Writing

Avonwood Writing Policy: Click Here

Head of English: Mrs Gilder

English Senior Leadership Team Link: Mrs Williams

Subject Intent 

In line with the National Curriculum for writing, we aim to provide high-quality education in English that will teach pupils to develop effective transcription and composition skills. To achieve this, we teach pupils to articulate and communicate their ideas. This requires clarity, awareness of the audience, purpose, context and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.

At Avonwood, we follow the United Learning Curriculum for Writing. This ensures that the children are exposed to diverse, inclusive, and high-quality literature. Our aim is for children to develop a passion for writing, and we believe that this can be achieved by giving our children: choice, freedom to be creative and bring out their author voice. The United Learning Curriculum is based on four key principles.

Our Vision for Writing 

Writing is a powerful means of communication which builds on the spoken word. This vital skill is necessary to allow pupils to function, engage and contribute within our society. Our aims in teaching writing are to equip pupils with a strong command of spoken and written language, and to develop a love of literature.

To develop children as writers, children need:

• Teachers who are writers
• Experience a wide range of texts.
• Opportunities to talk about what they write before, during and after writing.
• Experience of writing for a range of purposes.

The United Learning Curriculum at Avonwood Primary School provides pupils with:  

• The ability to acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language. 

• The ability to plan, revise and evaluate their writing.
• The ability to write clearly, accurately, and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes, and audiences. 
• Effective composition which involves articulating and communicating ideas, and then organising them coherently for a reader. 
• Clarity, awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. 

At Avonwood Primary School, our writing units last between two – three weeks and are linked to a core text, which sparks interest, curiosity and discussion.  Children are given the opportunities to write for real purposes and audiences.

Lesson Structure  

At Avonwood, we believe that the lessons should inspire intellectual curiosity. Therefore, when launching our key texts, we use a range of ‘hook’ activities such as immersive days, dress-up events, drama, film clips, visits, and workshops. Lessons generally will follow the same structure across each unit.

We believe that reading and writing are closely connected and mutually supportive - we read as writers and write as readers. Through the United Learning Curriculum, children are encouraged to develop and use a range of skills including oracy, planning, drafting, editing, evaluating, and publishing. Pupils should be closely involved in assessing their own development as writers and be given the opportunity to collaborate with other children both to compose and to revise their writing.