Writing

Aim: To nurture a love of language and literature, confident and independent writers, a rich and ambitious vocabulary, strong speaking and listening skills, and clear, fluent cursive handwriting.

At Halwin School, writing is at the heart of our curriculum. We believe that writing allows children to express ideas rooted in the here and now, reflect on experiences from the past, and imagine possibilities for the future. Through writing, children develop their voice, shape their understanding of the world, and communicate confidently with others.

Writing at Halwin starts from the very beginning and develops step by step, equipping children with the skills and confidence to succeed at school and beyond.

We have designed a vocabulary-rich, book-led writing curriculum that connects learning through meaningful ideas, concepts and themes. Writing is taught daily across the school and is carefully scaffolded to ensure all children, regardless of starting point, can achieve success.

Writing in the Early Years (EYFS)

In EYFS, the development of foundational writing skills is a key focus. Children begin their writing journey through storytelling, nursery rhymes, oral rehearsal and mark making, developing the fine and gross motor skills needed for early writing.

Phonics is taught through the Read Write Inc (RWI) programme, which supports children in applying their phonic knowledge to early reading and writing. Correct pencil grip, seating position and letter formation are taught explicitly from the start.

Children are given frequent opportunities to write within continuous provision, as well as during adult-led sessions such as Drawing Club. They are immersed in high-quality texts, with adults modelling rich vocabulary, accurate speech patterns and early sentence structures to support their writing development.

Writing in Key Stage 1

In Key Stage 1, handwriting is taught daily, with continued emphasis on correct posture, pencil grip and accurate letter and number formation. Once letter formation is secure, children begin to learn pre-cursive joins.

Dictation is used daily to practise handwriting, spelling and punctuation, helping children to apply their phonic and spelling knowledge in context. Adults model oral and written composition, and children are given frequent opportunities to orally rehearse and write sentences independently.

Support and scaffolds are used where appropriate to ensure all children can achieve, while building confidence and independence as writers.

Writing in Key Stage 2

In Key Stage 2, handwriting continues to be taught through discrete sessions, as appropriate to each child’s stage of development, with a focus on fluent, joined writing.

Children are taught daily spelling lessons in line with the National Curriculum, supported by Spelling Shed as an additional online practice tool. Daily dictation continues to consolidate handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation skills.

Across KS2, children are encouraged to write with increasing independence, accuracy and purpose, adapting their writing for different audiences and genres.

Our Writing Approach

We have developed a high-quality, book-rich writing curriculum to inspire our children’s writing journey. Each unit is carefully structured into small steps so that learning builds progressively and skills are revisited and applied through independent writing.

High-quality text models are used to expose children to a wide range of genres and writing styles.

Get to Know the Text

Children explore the text and genre through carefully planned learning opportunities such as debate, role play, story mapping, book talk, oral retelling, hot seating and learning repeated refrains.

Learn the Skills

Teachers explicitly teach and model the writing skills required for the genre. Grammar and punctuation are taught in context, building on prior learning. Children practise applying these skills with appropriate support and challenge.

Make a Plan

Through discussion with adults and peers, children plan their own writing. Teachers model how to gather ambitious vocabulary and make thoughtful word choices to enhance the quality of writing.

Be a Writer

Children write independently, applying the skills they have learned. Editing is explicitly taught and modelled, with children encouraged to read their work aloud to check for meaning, spelling and punctuation. Where appropriate, children redraft sections of their writing to improve clarity, sentence structure or word choice.

Teachers assess writing progress, and end-of-unit independent writes are published and celebrated on classroom and corridor displays.