Intent:

At Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School, we aim for all pupils to become fluent, creative and technically-skilled writers who have the knowledge and understanding required to adapt their writing to suit a range of different purposes and audiences. We want our learners to appreciate the importance of writing as an essential form of communication which builds on spoken language and on what has been read. The writing journey begins in EYFS where mark-making and letter formation are taught. High-quality texts spark a passion for writing and children begin to develop awareness of purpose and audience. We believe that writing outcomes are strengthened by instilling a love for reading in our pupils. Our children experience engaging encounters with carefully selected texts. Speaking, listening, vocabulary and reading skills are progressively developed. This allows our learners to access the skills needed to write effectively and creatively within a meaningful context. We aim to support all our pupils to have a clear awareness of purpose and audience when writing and to be technically accurate writers with a secure knowledge of grammar and punctuation. In order for our children to write fluently, they are taught to spell with accuracy through our effective Phonics and Spelling programmes. All learners are also taught a legible handwriting style. We are committed to ‘striving for excellence’ and wish to instil this aspirational outlook within our children. We want pupils to see themselves as writers and support them to see writing as a journey which requires them to plan, edit and revise their writing.

Implementation:

At Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School, our text-led English curriculum ignites a love for reading in our learners, enhancing the quality of their writing outcomes. Our English curriculum covers the skills outlined in the National Curriculum through broad, challenging and inspiring themes. Through the use of carefully chosen texts, we deliver content within a meaningful context and wherever possible purposeful cross-curricular links are exploited. Children use their knowledge, skills and understanding in speaking and writing across a range of different situations to ensure breadth, balance, continuity and progression. This results in building new skills and knowledge based upon what has been taught before. At Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School, we follow the Talk for Writing teaching sequence in EYFS, KS1 and Lower KS2, providing model texts for the children to learn and practise the style of various genre. In upper KS2, we move to The Literary Curriculum, allowing for a greater degree of creativity for our older children, providing the opportunity for children to use and practise the skills and knowledge taught in KS1 and Lower KS2 as they progress through our school.

Impact:

At Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School, our pupils are enthusiastic speakers, readers and writers who enjoy showcasing their developing literacy knowledge and skills. Our learners are able to transfer their skills learnt within English lessons to access the wider curriculum. They are also able to use the knowledge and skills learnt to meet the challenges of the next part of their educational journey and are able to participate fully as a member of society. The impact of our English curriculum is measured through monitoring in school, in our school clusters and through standardised testing. All learners are making progress with their writing, including SEND learners. Monitoring is also used to identify gaps in the curriculum that may need to be addressed across the school, or within individual year groups. Monitoring is an ongoing cycle, which is used productively to provide the best possible English curriculum for our learners.

Enrichment:

At Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary School, the use of creative hooks set the context for our units of work and can include use of the locality, experiences, visits, visitors and film clips. A Key stage 1 production at Christmas and Key stage 2 production in summer allow the children to show case their theatrical prowess, demonstrating to family and friends a love of performing. The children also have the opportunity to speak and perform in church throughout the year at different events. School visits to our surrounding areas enable the children first hand access to the worlds of Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth. We are also fortunate to have our amazing forest school area, which is regularly used as a writing stimuli for a variety of genre. Visitors are a regular feature to our school, providing our children with the opportunity to link their writing to community projects, competitions, debates and letter writing to local residents.

English Policy

Writing Progression Map

Writing Long Term Plan

Reading Progression Map

Reading Policy

Phonics Skills and Knowledge Progression Map

Text and Focus Long Term Map

Whole Class Book Spine

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