Writing

At Newchurch St. Nicholas, we believe sound English skills are essential for progress across the curriculum and to prepare pupils effectively for tasks of adult life, setting them off on the right path from the start of their life journey. 

All teachers have a responsibility to develop pupils’ competence in reading, writing, speaking and listening across all subjects and to ensure that pupils become competent users of language, and can access the curriculum effectively and achieve their potential.

Newchurch St. Nicholas:

• Recognises the effect that a confident, fluent and coherent understanding of English will have on a pupil’s progress, both inside and outside of the school environment.
• Understands how a strong grounding in English will impact the future learning and development of a pupil in all aspects of their life.
• Provides a balanced and broad curriculum which encompasses writing practice, including handwriting, spelling, widening vocabulary, and writing for different styles, purposes, and audiences, as well as focussing on spoken English, reading, grammar and pronunciation.
• Ensures that all staff members are aware of planning, assessment, teaching and learning requirements for the English curriculum.
• Ensures that all pupils know how to plan, practise and evaluate their work.
• Ensures that all pupils understand all elements of English, as per the national curriculum.
• We encourage children to be ambitious with their writing and when choosing texts to read-always ensuring they are pushing themselves to be the best they can be.

Key Learning in Writing - Taken from Lancashire Literacy Team

What is Key Learning in Writing?
The Key Learning in Writing statements relate to the age appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding for each year group. These key pieces of learning will support pupils in becoming effective and reflective independent writers.

Where have they come from?
The Key Learning statements have been identified primarily from the National Curriculum 2014 programmes of study. Other key documents cross referenced in their preparation include the Early Years Foundation Stage documents and Lancashire Assessment and Progression in Writing.

How might Key Learning in Writing be useful?
The Key Learning statements should help to focus, and be exemplified during, whole class teaching. Taught in the context of lively, engaging and creative units of work, they help to ensure that pupils make progress as writers. Teaching should ensure that skills are modelled and scaffolded and that pupils are given opportunities to apply them in a range of different contexts. Regular teaching of skills would normally take place through a combination of lively 'warm up' sessions (particularly during the earlier phases of the teaching sequence), shared writing and guided writing. Pupils will practise applying their learning during independent and guided writing and have regular opportunities to reflect on how well they have done. To consolidate, children should be encouraged to apply their learning in their cross curricular writing.

Why are the Key Learning in Writing statements not levelled?
The Key Learning statements are age appropriate and are therefore particularly suited to supporting whole class teaching. Levelled statements, useful for supporting next steps teaching for groups (including guided writing) can be found in Lancashire’s Assessment and Progression in Writing, and Children’s Targets for Writing.