Writing
Our Approach to Teaching Writing
Foundational Skills
In response to the Writing Framework (DfE, 2025), we have strengthened our approach to foundational writing skills to ensure pupils develop fluency, accuracy, and confidence. Across all phases, we prioritise transcription, sentence construction, and language development so that pupils can focus their working memory on composition as they progress through school.
Transcription
Handwriting is taught systematically: EYFS pupils follow Little Wandle letter formation, which is also used as an intervention in KS1. From KS1 onwards, pupils use LetterJoin, with explicit modelling and feedback to strengthen transcription skills.
Pupils in EYFS and Key Stage 1 learn how to apply phonics knowledge to segment and write words using sounds they know. They practice this in phonics lesson and during writing lessons.
The Little Wandle spelling programme is used to continue to embed this learning in Year 2 and then the Spelling Shed in KS2 develops understanding of spelling patterns, etymology, and morphology. Across KS1 and KS2, pupils practise daily dictated sentences to reinforce spelling and handwriting fluency.
Punctuation and Grammar
Punctuation and grammar are taught explicitly in discrete lessons across KS1 and KS2, following progression documents. This knowledge is then applied and revisited during writing lessons. In KS2, pupils are encouraged to consider how grammatical choices and punctuation shape clarity, precision, and effect.
Early Writing
In EYFS, early writing is built on secure phonics knowledge, explicit handwriting instruction, and carefully sequenced teaching that develops accurate sentence construction.
Pupils experience a language-rich environment with high-quality texts that inspire oral composition and early mark-making. Fine and gross motor development is supported through continuous provision, preparing pupils to form letters, words, phrases, and sentences that can be read by others.
Through the Little Wandle SSP, pupils learn to segment to spell and write words, phrases and sentences, preparing them for the demands of KS1 writing.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1 and 2, the year begins with a focus on consolidating foundational skills, including handwriting and key grammatical knowledge from previous years. Teachers use the Acorn writing progression grids to ensure clarity around milestones in Terms 2, 4 and 6. We are continuing to refine our systems so that foundational writing skills are taught with the same rigour as phonics.
In Key Stage 1, stimulus texts motivate pupils to write, while grammar and punctuation learning is reinforced through application. Teacher modelling, discussion, oral composition and scaffolds support sentence construction. In Year 1, pupils sequence sentences and apply phonics to spelling. By the end of Year 2, pupils write with increasing fluency across narrative, recounts, non-fiction, and poetry, developing vocabulary, sentence structures, and punctuation ready for KS2.
Key Stage 2
As they progress through Key Stage 2, pupils consolidate transcriptional fluency and sentence construction while writing for a range of purposes and audiences. High-quality texts and stimulus materials inspire ideas, and pupils explore how to communicate effectively through grammatical structures and language choices. Speaking and listening remain central to the writing process, ensuring pupils are immersed in rich vocabulary and opportunities for oral rehearsal.
Our writing sequence includes:
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immersion in texts
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exploring models and gathering ideas
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teacher modelling
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vocabulary collection
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practising sentence structures
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planning, writing, and editing
This structured approach enables pupils to craft extended pieces of writing with increasing independence. Additional scaffolding is provided where needed to ensure full access to the curriculum.
Editing
Across the school, pupils are taught to re-read and edit their work during the writing process and in response to feedback, developing accuracy, clarity, and control as writers.
Assessment - Transcription
In EYFS and KS1, teachers monitor and assess pupils’ transcriptional skills in the moment, as part of formative assessment in the spelling section of phonics lessons, and during handwriting lessons.
Across the school, interventions for handwriting are often in the moment, correcting pencil grip or formation at the point of writing. Teachers monitor pupils who need more support and provide effective feedback in the moment. Adaptations are made such as using different sized lined paper or different writing tools. Pupils who struggle with handwriting are assessed in a more formal way to identify what they need to work on. Drawing on guidance from the National Handwriting Association, we use the ‘S factors’ to diagnose and address areas to develop.
In KS1, teachers use formative assessment as well as quick tests to assess pupils’ spelling and then include words or patterns that need repeated practice into dictation sessions or reteach as needed.
In KS2, teachers monitor spellings through formative assessment in lessons and as part of writing moderation. We are developing our approach to tracking spellings across the school to ensure that any gaps are identified and addressed.
Assessment - Writing
We moderate writing three times a year, as part of Acorn Trust’s moderation programme, and as a team within the school. We use the Acorn Assessment Grids to identify where pupils are on track to meet the expected standard at the end of Terms 2, 4 and 6, and use the process to plan objectives and content for the following terms to ensure that any areas of weakness are addressed, retaught, or consolidated.
