Writing Curriculum

Writing

At St Vincent's, our approach to writing is based on Talk for Writing (T4W), an approach that supports children to explore, through talk, the thinking and creative processes involved in being a writer. It is embedded at every phase of the teaching sequence which is structured to include teacher talk, supported pupil talk and independent pupil talk.

We believe that Talk for Writing is an approach that goes beyond the development of children’s general speaking and listening skills – it allows children to explore the processes involved in being a writer and extends oral rehearsal so that it becomes a draft for their written pieces. The approach supports the children to move from talking into writing.

Grammar

Grammar is taught in context throughout all T4W units using the T4W grammar progression document.

From EYFS onwards, teachers use the correct technical vocabulary in their teaching to encourage the correct use of these terms by children.

In Key Stage 2 every child develops their own “Writer’s Toolbox” in order to support themselves as independent writers.

Spelling

Spelling is taught as part of a planned programme, following the requirements of the National Curriculum.

In EYFS and Key Stage 1, phonic work is taught systematically from Nursery to Year 2 using ‘Read Write Inc’ phonics.

Children will be taught:

· the grapheme-phoneme correspondence in a clearly defined sequence

· the skill of segmenting words into their constituent phonemes to spell

· that blending and segmenting are reversible processes

In Key Stage 2, children then build on the skills and knowledge they mastered in RWInc Get Spelling programme. Where necessary, some pupils will consolidate their phonic knowledge and skills from Key Stage 1 through structured interventions.