Writing

We want our children to write for purpose and write for pleasure. To encourage this all of our English teaching is planned and taught  using quality and engaging texts which link to the wider curriculum. We teach writing using a published scheme of work Pathways to Write which is built around units of work which develop vocabulary, reading and writing skills through the mastery approach, ensuring full curriculum coverage. The units, are used with pupils in Y1 to Y6 and are linked to high-quality texts to ensure engaging and purposeful English lessons. Within each unit there are many writing opportunities including differentiated activities for those working at Greater Depth.

The Pathways Programme

Each unit covers a range of areas in the national curriculum:

• Mastery of vocabulary, grammar and punctuation skills
• Writing a range of genres across a year
• Vocabulary development
• Using a wider range of reading comprehension strategies as a whole class
• Spoken language activities including drama and presentations
• Opportunities for practising previously taught genres
• An extended, independent piece of writing

This process follows three stages:

The Gateway

• The Gateway is opened with a ‘hook’ session to intrigue and enthuse young writers
• objects, people, images or role-play is used to stimulate questions about the chosen text
• pupils are given the opportunity to predict the text
• we establish at this point the purpose and audience of the writing
• Revisit previous mastery skills and ongoing skills through an assessed piece of writing

The Pathway

• We introduce pupils to new writing skills from their year group curriculum these are called mastery keys and are displayed in the classroom and in the English books
• Writing opportunities are provided to practise and apply the skill they have learnt through short and extended writing tasks including character descriptions, poetry, dialogue between characters, fact files or diary entries in role
• opportunities are provided to re-cap and apply previously taught skills
• we challenge greater depth writers through a wider range of tasks e.g. changes to form, viewpoint and audience

Writeaway

• Pupils section and sequence texts independently or collaboratively
• They create extended pieces of writing over time
• Opportunity is given to apply mastery skills
• Time is given for planning, writing, checking, editing, redrafting and publishing
• A fiction or non-fiction outcome will be written (covering a wide range of genres and themes over the year)

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