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English Writing

Our Approach to Writing

Newington Green Primary School is proud to be part of the Growth Learning Collective (GLC). We are committed to delivering a Writing Curriculum that sparks joy and curiosity and enables every child to see themselves as a writer. We believe that writing is a vital life skill and a powerful tool for self-expression and communication. Driven by Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction, we weave the National Curriculum programmes of study into thoughtfully structured units, which captivate and inspire pupils.

 

Our Vision for Writing

Writing is a fundamental life skill and at Newington Green, we want every child to:

  • Write with accuracy, clarity and purpose
  • Express themselves with creativity and confidence
  • Understand the power of language
  • Use writing to communicate, persuade, inform and entertain
  • Develop technical proficiency in spelling, punctuation, handwriting and grammar
  • Build a strong writing identity and sense of authorship

We balance high expectations with high support, ensuring that every child, including those with SEND or new to English, is enabled to succeed.

 

The Curriculum

At Newington Green, we have a created a bespoke writing curriculum that draws upon the National Curriculum Programme of Study for English and several evidenced based research recommendations. These include: EEF research, the Evidenced Based Teacher’s Network, Alex Quigley’s Closing the Vocabulary & Writing Gap and the Centre for Literacy and Primary Education (CLPE). This blend allows us to meet the distinct needs of our community with a curriculum that is rigorous, inclusive and ambitious.

Writing is taught in four-to-six-week cycles, each following a structured five-stage process.

1. Hook

Every unit begins with an immersive, inspiring hook designed to ignite curiosity and establish purpose. Examples include:

  • Drama and role play
  • Real-life artefacts
  • Film clips
  • Visits or visitors
  • Objects and stimuli linked to the final outcome

Hooks create emotional engagement and provide children with language and background knowledge essential for writing.

2. Immersion in High-Quality Texts

Children explore the model text in depth, analysing:

  • Structure and organisational features
  • Sentence patterns and literary techniques
  • Vocabulary and figurative language
  • How authors create meaning and impact
  • What makes this text successful

Children talk, question, annotate and engage in practical tasks to internalise the genre before attempting to write in it.

3. Learn, Teach and Model

Teachers explicitly model writing using an errorless learning approach. This means modelling excellence clearly and consistently, without adding misconceptions.

This stage includes:

  • Live shared writing
  • Step-by-step demonstration of writing choices
  • Explicit vocabulary instruction
  • Grammar taught in context
  • Sentence-level skill-building
  • Use of scaffolds, frames and oral rehearsal

Children see the writing process "from the inside" and practise new skills in meaningful contexts.

4. Drafting

Children plan and produce their own writing, drawing on the skills taught during the cycle. Teachers support pupils through:

  • Guided writing
  • Feedback and conferencing
  • Peer collaboration
  • Sentence construction support
  • Editing and improving strategies

This stage builds independence and confidence, allowing every child to feel successful.

5. Publishing

The final publication stage gives purpose and audience to writing. Outcomes may be shared:

  • In class books
  • On displays
  • With families
  • In assemblies
  • As letters, reports, posters or performances

Publishing celebrates children’s achievement and reinforces writing as a powerful, real-world skill.

 

Writing in the Early Years

In EYFS, writing is integrated across all areas of learning. Children develop early writing by building early mark-making skills, experimenting with emergent writing and learning to connect their spoken language to written forms. Oral rehearsal (“Think it, say it, write it”) underpins everything, giving children the confidence to hear sentences before attempting to record them.

Phonics also plays a vital role. Through Essential Letters and Sounds (ELS), children learn the building blocks of spelling and begin to write independently using the sounds they know. Writing is visible across the environment: role-play areas, story retelling, outdoor learning and creative play all provide opportunities for children to communicate ideas on the page.

 

Spelling, Grammar, Vocabulary and Punctuation

We teach spelling, grammar and punctuation not as isolated rules but as tools writers use to shape meaning. These skills are always introduced in context, linked to the texts children are studying and the writing they are producing.

We follow a structured spelling programme, aligned with the National Curriculum. Lessons follow a cycle of: Teach → Practise → Review → Apply. Rather than focusing solely on weekly tests, we emphasise application within writing.

Vocabulary is a particular priority for us. We explicitly teach new words, revisit them frequently and encourage children to use them confidently in their writing.

 

Handwriting

We teach handwriting through the Nelson Handwriting Scheme, ensuring consistent progression from EYFS to Year 6. Lessons focus on:

  • Fluency
  • Legibility
  • Comfort
  • Pride in presentation

Handwriting is linked to spelling and phonics in the early years and becomes increasingly joined and fluent in KS2.

 

Assessment in Writing

We assess writing thoroughly and holistically. Over each term, teachers gather evidence from pupils’ writing across the curriculum, alongside “Hot Writes” which are independent pieces produced at the end of each unit. Target sheets, linked to National Curriculum expectations, help teachers track progress and identify next steps. Moderation within the school, across the GLC and with the local authority ensures accuracy and high expectations.

Children are assessed as:

  • Working Below
  • Working Towards
  • Working At
  • Working Higher (Greater Depth)

We use assessment to guide our teaching, making sure every child gets the support they need to progress.

 

Support and Inclusion

Some children need extra scaffolding or more practice to build confidence and proficiency. We provide a range of support, including pre-teaching vocabulary, using visual prompts, writing frames/ scaffolds, modelling chunking tasks into manageable steps and offering additional small-group guidance. Our aim is to remove barriers while maintaining ambition for all.

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