At Richard Lee, our aim is for all learners to become effective, fluent and imaginative writers, capable of writing for a range of audiences and purposes. We believe that writing is a powerful tool for communication and self-expression and we are committed to nurturing each child’s unique voice. Our writing curriculum is built around high-quality texts, carefully selected to support vocabulary development and provide strong models of writing. Central to our approach are the core components of effective writing: composition, punctuation, vocabulary, spelling and handwriting. We also harness the power of oracy to strengthen both spoken and written language, enabling children to articulate and refine their ideas with confidence.
Core Drivers
Text-based learning
Vocabulary Development
Oracy
Audience and purpose
Curriculum Rationale
Our writing curriculum is structured as a spiral curriculum, closely linked to our reading curriculum. This enables children to revisit and deepen their understanding of key themes and genres over time, building thematic banks of language and developing a rich understanding of how language works. For example, children explore elements of mythology each year, progressing from simple retellings to more complex narrative structures and stylistic devices.
Texts are mapped against the four key purposes for writing—to inform, entertain, persuade, and express feelings—and then by genre. This purposeful approach ensures that children understand why they are writing and how to make deliberate choices in grammar, vocabulary and structure to suit their audience and intent.
There is clear progression in the teaching of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and handwriting and a balance of narrative and non-narrative writing opportunities across all year groups.
Early Writing
In Early Years and into Year 1, we have adopted Drawing Club and Curious Quests, both designed by Greg Bottrill, to ignite creativity and develop foundational writing skills. These approaches align with our core drivers by immersing children in rich texts, providing meaningful purposes for writing and enhancing vocabulary and oracy.
Drawing Club fosters imagination and structured thinking through storytelling, drawing, and writing. It supports fine motor development, phonics application and verbal expression, making it inclusive and engaging for all learners. The use of a “magic code” adds purpose and excitement to writing tasks, encouraging sustained motivation and progress.
Writing Curriculum (Years 2-6)
From Year 1 onwards, writing is taught through sequences based on high-quality texts. These texts are chosen to support the spiral curriculum and are often shared across reading and writing lessons to deepen understanding. Each writing sequence includes:
Exploration of the text and its features
Vocabulary building
Grammar and punctuation practice
The writing process: planning → drafting → revising → editing → publishing
Children are encouraged to publish their work in imaginative ways with a clear sense of audience and purpose
Handwriting
Handwriting is taught through the Nelson Handwriting scheme where clear progression in the teaching of joins is set out. The frequency of handwriting lessons is dependent on a child’s stage of learning and dedicated time for this is included in whole school timetables. Teachers are expected to model the correct joins in all writing and to use the specified font, in books and on display, which demonstrates consistent and accurate joins. Pupils in Key Stage Two, who demonstrate fluent, joined handwriting will be awarded a handwriting pen.
Spelling
Spelling is taught using resources from Spelling Shed. Spelling patterns are mapped out across the year groups, as are example words which match the pattern. In Year One, spelling is taught primarily through phonics lessons. In Key Stage One and Two, discrete spelling lessons take place several times a week. Pupils in all year groups are always encouraged to apply their phonics knowledge to their spelling, as well as their knowledge of spelling patterns. Pupils take home a half-termly list of spellings, detailing the spelling to be learnt and reviewed in the weekly quiz.
Assessment
Writing is assessed through continuous formative assessment within lessons, as well as termly summative assessment using the National Curriculum and end of Key Stage Assessment Frameworks to support judgements. Pupils receive feedback on their written work both verbally in lessons and in writing using the agreed marking codes so that transcriptional errors can be addressed. Regular moderation sessions between year groups and between local schools take place. Pupils’ gaps, particularly in transcriptional skills, are quickly identified so that misconceptions can be addressed.
Impact
We aim for all pupils to reach their full potential in writing by creating fluent, confident and accurate writers, who can communicate their ideas in writing effectively across the curriculum.