English Writing

Intent

At Alkerden, we believe writing is a powerful means for learners to articulate their thoughts, express their creativity, and engage meaningfully with the world around them. Our writing curriculum is designed to ensure that every learner develops the knowledge, skills and confidence to become an effective, creative and independent writer.

We prioritise the development of strong foundations in both transcription and composition. Learners are taught to write with increasing accuracy and fluency through secure spelling and fluent, legible handwriting, while also developing the ability to construct and organise ideas with clarity, purpose and coherence.

Our curriculum supports learners to plan, draft, revise and evaluate their writing. They are equipped with strategies to organise their ideas, reflect on their effectiveness and adapt their writing to suit a range of audiences and purposes, fostering independence and resilience as writers.

We place a strong emphasis on developing a rich and varied vocabulary, alongside a secure understanding of grammar and punctuation. Learners are encouraged to make deliberate language choices to create specific effects, ensuring their writing is both purposeful and impactful.

Creativity lies at the heart of our approach. Learners are given opportunities to write across a wide range of genre, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, scripts, reports and persuasive writing, enabling them to explore ideas, reflect on their experiences and respond to the world both within and beyond school.

We aim to instil in learners the understanding that writing is a skill for life. Through a carefully sequenced and engaging curriculum, we nurture confident, motivated writers who take pride in their work and develop a lifelong enjoyment of writing as a tool for communication, expression and creativity.

Implementation

Writing is taught through carefully structured, progressive sequences that ensure learners develop both the technical accuracy and creative confidence needed to succeed.

Writing is rooted in meaningful and engaging contexts. High-quality texts alongside rich stimuli such as images, drama, real-life experiences and cross-curricular themes, are used to immerse learners in language. These contexts provide purpose and inspiration, enabling learners to produce thoughtful, sustained and high-quality writing outcomes.

We ensure that teaching is inclusive and adaptive. Through ongoing assessment, tasks are carefully scaffolded to support learners who need additional guidance, including targeted interventions to strengthen transcription and composition skills. At the same time, more confident writers are challenged through opportunities to use ambitious vocabulary, experiment with language and write in increasingly complex forms and genres.

Writing is not limited to English lessons. We provide frequent opportunities for learners to write across the curriculum, applying and consolidating their skills in subjects such as history, science and wider topic work. This approach builds writing stamina, reinforces purpose and supports the transfer of writing skills in a range of meaningful contexts.

We place strong emphasis on oracy as a foundation for writing. Learners are given regular opportunities to discuss ideas, rehearse sentences, engage in role-play and present their thinking. This supports vocabulary development, sentence construction and confidence, enabling learners to articulate ideas clearly before committing them to writing.

Transcription skills are taught explicitly and systematically. Handwriting is introduced from the earliest stages, with a focus on correct letter formation, consistency and fluency, so that writing becomes automatic and does not hinder composition. Spelling is developed progressively, beginning with secure phonics knowledge and extending to spelling rules, patterns, common exception words and strategies for tackling unfamiliar words.

Grammar and punctuation are taught both discretely and within the context of writing. This ensures learners not only understand grammatical concepts but can apply them effectively to shape meaning, enhance clarity and create impact in their writing.

Our teaching follows a progressive model of the writing process. Learners are taught to plan, draft, revise and edit their work at every stage of their development. Through a combination of shared writing, guided practice and independent application, teachers model the writing process explicitly, providing scaffolds where necessary. Opportunities for peer and teacher feedback are embedded, enabling learners to reflect on and improve their work.

Through this structured yet creative approach, we ensure that all learners develop as confident, capable writers who can communicate effectively across a wide range of contexts and purposes.

Impact

By the time learners leave Alkerden, our writing curriculum ensures they:

Write with accuracy, fluency and increasing automaticity, demonstrating a secure command of spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting. Transcription skills are sufficiently embedded so that they can focus on the composition and quality of their writing.
Communicate clearly and effectively for a range of purposes and audiences, selecting appropriate form, structure and language. Learners can write cohesively across a range of genres; narratives, explanations, reports, persuasive pieces, letters, scripts and poetry, adapting tone and style with confidence.
Apply the writing process independently and effectively, planning, drafting, revising and editing their work with purpose. They evaluate and improve their writing, making thoughtful changes to enhance clarity, coherence and impact.
Demonstrate control over sentence structure and cohesion, using a range of sentence types and organisational devices to link ideas within and across paragraphs, ensuring their writing is well-structured and logically sequenced.
Use a rich and precise vocabulary, making deliberate language choices to create specific effects and engage the reader. Their understanding of grammar supports both accuracy and effective expression.
Sustain writing over extended pieces, showing stamina, independence and pride in producing well-presented, high-quality outcomes.
Draw on reading and spoken language to inform their writing, using discussion, rehearsal and exposure to high-quality texts to strengthen their ideas, vocabulary and overall composition.
Develop a clear sense of themselves as writers, demonstrating creativity, imagination and an individual voice across a range of contexts.
Recognise writing as an essential life skill, using it confidently for communication, expression and a wide range of real-life purposes.

