Writing Policy

King’s Park Primary School
‘Together we support, challenge and achieve’

Writing Policy

Rationale

Literacy skills are essential to our ability to understand, interpret and communicate about the world and with each other. Writing is the ability to effectively communicate ideas, information and opinions through the printed word, in a wide range of contexts. It offers the opportunity to store information for later retrieval, to interact with others, to reflect and to express ideas creatively. We aim to equip children with the skills necessary to do this.

Aims

We aim for the children at King’s Park to:

• Write with confidence, clarity and imagination.
• Understand the sound and spelling system, and use this to write confidently.
• Understand how to write in a range of genres in fiction and poetry, using some of the structures of narratives in relation to setting, character and plot.
• Write non-fiction texts, using the features of different forms.
• Plan, draft, revise and edit, and sometimes publish their own writing, and to learn how to critically and constructively appraise the writing of others.
• Develop a technical vocabulary through which to understand and discuss their writing.
• Develop their imagination, creativity, expressive language and critical awareness through their writing.
• Develop fluent and legible handwriting.

At King’s Park we aim to develop, through our teaching of writing, the following attitudes:

• Curiosity and interest
• Imagination
• Independence
• Perseverance
• Critical appraisal
• Cooperation

Teaching of writing at King’s Park Primary School

Nursery and Reception

In the Foundation Stage writing is linked to children’s interests and all aspects of their learning. This is within a print rich environment with writing walls, writing tables and adult modelling. Mark making and fine motor practise happens all the time both indoors and outdoors using a variety of media. Letter formation is always linked to phonics teaching. The interactive white board is also used to support children’s writing.
Children will be introduced to the VCOP characters in the Summer term. Three times a year children will write on special paper and this will go in their ‘Big Write’ Folders showing the start of their writing journey. Their ‘Big Write’ folders will be passed onto Year One as part of the transition process in the Summer term.
Children will be encouraged to practise writing their name daily.

Year One and Two

In Year One and Two writing is generally linked to the theme for the term or Literacy focus. Children will write in their books and on white boards, including a weekly news write. Sentence writing is practised during phonics teaching
Phonics focussed handwriting is part of the curriculum three times a week.
Children are given daily opportunities to practise writing their name and are always expected to have a go writing their name on any written work.
A weekly ICT session has a writing focus.
Children will be very familiar with the VCOP characters and pyramids. Six times a year the children will complete a piece of writing for their ‘big write’ folders.
Weekly one child is selected to be the ‘golden writer’. Their work will be displayed in the Year one/two corridor and they will be able to use a special golden pencil for the following week.

Resource base

Writing is generally linked to the theme for the term or Literacy focus. Children will write in their books and on white boards. Sentence writing is practised during phonics teaching at each child’s level.

Children practise their handwriting daily and are engaged in a range of mark making activities. A carousel of activities is planned weekly which will always include writing opportunities.
Children will be familiarised with both the VCOP characters and pyramids. Once a term they will write for their ‘big write’ folders.

Weekly one child is selected to be the ‘golden writer’. They will then be able to take a writing box home with a range of media in to practise their writing skills.

Year Three and Four

In Year Three and Four writing is generally linked to the theme for the term or Literacy focus. Sentence writing is practised during phonics teaching.
Early morning activities include handwriting and other writing tasks. Handwriting is modelled on the interactive white board using ‘Handwriting for windows’. The children are encouraged to join and when they have well formed joined handwriting they qualify for a pen rather than writing with a pencil.
A weekly ICT session has a writing focus.
VCOP is supported during early morning activities and during other times in the day. Children are very familiar with the VCOP pyramids and each class has a VCOP working wall. Three times a year the children will complete a piece of writing for their ‘big write’ folders, including the planning and editing process before and after the writing.
Weekly one child is selected to be the ‘writer of the week’ and their writing is displayed in the classroom. They will then be able to have a special pencil case for the week with a range of media in to practise their writing skills.

Year Five and Six

In Year Five and Six a differentiated approach is taught within writing and handwriting. Children exceeding expectations are given direct and individual activities. All children follow targets in writing so that gaps in knowledge can be addressed.
A variety of genres are taught and focussed work is planned for word, sentence and composition
Children are expected to write daily and writing is generally linked to the theme for the term or Literacy focus. Children are very familiar with the VCOP pyramids and each class has a VCOP working wall. Three times a year the children will complete a piece of writing for their ‘big write’ folders, including the planning and editing process before and after the writing.
Weekly one child is selected to be the ‘writer of the week’ and their writing is displayed in the Year/Five six corridor.

Written by Becky O’Brien, Literacy subject leader, October 2011
Approved by staff November 2011
Approved by governors December 2011
To be reviewed October 2012