At Richard Lee, our aim is for all learners to become fluent and coherent writers, who are able to write imaginatively and for a range of audiences and purposes. We believe that it is important to develop a strong command of the spoken and written word in order to be able to communicate ideas and develop a voice. To achieve this, we have constructed a clearly sequenced, ambitious curriculum with high-quality texts at the heart of our strategy – so that children have excellent models to learn from and to support a wide vocabulary development. We aim to build a strong foundation of grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting, with high expectations of written accuracy, upon which children’s creativity can flourish.
Early Years
In Early Years, the development of children’s spoken language underpins all areas of learning. Through the Read, Write Inc. programme and focused writing sessions, pupils learn to form recognisable letters, spell words using their sounds and write simple phrases. As a result of story times and themes linked to stories, vocabulary is built in a language-rich environment, creating a solid foundation of key skills in preparation for Year 1.
Writing Curriculum
In Years 1–6, each English sequence of learning is based on an engaging text. Pupils study a range of texts as writing prompts, including longer novels as well as picture books – longer texts will also form part of children’s whole class reading lessons or story time.
To ensure coverage of different text types, with varying and increasing levels of complexity, texts have been carefully chosen across the school, as have children’s writing outcomes to ensure a variety of narrative and non-narrative opportunities – with corresponding punctuation and grammar skills. This curriculum coverage is also underpinned by clear progression in grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting to ensure that all pupils can apply their skills at a high level and that small steps of learning are identified.
The writing sequence of learning involves pupils exploring a text, building vocabulary and practising grammar and punctuation skills before completing the ‘planning → drafting → revising → editing → publishing’ process to create their own texts.
Text-MapHandwriting and Spelling
Letter formation and spelling are initially taught through the Read, Write, Inc. scheme before being taught through separate lessons from our spelling and handwriting schemes as children progress through school. Children will take part in regular practice of spelling and handwriting in addition to their English and reading lessons to support their fluency in writing.
To support your child with their spelling and handwriting, you can encourage them to use the correct pencil grip (see below) and to practise their weekly spelling list, encouraging them to use their knowledge of sounds and spelling patterns to help them.
