early Years through to Key Stage 2.
- Support all learners, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, through adaptive teaching and targeted support.
- Prepare pupils for the next stage of education by fostering independence, critical thinking and effective communication.
Writing Curriculum Implementation
Writing is taught through a structured and progressive framework of adapting the Herts for Learning Writing Scheme with our St Peter’s writing approach. These ensure consistency, high expectations and clear progression across the school. Teachers use carefully selected high-quality texts, real life purpose and engaging stimuli to immerse pupils in language-rich learning experiences.
Key features of implementation include:
Sequenced Curriculum
- Writing units are planned progressively to build knowledge, vocabulary and writing skills over time – this is mapped out on our LTP for writing.
- Grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught both discretely and within purposeful writing contexts.
- Opportunities for revisiting and embedding prior learning and texts are built into planning.
Writing Process
Pupils are taught the full writing process through:
· Immersion in high-quality texts
· Vocabulary exploration
· Modelled and shared writing
· Guided practice
· Planning, drafting and editing
Vocabulary Development
· Explicit vocabulary instruction is embedded across the curriculum.
· Pupils are exposed to ambitious language through reading, discussion and oral rehearsal.
· Subject-specific and tiered vocabulary are revisited regularly to support retention and application.
Oracy and Discussion
· Teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to articulate ideas before writing.
· Oral rehearsal, partner talk and sentence stems support language development and writing fluency.
· We use Voice 21 to help in assisting the promotion of Oracy in the curriculum. We use our home grown Oracy Orla and Omar who provide opportunities of oracy within the writing curriculum and across other subjects.
Assessment and Feedback
· Formative assessment informs teaching and enables misconceptions to be addressed promptly.
· Teachers use feedback strategies that help pupils improve accuracy, composition and independence.
· Moderation activities ensure consistency and high standards across year groups.
Inclusion and Adaptive Teaching
· Lessons are adapted to meet the needs of all learners.
· Scaffolds, vocabulary support and targeted interventions help pupils access the curriculum successfully.
· Greater depth opportunities challenge pupils to write with increased precision, control and sophistication.
Cross-Curricular Writing
· Writing opportunities are embedded across the wider curriculum to provide meaningful contexts and strengthen knowledge retention.
· Pupils apply writing skills across subjects including history, geography, science and RE.
Leaders regularly monitor the implementation of the curriculum through lesson visits, pupil voice, book scrutiny, planning reviews and professional dialogue to ensure consistency and high-quality teaching.
Writing Curriculum Impact
The impact of our writing curriculum is evident in the confidence, independence and quality of pupils’ written outcomes. Pupils develop the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate effectively for a range of audiences and purposes.
As a result:
- Pupils demonstrate increased fluency, stamina and enjoyment in writing.
- Writing outcomes show clear progression in vocabulary, grammar, composition and authorial voice.
- Pupils are able to plan, draft, edit and improve their work independently.
- Children apply spelling, punctuation and grammar knowledge accurately within purposeful writing.
- Pupils can discuss their learning confidently using appropriate subject vocabulary.
- Writing across the curriculum demonstrates secure knowledge retention and application.
- Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND make progress from their starting points.
- Pupils are prepared for the next stage of education as resilient, articulate and reflective writers.
Impact is measured through:
- Ongoing formative assessment
- Termly independent writing assessments
- Pupil progress meetings
- Moderation within school and across partnerships
- Pupil voice and learning walks
- Outcomes in books and published work
- End of key stage attainment and progress data
Through our ambitious writing curriculum, pupils leave our school as confident communicators who can write effectively, creatively and purposefully in preparation for lifelong learning and future success.