There is no better way to inspire children’s writing than by reading high-quality, engaging texts, learning how to write by taking inspiration from amazing authors. At Snodland CEP, we immerse our pupils in a wealth of literature throughout our exciting curriculum, exposing them to a range of new vocabulary, language styles, viewpoints, issues and discussions in which they may not access outside of school. We choose texts which excite our pupils, teach them key life lessons, hook them into reading, and inspire them to follow the author’s footsteps and become talented writers.

We follow the Pathways to Write scheme, which is a comprehensive, primary school writing programme designed to teach writing skills through a mastery approach. The scheme utilises high-quality texts and detailed lesson plans that aim to build strong writing skills through engaging, challenging and purposeful lessons.

We aim for all children to leave our school with a love of reading and writing. To develop their intrinsic motivation and pride, we provide all children with a special publishing book, which is their space to present their best writing in their neatest handwriting and adding their own design ideas. This is then proudly shared with the class, another key stage, staff, visitors or parents. Take a look at our exciting writing text spine (see the link for our complete text overview and skill progression):

(add pictures of our texts here – or link to our progression overview)

GPS

We teach grammar, punctuation and spelling through our carefully-planned writing lessons where teachers use a ‘thinking out loud’ process when modelling writing, deliberately drawing attention to their application of skills. In addition to this, we have a GPS progression document, which ensures grammar, punctuation and spelling skills are also taught and practised explicitly, so these skills are frequently revisited and reviewed outside of English lessons as well.

Transcription

From Foundation Stage upwards, we understand the importance of developing and securing transcription skills (spelling and handwriting) and the impact that insecure transcription can have on cognitive load. Transcription provides our children with the essential foundations of writing that they need for successful sentence composition. We teach frequent, quality handwriting and spelling lessons every week - through the use of Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, Pathways to Spell, Bubble Handwriting and following our research-based handwriting progression - to ensure all of our children leave our school with these vital skills. Once spelling and handwriting skills are secure, our pupils are then ready to progress onto composition, writing longer, embellished pieces of writing.

Foundation Stage

Foundation Stage:

Year 1:

Year 2:

Year 3:

Year 4:

Year 5:

Year 6:

Our English Lessons

At Snodland, we want all of our pupils to leave our school with a love for reading and writing. We promote this through many areas of the curriculum as well as our carefully planned English lessons, which include:

• the provision of exciting experience lessons to enable the children to access the language and background information within each text, as well as to help them to emphasise with any characters;
• vocabulary gathering lessons to ‘magpie’ effective words and phrases that the children can use and adapt in their own writing;
• genre study lessons to ensure the pupils understand the genre they are expected to write within - including the style and formality of writing, by identifying specific features and rehearsing text extracts or short stories using spoken language activities;
• explicit grammar and punctuation teaching which is weaved through and embedded within subsequent writing practice lessons, as well as frequently revisited through our short retrieval sessions;
• developing the motivation to write. Our children know that their work is valued and has a purpose. We ensure that all of our pupils are motivated to write by giving them the opportunity to publish their final pieces of learning through sharing their final outcome with others (for example: sharing with or performing their work to their parents or other pupils, publishing their texts for the school library or sending their letters to real recipients).

Transcription

From Foundation Stage upwards, we understand the important of developing and securing transcription skills (spelling and handwriting). Transcription provides our children with the essential foundations of writing that they need for successful sentence composition. We teach frequent, quality handwriting and spelling lessons every week - through the use of Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, Spelling Shed and LetterJoin - to ensure all of our children leave our school with these vital skills. Once spelling and handwriting skills are secure, our pupils are then ready to progress onto composition, writing longer, embellished pieces of writing.