Writing

At Histon and Impington Brook Primary School, we aim for children to be able to express themselves effectively through both the spoken and written word; children should grow as proficient communicators, who are able to adapt their writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences.  We want to instil an enjoyment of language in young people, by enabling them to explore its patterns, structures and origins, allowing them to understand and make controlled writing choices to impact the reader. 

The English curriculum is carefully mapped to ensure that at Histon and Impington Brook Primary School, all children have the opportunity to write across a range of text types which include a balance of fiction, non-fiction and poetry (which includes text types as broad as adventure narratives, to explanation texts, to formal speeches, to nonsense poems and much more.) Units of work are based around high quality, engaging stimuli, and often link to the themed learning to allow children to make links in their learning and write across the curriculum. English Medium Term Plans ensure effective coverage and progression of text types. Prior to planning each unit of work, teachers follow a backward planning model, looking at the final intended outcomes and working back, considering the grammatical teaching points which should be incorporated into the unit of work. Grammar coverage for each year group is made explicit to teachers and the teaching is interwoven throughout the writing units so that children can understand its purpose in a context and use it in a controlled and creative manner. 

Within each unit of work, teachers follow the sequence demonstrated in the diagram above as a foundation for the learning process.  Teachers use a range of writing strategies to support children’s learning, including modelled, shared and independent writing.  Vocabulary development is a key feature of each unit and children are supported with this through the use of text-rich learning environments and other vocabulary enrichment (e.g. Word Warrior). Children are given frequent opportunities to edit, proofread and redraft their writing. In addition to this, speaking and listening opportunities are provided throughout all units of work to allow children to develop their oracy skills. 

Handwriting

At Histon and Impington Brook Primary School, we teach handwriting based on the English Hub Progression model. In Reception, children should be encouraged to form letters individually before joining them together. This will ensure that children can form letters correctly, which will make joining them easier. Teachers should advise children when they are ready to join their handwriting.  At the beginning of the year, handwriting should have a significant focus as it is essential that we set high expectations for presentation.  

Each year group has discrete handwriting lessons built into the timetable as well as excellent handwriting being promoted across the curriculum.