English | West Boldon Primary School

Writing at West Boldon Primary School

Teachers plan their writing lessons using a book from our Reading Scheme as a Stimulus. The Reading Lead has produced and provided a document with a range of genre ideas for each text to ensure a range of genres are being taught. Staff use the writing progression document to ensure that the correct grammar and skills are being taught for each genre of writing. This ensures progression within each genre as the year groups progress. For example, it allows staff to clearly see what a Y4 Instructional text includes compared to a Year 5 Instructional text. This document also allows staff to teach for progression within their year group by comparing a child’s piece of writing in October to a piece later in the year.

Children are involved in Speaking and Listening, Comprehension, Reading and Writing activities linked to their main and supporting texts from the Reading Spine

We believe in immersing our children in quality texts to form the basis of them becoming great writers. We think this allows them to gain and understand the vocabulary writers use and it lets our children model this in their own pieces of work. This alongside the skills they have gained in Phonics, Reading, Spelling and Grammar permits our children to be competent writers. They are able to model sentence structure, correct grammar and a range of vocabulary within their work.

Handwriting at West Boldon Primary

Our writing journey begins in EYFS where children learn to form letters using the RWI model and their supporting rhymes. By the time children get to Year 1, we introduce our letter join scheme and children begin to form single cursive letters with joins and flicks. In Year 2, the children are introduced to joint handwriting. Handwriting is then practised throughout the school years to increase pace and to improve handwriting skills throughout.

Click here to read our Handwriting Policy

Spelling at West Boldon Primary School

At West Boldon children are taught through the RWI approach. Children are taught to spell using letter sounds. Weekly spellings are sent home to reinforce and embed the learning from that week. This begins with single letter sounds in EYFS and continues to KS1 where children receive weekly spellings to learn. They are tested on a Friday. In KS2 children are taught using Read Write Inc spelling in years 2 – 5 once they have completed Read Write Inc Phonics. In year 6 the children are taught spelling rules in order to support them in getting ready to complete their SATS.