The teaching of writing is of paramount importance within our broad and balanced curriculum that we deliver at Dersingham. Our primary intent is to foster a love for reading and cultivate strong literacy skills among our pupils. We drive to create an engaging and supportive learning environment that sparks curiosity, encourages exploration, and instils a lifelong passion for reading and writing.

At Dersingham, we provide our pupils with opportunities to engage and immerse themselves with a variety of genres and text types. Pupils in EYFS, Reception and Year 1 are exposed to texts that inspire them to become thoughtful, creative and inventive writers. Pupils are encouraged to use learnt phonemes and graphemes to aid them in spelling words and writing meaningful sentences using correct punctuation. Pupils are taught to infer from texts and extend their vocabulary through enriched language and modelled writing. Pupils in Year 2 and upper Key Stages write for a variety of purposes and audiences, developing their understanding of their own authorial voice.

With oracy being such a high priority for our pupils, we weave opportunities for “Talk for Writing” into every lesson through collaboration and targeted teaching. Teachers ensure that pupils have numerous opportunities to orally explore a text type before they start to write. We ensure that pupils develop their understanding of language patterns, grammar and punctuation within a range of text types and genres to enable pupils to become confident and competent writers. Repeated practice of writing genres ensures that pupils leave our school confident in writing for different audiences and purposes. Spelling and handwriting is taught, practised and embedded throughout our writing lessons to support our pupils in having high expectations for their own standards of writing.

The teaching of grammar and Standard English is an integral part of our writing curriculum and is taught progressively and systematically throughout the school. The understanding of Standard English is embedded further by giving all children the opportunity to internalise formal language structures that they can use in a variety of contexts outside the classroom. Teachers model the process of writing within every literacy unit so that children understand the thought process behind writing. Building on this, pupils are given the opportunity to participate in a shared write, where pupils contribute to the writing outcome through shared discussions. This is developed further leading to independent writing opportunities where pupils can showcase their knowledge of writing styles and structures and the use of key grammar and punctuation features.

Writing at Dersingham Primary School is taught through a systematic and progressive approach, where prior teaching and learning is considered, and pupils are given the opportunity to develop their skills in a scaffolded manner, ensuring a strong foundation for their writing journey.

From the regular monitoring of plans, books, and pupil interviews, it is clear that writing is taught in a systematic and progressive way, with prior teaching and learning considered, and learning made memorable. Children enjoy discussing their writing, including its construction, purpose, and effect on the reader. The impact of our writing curriculum is evident in the noticeable improvement in reading and writing proficiency. Through regular assessment for learning, live feedback, marking, and quality first teaching, our pupils have demonstrated improved composition and continue to develop their transcription skills. As a result, pupils are showing greater independence in editing and proofreading their own writing and their peers.