Intent

Writing

• Inspire confident writers who use their imagination and show creative flare.
• Enable our children to be fluent writers who structure a sentence accurately.
• Enable our children to write for different purposes by demonstrating an understanding of different genres and their features.
• Provide our children with a wide and ambitious vocabulary that they are able to use in the correct context.
• Develop detailed ideas in writing, adapting language to audience and purpose.

Spelling

• Become competent and accurate spellers who are able to spell age-related words.
• Provide our children with strategies they can apply to spell unknown words.

Speaking and listening

• Expressive children who are able to articulate feelings and opinions and listen to and respond appropriately in a range of situations.
• Participate with different groups of children to present ideas with confidence, valuing the views of others.
• Speak audibly and confidently before an audience.

Implementation

Writing

• Writing is central to our creative curriculum and therefore writing tasks are linked to each unit of learning.
• Within a unit of work, we provide at least three writing lessons and one grammar focused lesson per week. Where possible, grammar is integrated within lessons but we fully understand that for some elements to be taught most effectively, it is best for them to be taught discretely.
• Across the school, lessons are taught in mixed ability classes, with work differentiated to support and challenge children of all abilities to ensure that learning is pitched at each child’s level.
• A ‘cold task’ is completed near the beginning of each unit of learning which provides a baseline assessment for the children’s writing and grammar skills. Year group teams then work together to produce a skeleton plan ensuring grammar, reading and writing skills are selected with the purpose and audience of the writing in mind and planned for progressively across the unit.
• Each unit of learning finishes with a ‘hot task’ which provides children with an opportunity to showcase all they have learnt in each unit of learning.
• Children are given opportunities throughout each unit to rehearse editing skills.
• Once a ‘hot task’ is complete, teaching staff assess each child’s writing on the appropriate writing assessment grid. Teaching staff in each year group then moderate at least three pieces of writing from each class. Each half term, teaching staff are given time in CPD meetings to moderate writing across the school and once yearly we meet with teaching staff at NRLP5 schools to externally moderate writing.
• Once per half term, children select one piece of writing to publish in their ‘star writing’ books. These books will remain with children throughout their time at St Ann’s Heath and not only aim to showcase work the children are most proud of, but also show progression of children’s writing from year 3 to year 6. 

• Once per term EGPS is assessed using the NFER papers in Yr 3/4/5. Once per half term, past SATs papers are used to assess EGPS progress in Yr 6.

Spelling

• Across the school, spelling is taught for twenty minutes per day.
• Each week, a different spelling rule is the focus of the five sessions which follow this structure: pre-test, introduce, practise, apply, revisit.
• Teachers use Rising Stars as the main resource for planning spelling which ensures skills are progressive both throughout the year group and across the school.
• EdShed resources are used to supplement the Rising Stars planning and as a home learning tool for the children to practise their spellings.

Speaking and Listening

• Linked to Tom Sherrington’s WalkThrus, strategies such as cold calling and think pair share are used to promote all children having the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas in the classroom.
• Subject specific vocabulary is displayed on all working walls in the classrooms.
• Vocabulary mats are used to scaffold writing activities.
• Performance opportunities throughout the year e.g. Christmas performance, Yr 6 Summer Production, Class Assemblies, role play during whole school assemblies