Writing

At Chiltern Primary School, we strive to engage children in writing by teaching it through exciting and relevant contexts. We often use quality texts to inspire writing and to promote the importance of reading for pleasure.

We plan English ‘journeys’ that last two to three weeks and culminate in a ‘final piece’ of writing that has an authentic purpose and audience. Our teachers plan a range of writing opportunities for a range of purposes e.g. entertain, inform and persuade. 

Partway through the journey, the children have an opportunity to practise the skills they have learnt so far by applying them to an ‘apprentice piece’ of writing. From this, their teacher can identify ‘next step’ targets that might need a bit more practice before they write their final piece.

We acknowledge that vocabulary is a barrier to onward success in writing therefore explicit vocabulary is planned and taught across our writing journeys to ensure that children are successful writers. 

For some children, the demands of the year group curriculum need to be adapted and scaffolded. Teachers develop writing provisions for key children in order for them to achieve at their own personal level. Additional adults in the classroom also provide additional scaffolds, adaptations as well as targeted support and intervention.