Writing
Intent
At CVIS the intention is that children gain a firm understanding of Writing through a well-designed curriculum which is accessible to all and will maximise the development of every child’s ability and academic achievement. Our aim at CVIS is to implement lessons that are creative, thought provoking and promote a positive attitude towards writing.
We intend to provide experiences to develop skills so that all children can write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. At CVIS we are committed to ensuring children understand the value and importance of writing and can purposefully apply their knowledge to everyday life.
Implementation
Writing at CVIS is underpinned by the key principles from the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 National Curriculum (2014). We ensure knowledge and skills are built upon year-on-year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children. As a school we follow Pie Corbet’s Talk for Writing model, ensuring that children have access to a wide variety of texts. Phonic and high frequency word spelling lists are used to develop and secure children’s spelling. These are reviewed, when necessary, to ensure that they are relevant to the school curriculum, National Curriculum (NC) and Development Matters Document.
EYFS specific
We use the Essential Letters and Sounds phonics programme across the school, including in pre-school. It is taught explicitly during throughout the year and recapped continually to fully embed the phonic spelling knowledge.
KS1 specific
In KS1, our phonics programme follows the NC guidance through Essential Letters and Sounds phonics, ensuring that all children are exposed to all of the 40+ phonic sounds expected by end of KS1. Weekly spellings are planned carefully based on a selection of high frequency words and/or phonic patterns. In Year Two, the Essential Letters and Sounds Spelling programme builds on the phonics learning from Year One.
Impact
Whilst in school, children have access to a varied programme which allows them to develop fundamental abilities such as: achievement, self-confidence, interaction with and awareness of others and self-reflection. Children are exposed to range of texts aimed to inspire and engage them.
Whole-class sessions ensure that all children have the opportunity to thrive and learn from one another. Children work together to analyse texts to develop their confidence and understanding of different genres. Support is given via Teacher / Teaching Assistant intervention and children are challenged through questioning and the expectation that they will support others or fully explain their thinking. Whole class teaching ensures all children are exposed to ARE+ texts so that no ceiling is put on learning. Exposing children to a variety of carefully mapped out texts ensures that their aspirations to become better writers are met. Writing is considered a core skill for learning in our school.