Welcome!

This page is dedicated to all things 'Writing' at West Town Lane. You can view the whole school progression map by clicking the links below. 

‘If reading is breathing in, then writing is breathing out’

Writing Intent

At West Town Lane Academy, English and the teaching of English is the foundation of our curriculum. Our main aim is to ensure every single child becomes primary literate and progresses to the best of their ability in the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening by the time they leave our school in Year 6. 

Staff at West Town Lane Academy feel it is essential to highlight and be aware of the differing groups of learners and vulnerable children in their class.  Once this information is acquired, teachers can plan and teach personalised English lessons which focus on the particular needs of each child.  We recognise that each child has their own starting point upon entry to every year group and progress is measured in line with these starting points to ensure every child can celebrate success.

English at West Town Lane Academy will not only be a daily discrete lesson, but is at the cornerstone of the entire curriculum.  It is embedded within all our lessons and we will strive for a high level of English for all. Through using high-quality texts, immersing children in vocabulary rich learning environments and ensuring new curriculum expectations and the progression of skills are met, the children at West Town Lane Academy will be exposed to a language heavy, creative and continuous English curriculum which will not only enable them to become primary literate but will also develop a love of reading, creative writing and purposeful speaking and listening.

Implementation

We hope to achieve this by:

• Prioritizing reading, writing and speaking and listening at every opportunity.

• Providing stimulating environments in which all aspects of literacy can thrive.
• Developing trusting relationships in the classroom, involving good use of peer and self-assessment, so that pupils feel confident to express themselves without fear of embarrassment or criticism.
• Following a text extract-based learning approach within English lessons, linking texts to topics where suitable.
• Motivating children through exciting enquiries which they help to plan and drive forward.
• Making lessons highly interactive and productive, so children have time to immerse, innovate and invent.
• Making sure that learning is personalised as much as possible to meet the needs of individual children.
• Teaching using the Letters and Sounds Phonics approach.
• Whole school to follow the Spelling Shed and Ed Shed weekly spelling framework to teach a short dedicated spelling session each week followed by a test.
• Giving the children the opportunity to read for pleasure through the use of our well-stocked school library.

Providing opportunities throughout the school year to promote reading and writing (e.g. Book fairs, early readers, competitions, World Book Day, parent workshops, author visits, having librarians, reading incentives such as certificates and book tokens, book clubs, projects involving external agencies.

Impact

The impact on our children is clear: progress, sustained learning and transferrable skills.  By the end of KS2 the majority of our children have made considerable progress from their starting points in EYFS.  With the implementation of the writing journey being well established and taught thoroughly in both key stages, children are becoming more confident writers and by the time they are in upper Key Stage 2, most genres of writing are familiar to them and the teaching can focus on creativity, writer’s craft, sustained writing and manipulation of grammar and punctuation skills.  Our children are also becoming more confident readers and they realise the importance of reading for pleasure along with reading for information. 

As all aspects of English are an integral part of the curriculum, cross curricular writing standards have also improved and skills taught in the English lesson are transferred into other subjects; this shows consolidation of skills and a deeper understanding of how and when to use specific grammar, punctuation and grammar objectives.  We hope that as children move on from us to further their education and learning that their creativity, passion for English and high aspirations travel with them and continue to grow and develop as they do.

Writing School learning journeys and progression maps:

Click on the learning journeys for fiction and non fiction to see at a glance what kinds of texts are explored and the teaching skills that accompany them. The journeys show clearly how learning progresses as the children make their way through the school from EYFS to Y6.

To see the termly breakdown of texts and what is taught in more depth, you can download the progression map files below.

Here, you will also be able to find useful tips, online resource links and news of trips or exciting events happening in school So keep you eyes peeled.

Here is a link to BBC bitesize. There are many useful educational resources that you may wish to use at home.