Writing at Gawber Primary School

Writing at Gawber is purposeful, language-rich and rooted in high-quality literature. Our curriculum has been carefully designed so that every child develops the knowledge, fluency and confidence needed to write with clarity, imagination and control. From the earliest mark-making in EYFS to the sophisticated compositions produced in Year 6, children learn to write through a structured, research-informed approach that places language comprehension, oracy and rich texts at the heart of learning.

Literature at the centre

We believe that children become powerful writers when they are immersed in powerful writing. Across school, pupils encounter novels, poetry, drama and non-fiction chosen for their richness, challenge and connection to the wider curriculum. As stated in our English Policy, “texts are deliberately chosen to complement our wider curriculum so that children immerse themselves in what it means to be a reader for different purposes—and, in turn, learn to write for a variety of meaningful reasons.”

These texts broaden vocabulary, deepen understanding of authorial craft, and provide the models children need to write effectively for different audiences and purposes.

Oracy: the foundation of confident writing

At Gawber, talk is not an add-on—it is a core part of how children learn to write. Our whole-school oracy progression ensures that pupils develop articulate, purposeful spoken language from EYFS to Year 6. Children learn to:

• build ideas collaboratively

• rehearse sentences aloud

• justify opinions

• adapt tone and style

• participate in structured discussion and debate

By Year 6, pupils can “present ideas coherently, supported with reasons… refer to the viewpoints of others… and counterbalance these with their own opinions.”

This strong foundation in spoken language directly supports composition, vocabulary choice and sentence fluency.

How writing is taught at Gawber

EYFS and Key Stage 1: Building fluency through Talk Through Stories and Read Write Inc

In the early stages of writing, our priority is transcriptional fluency—ensuring children can form letters accurately, spell using phonics, and write simple sentences with confidence. We use Read Write Inc daily to secure accurate and automatic decoding and encoding. As our policy states, “we firmly believe that dictation is a key process… allowing children the opportunity to focus on the key elements of sentence writing, avoiding cognitive overload.”

Alongside phonics, children follow a two-week Talk Through Stories sequence. They rehearse vocabulary, practise oral storytelling, explore character feelings, build sentences, and engage in early composition. Activities such as “Favourite phrases… Freeze frame feelings… Which is the right sentence?” support children to internalise language patterns and structure.

By the end of KS1, children have strong foundations in oral language, vocabulary, comprehension and early composition.

Key Stage 2: Let’s Talk About English – our oracy-based writing sequence

From Year 2 onwards, children follow Let’s Talk About English, a structured, cumulative sequence that develops fluency, deep comprehension and confident, purposeful writing. This approach is unique to Gawber and reflects our commitment to teaching writing through talk, analysis and high-quality models.

Children move through a carefully designed sequence including:

• Context Immersion – activating prior knowledge through discussion and sensory experiences

• Three Teacher Reads – modelling expressive, fluent reading

• Partner Read – developing fluency and feedback skills

• Vocabulary Exploration – deepening word knowledge through morphology, context and synonyms

• Extract Analysis – exploring meaning, structure, syntax and authorial choices

• The Toolkit & Washing Line – identifying and revisiting features of the text type

• Hugging the Text – creating new sentences using the structure of the model text

• Put It Back Together – writing at length with growing stamina

• Drafting, Editing and Revising – using the CIA approach (Correct, Improve, Add)

• The Final Write – producing a polished piece for a real audience

This sequence ensures that children learn how writing works—not just what to write. They analyse structure, practise sentence construction, rehearse orally, and apply their learning independently.

Audience and Purpose

Our writing curriculum is built around five clear purposes:

• To entertain

• To inform

• To discuss

• To persuade

• To describe

Children learn how writers adapt language, structure and tone depending on the purpose and audience. They apply this knowledge across subjects, producing writing that is meaningful, authentic and connected to real contexts.

Progression and high expectations

Leaders have mapped out the key knowledge required at every stage of writing, ensuring clarity and consistency from EYFS to Year 6. Writing objectives are sequenced at three levels—working towards, working within, and working at greater depth—allowing teachers to monitor progress closely and respond swiftly to gaps.

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils write confidently for a range of purposes, meeting at least age-related expectations and demonstrating secure control over language, structure and audience.

Writing across the curriculum

Writing is not confined to English lessons. Children apply their skills in science, history, geography, RE and beyond. As our policy states, “we equip our children with a strong command of the spoken and written word across all areas of the curriculum… encouraging our children to understand how they can write effectively in all areas of learning.”

This ensures that writing is meaningful, connected and valued throughout the school day.

Extra-curricular opportunities

Children further develop their spoken and written language through:

• Debate Club

• Amazing Me celebrations

• Children’s University

• opportunities to share writing with peers and wider audiences

These experiences build confidence, pride and enjoyment in communication.

A lifelong love of writing

Above all, we want Gawber children to leave us as articulate, thoughtful and capable writers—young people who can express themselves clearly, adapt their writing for different audiences, and use language to achieve the futures they aspire to.

As our English Policy states, “we aim for Gawber children to become adults who are able to write effectively for the jobs they dream of acquiring.”