Learners, including those who are disadvantaged or require additional support, make strong and sustained progress from their starting points. Targeted support ensures that gaps in transcription and composition are addressed quickly, enabling all learners to access the full writing curriculum, while more confident writers are challenged to achieve greater depth.

Through ongoing formative assessment, teacher judgement and work scrutiny, shows that learners consistently produce writing that is accurate, coherent and purposeful and are well prepared for the demands of the next stage of their education.

The culture of writing at Alkerden is one of high expectations, resilience and pride, where learners view themselves as capable writers and approach writing with confidence, independence and ambition.

English Writing Across the Stages

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Writing is developed through a balance of play-based exploration and carefully structured teaching. Learners are immersed in rich, language-focused environments where high-quality texts, storytelling, role-play and meaningful experiences provide purposeful contexts for writing. Early writing begins with mark-making and develops through secure foundations in phonics, enabling children to segment sounds and begin to write words and simple sentences. Adults model writing explicitly, encouraging children to articulate their ideas orally before recording them, supporting both composition and confidence.

As children progress, they are supported to write for a range of purposes, using their growing knowledge of sounds, vocabulary and sentence structure. Opportunities to plan, share and reflect on their writing are embedded through talk and interaction. By the end of the Early Years, in line with the Early Learning Goals, children are able to write recognisable letters, spell words by identifying sounds, and compose simple sentences that can be read by others, demonstrating early independence and enjoyment as emerging writers.

Key Stage 1 (Years 1-2)

Learners are taught through engaging, high-quality texts and meaningful contexts that provide clear purpose and inspiration for writing. Teaching focuses on the development of both transcription and composition, ensuring learners secure accurate spelling through phonics and common exception words, alongside the development of fluent, legible handwriting.

Learners are supported to compose sentences orally before writing, enabling them to rehearse ideas, develop vocabulary and build confidence. They are taught to write for a range of purposes, including narratives and simple non-fiction, using basic sentence structures, appropriate punctuation and an awareness of audience. Through shared, guided and independent writing, learners begin to plan, draft and make simple revisions, developing early independence as writers.

Grammar and punctuation are introduced both discretely and within writing contexts, while vocabulary is developed through exposure to rich texts and discussion. By the end of Key Stage 1, learners are able to write coherent sequences of sentences, applying their phonics knowledge, spelling patterns and basic grammar with increasing accuracy, and demonstrating growing confidence and enjoyment in writing.

Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6)

Teaching strengthens both transcription and composition, ensuring that spelling, handwriting and punctuation are increasingly accurate and automatic, allowing learners to focus on crafting and refining their ideas. Learners develop a secure understanding of grammar and sentence structure, enabling them to write with greater precision, cohesion and control. They are taught to use paragraphs effectively, link ideas and organise their writing to suit different purposes and audiences.

Learners are supported to plan, draft, revise and edit their writing with increasing independence. Through shared and guided writing, teachers model the writing process, while structured opportunities for peer and self-assessment help learners reflect on and improve their work. There is a strong emphasis on vocabulary development, with learners encouraged to make deliberate language choices to create specific effects and engage the reader.

Writing opportunities are embedded across the curriculum, enabling learners to apply their skills in a range of meaningful contexts. Oracy continues to play a key role, with discussion, rehearsal and presentation supporting the development of ideas and language.

By the end of Key Stage 2, learners write with confidence and stamina, producing well-structured, coherent and purposeful pieces across a range of genres. They demonstrate increasing independence, a clear awareness of audience, and a developing personal voice, preparing them effectively for the demands of secondary education and beyond.

Inclusion & Support

At Alkerden we recognise that each learner is unique. To support this:

Learners who need extra help receive targeted support: small-group or one-to-one assistance, phonics/spelling interventions, additional guided writing or editing sessions, ensuring all have access to writing success.

More able or confident writers are given challenges, richer vocabulary tasks, ambitious genres, creative writing opportunities, so they can extend their skills and creativity.

Writing support is flexible and responsive: teachers monitor progress continuously, identify gaps, adapt planning and provide feedback or intervention as needed.

Extra Resources

Fun English Writing Games