Writing
Our approach
We believe that children need strong foundations before they can become successful writers. In our youngest children, we place a strong emphasis on phonics, spelling and handwriting, alongside opportunities to write about exciting, high-quality stories and texts.
In EYFS, Drawing Club encourages children to develop their imagination and writing skills through engaging stories and characters. As children move through Key Stage 1, they gradually build their writing skills, learning how to use spelling, handwriting, grammar and punctuation accurately while beginning to write for different purposes.
In Key Stage 2, children continue to develop these skills through a carefully sequenced programme of writing. They write for a range of purposes, including to entertain, inform, persuade and instruct.
Children explore high-quality texts before using what they have learned to create their own writing. When writing stories, children use story maps to understand how a narrative is structured before creating their own versions. This gives children a strong foundation while still allowing them to be creative and develop their own ideas.
Developing confident writers
At Staverton, we teach children that good writing is a process. Children are given opportunities to plan, write, review, edit and improve their work.
Spelling, grammar and punctuation are taught explicitly and then practised within children's writing. Teachers model writing and demonstrate how writers make choices about vocabulary, sentence structure and organisation.
Children are encouraged to talk about their writing and receive feedback from adults. This helps them become increasingly independent in identifying what they have done well and what they could improve.
Supporting every child
We believe that every child can become a successful writer. All children receive high-quality teaching, with additional support provided where it is needed.
This may include extra opportunities to practise spelling, handwriting, vocabulary or other foundational skills. We carefully monitor children's progress so that support can be tailored to their individual needs.
Writing across the curriculum
Writing is not just something we do in English lessons. At Staverton, children use their writing skills across the curriculum to record their learning, explain their ideas and communicate what they know.
Our aim is for children to leave Staverton able to write accurately, confidently and creatively, with the skills they need to succeed in secondary school and beyond.
