Writing - Intent, Implementation & Impact
Intent
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At Cedarwood we recognise that having confidence and competence in language is a key life skill and that developing these areas is likely to have the greatest impact on improving children’s life chances. Therefore, we aim to provide a high-quality education in English which teaches pupils to speak and write fluently so that they can communicate their ideas and emotions to others, and through their reading and listening, others can communicate with them. All the skills of language are essential to participating fully as a member of society; pupils who do not learn to speak, read and write fluently and confidently are effectively disenfranchised. |
We recognise the power that reading has in enabling pupils to acquire knowledge and build on what they already know, as well as its benefits to wider personal development. We therefore aim to develop confident, competent readers and seek to inspire in our pupils a life-long love of reading.
Through speaking, listening, reading and writing, pupils have the chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Literature, especially, plays a key role in such development and we aim to introduce pupils to rich texts that capture their interests and inspire creativity.
Implementation
We follow the National Curriculum for English and have the following aims for the subject as a whole:
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To promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written language, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. |
The National Curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:
- read easily, fluently and with good understanding
- develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
- acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
- write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
- use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
- are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate
In addition, we have the following aims for our pupils, in writing:
- to be able to communicate ideas, facts and emotions confidently through writing
- to take pride over their written work and presentation and enjoy the process
- to enjoy expressing themselves through writing and being an author
- to develop a fluent, continuous cursive handwriting style
- to acquire skills to enable them to learn independently e.g. note-taking, making educated guessing about how to spell unknown words through a knowledge of spelling rules and patterns, how to adapt writing and lay out work appropriately for the genre
- to develop a good understanding of grammar and punctuation and amass a wide and nuanced vocabulary to use in their writing
- to write to the very best of their ability, in all subjects, remembering past learning and implementing it
At Cedarwood, our pupils learn best when they are given opportunities to revisit, revise and reflect on their skills and understanding in order to apply their learning across all areas of the curriculum. Pupils are provided with opportunities to develop their use, knowledge and understanding of spoken and written English within a broad and balanced curriculum. Chances to consolidate and reinforce taught literacy skills are planned into our curriculum.
Cedarwood’s creative curriculum is driven each term by a key literary text that is central to the topic. The initial ‘driving text' is then supported with additional literature enabling the introduction of non-fiction, poetry and other genres. Carefully selected classic and high quality modern texts ensure that all children are immersed in a rich language-based curriculum.
Prior to each topic, children are immersed in experiences, including visits and visitors which bring topics to life and enable greater understanding of the class text and wider curriculum. Schema words and planning across the curriculum is deliberately organised to allow all children to gain a strong grasp of vocabulary to support their speaking, listening, reading and writing development.
Attainment and progress is closely monitored through the use of ongoing formative assessment techniques and summative assessments are made at the end of each term. Statutory assessments are used to provide an overall picture of performance for individuals, specific groups and cohorts, and comparisons made against national figures for age-related expectations. Pupil Progress meetings are used effectively, so that any underachievement is recognised quickly and actions are taken to remedy this.
We utilise a range of resources, including Power of Reading, Jolly Grammar and Jolly Phonics to structure and sequence lessons for each year group in accordance with the National Curriculum guidelines. We seek opportunities to explore our school values: ARK – Attitude, Ambition, Resilience, Respect and Knowledge and Kindness, along with The British Values as we strive to be a global community. We consider that teaching through texts is a prime opportunity for showing through various characters and situations that all choices have consequences and that through such texts pupils develop their empathy and understanding in readiness for real situations in the future. We ensure that we include writing for a real purpose regularly in every year group’s curriculum.
Regular 'Free Writing' activities within the curriculum allow pupils opportunities for exploration, creative expression and development within their individual authorial journey. Pupils are encouraged to bring their experiences of reading to their own writing and to draw upon their love of genres and authors to express their thoughts and ideas in the written form. This enhances a deep love of literature across a range of genres, cultures and styles and we hope will instil in pupils a life-long love of writing.
We seek opportunities for writers to share their work with a variety of audiences. This makes writing come alive and reinforces the fact that it is a powerful life tool for life and not just for school.
Writing Impact
It is our intention at Cedarwood that every pupil, irrelevant of needs, achieves their full literary potential. We aim for all pupils to leave our school with the confidence and competence to write clearly and accurately, with the ability to adapt their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. We aim to develop in pupils a wide vocabulary and a strong command of the written word so that they can succeed throughout and beyond their education journey. Most importantly, we aim to develop a life-long love of writing.