English - Writing

At the heart of our writing teaching is the ‘Read to Write’ approach to teaching. This enables children to imitate the key language they need before they try reading and analysing it. Through fun activities that help them rehearse the tune of the language they need, followed by shared writing to show them how to craft their writing, children are helped to write in the same style. As a result, they rapidly develop their reading, writing and language skills.

Rationale

At Leighton Academy we believe that writing is:

·       An essential life skill

·       A complex process that draws upon many skills; spelling, handwriting, composition, vocabulary and grammar are all key aspects.

·       The ability to construct and convey meaning in written language for different purposes.

Aims

At Leighton Academy we aim to:

·       Use story telling as a starting point for writing.

·       Teach children the fundamental building blocks of writing, both secretarial and creative

·       Teach children writing skills [which they utilise] in a range of subjects and contexts.

·       Develop children’s creative minds and expand their vocabulary.

·       Develop in children a love of writing, and knowledge of genres and authors.

·       Provide opportunities to write for pleasure for a variety of different purposes

·       Develop children’s independent writing skills.

·       Develop children’s ‘writing stamina’ so they can write quietly, with focus and enjoyment for sustained periods.

·       Provide a wide range of opportunities to explore texts.

Teaching

Handwriting – see Handwriting Policy

Composition:

A yearly overview is in place that shows the text and genre for each year group for each half term.