Writing

Intent

 At Spooner Row Primary School, our intent is to develop confident, creative and capable writers from the very start of their educational journey. We believe that strong writing is rooted in rich language experiences, purposeful talk and a love of stories. Our writing curriculum is ambitious and inclusive, ensuring all pupils, regardless of starting point, have access to high-quality texts, explicit teaching of writing skills and meaningful opportunities to express themselves.

We aim for pupils to develop a secure understanding of writing composition, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary, enabling them to write clearly, creatively and effectively for a range of purposes and audiences. Through carefully chosen texts and purposeful outcomes, we seek to inspire enjoyment, imagination and confidence in writing, while ensuring pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Our writing curriculum reflects Spooner Row Primary School’s values: Be Respectful. Be Resilient. Be Ready. Be You. Pupils learn to be respectful by listening to others’ ideas and valuing different viewpoints during shared writing and discussion. They are encouraged to be resilient by persevering with challenging writing tasks and understanding that effective writing develops through practice. Secure foundations and clear progression support pupils to be ready to write confidently for a range of purposes. We encourage children to be you by expressing their individuality, creativity and voice through their writing.

Implementation

 Our writing curriculum is delivered through a consistent, whole-school approach that builds progressively from Reception to Year 6.

Early Foundations in Writing
In Reception, children are taught using Fantastic Foundations, which develops strong early language and literacy skills. Through purposeful talk, storytelling, role play and shared writing, children build rich vocabulary, learn to construct oral sentences and begin to record their ideas through marks, drawings and early writing. This prepares children for a confident transition into more formal writing in Key Stage 1.

The Literacy Tree – Writing Roots
From Year 1 onwards, we adopt The Literacy Tree – Writing Roots as our core writing approach. Writing Roots provides full coverage of all National Curriculum expectations for writing, including composition, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. Units are carefully sequenced and culminate in purposeful written outcomes, ensuring pupils understand why they are writing and who they are writing for.

Writing is taught through a daily 60-minute lesson, using high-quality whole texts rather than extracts. This supports deep comprehension, promotes a love of reading and exposes pupils to a wide range of authors, genres and styles. Many texts link to other curriculum subjects, supporting cross-curricular learning, deeper thinking and rich discussion.

Teaching Approach and Progression
Through Writing Roots, pupils are explicitly taught the key elements of effective writing, including:

• understanding story structure and text types

• developing rich and ambitious vocabulary

• constructing clear and varied sentences

• applying grammar and punctuation accurately

Lessons combine teacher-led instruction, shared and guided writing, discussion and independent application, ensuring pupils build both technical accuracy and creative confidence.

Impact

As a result of our writing curriculum, pupils at Spooner Row Primary School make strong progress in their writing skills, creativity and confidence. They develop a secure understanding of story structure, vocabulary and writing techniques, enabling them to produce increasingly fluent, accurate and imaginative pieces of writing.

Pupils enjoy writing, take pride in their work and demonstrate resilience through drafting, editing and improving their writing. They are able to write for a range of purposes and audiences and apply their skills confidently across the wider curriculum. By the time pupils leave Spooner Row, they are well prepared for the next stage of their education, with a positive attitude towards writing and the skills needed to succeed.