Headteacher’s Welcome

• We use our core reading texts to plan quality written outcomes.  This high-quality literature is used to engage and inspire the pupils and provide rich models of writing for them to imitate in their own independent writing, through style, voice, and language structure.  
• Writing is predominantly taught within a 3-week unit of work. However, teachers may decide to shorten this block depending on the genre focus i.e., for a poetry unit. 
• Within each writing unit, there are three clear stages as follows:

Inspire-children spend time immersing, analysing, and practicing skills. There is a focus at this stage on the explicit teaching of grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary.

Investigate – children apply these skills in a mini-write, from which teachers assess how well the children have learned the grammar and punctuation taught. At this stage the process can be still scaffolded for the children and support is provided by the teacher.

Invent -children spend time planning and producing quality written outcomes, for a specific purpose.

Specific time is given for editing and improving throughout the entire writing process. 

• Grammar, language, and punctuation skills are taught through analysis of the author’s use of effective vocabulary choices, language structures and writing style, and by using the core-text as a model during the writing process. Children are given opportunities to imitate the author’s style, reflect on why the writing is effective, then to practise and develop their own writing style using the skills they have learnt.
• All classrooms at Rectory Farm have an English Learning Wall, which provides scaffolds and models for children’s writing, including higher-order vocabulary, examples of a range of sentence types, along with models of the quality written outcome that the children are working towards.  The learning walls are updated continuously over the unit to support learning.
• To teach handwriting, we use Kinetic letters, which is progressive across school (see tab for handwriting)
• Spelling is taught explicitly using the platform Ed Shed. This is progressive and allows teachers to initially assess their children so that they can assign home learning tasks that are specific to them. We also use the weekly teaching sequence to explicitly teach Spelling using the PowerPoints provided for us on the platform. The outcomes of this are directly linked to the National Curriculum.

Oracy 

Oracy is integral to our daily teaching and curriculum. Learners are taught to: 

• Understand the value of thinking time.
• Discuss with a talk partner or trio, giving time to voice opinions. 
• Listen to, build on and challenge each 
• Learn and practice talk using new vocabulary.  
• Use sentence stems to support and clarify expectations.  

Vocabulary 

The direct teaching of Tier Two Vocabulary is taught through the reading lesson. This vocabulary is then displayed with ‘child friendly’ definitions and revisited throughout the week so that children begin to use new vocabulary with independence. At RFPS, we understand the importance of etymology and how this can help children to ‘unpick’ new words. This is explicitly modelled for the children. Tier 3 vocabulary is also taught through the broader curriculum. 

Early Years

• The EYFS literacy curriculum is planned to show progression over the year
• CLLD is planned across all areas of learning with oracy at the heart of the curriculum
• Whole class shared writing sessions take place daily where children are exposed to different writing purposes; this is followed up with small group guided writing sessions
• Children write once each week as an adult focus task as well daily opportunities within continuous and enhanced provision
• Our whole school curriculum goes beyond the expectation of the National Curriculum and the EYFS Development Matters
• The English curriculum is progressive, building on the teaching sequence within and across each year group
• Where relevant, connections are made across the curriculum, including opportunities to apply skills and knowledge across other subject areas