Writing at Joseph Hood Primary School

What our children say about their writing journeys:

‘When I write, I can add sparkly, magical touches and use stories I already know to make my own special versions.’  - Year 5 pupil

‘I love expanding my ideas and turning them into long, powerful stories that take people on exciting adventures!  I also like using what I learn from books – ‘magpieing’ powerful words and ideas to make my stories even better.’  - Year 5 pupil

‘I like writing about topics we learn about in school, for example, we were learning about space in year 2 and writing about it.’  - Year 3 pupil

‘We like writing about the ideas in our heads!  We like writing about ‘Claude in the City’ and the ‘Great Fire of London.’ - Year 2 pupils

Writing is an integral part of our curriculum at Joseph Hood.  We aim to develop children’s writing skills through a wide range of genres, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  Through our choice of high quality and recommended texts, we aim to provide our children with excellent models for their own writing.  By carefully sequencing lessons, we aim to explore these texts in depth, giving children exciting reasons to write.  Our goal is for every child to leave primary school as a confident writer who can express their ideas clearly, creatively and accurately for different purposes.

Our Vision

Writing is not just a subject – it is a powerful tool for communication, creativity and self-expression. At Joseph Hood Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that every child leaves us as a confident, fluent writer who can write with accuracy, imagination and purpose. We value the role that stories, poems and non-fiction play in helping children to shape and share their ideas, to make sense of the world, and to connect with others.

We are also committed to giving children opportunities to read and be inspired by a wide range of authors and voices, so that their own writing reflects diversity of thought, culture and experience. We believe it is vital that children can both see themselves in the texts they read and write, and also be challenged to consider different perspectives.

We work in partnership with families to nurture a love of writing beyond the classroom.  We believe that children who write regularly become more articulate, more confident and better equipped to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

How We INSPIRE in Writing

Inclusive
 Writing at Joseph Hood is for everyone. Every child is given the tools, strategies and support they need to find their voice as a writer – whatever their starting point. We celebrate individuality and ensure all pupils can express themselves with confidence and clarity.

Nurturing
 Our Writing curriculum nurtures creativity, curiosity and self-belief. Children are encouraged to take risks with language, experiment with ideas, and grow as writers who feel proud of their achievements.
Success
 We recognise success in all its forms – from forming a clear sentence to crafting a thoughtful story or persuasive piece. Step by step, pupils build the stamina, accuracy and style to communicate effectively for a range of purposes and audiences.

Perseverance
Writing is a process that takes time, care and determination. Whether redrafting, improving handwriting, or learning new grammar, children discover that persistence and practice help them to progress and flourish as writers.

Imagination
Writing unlocks imagination. Through stories, poetry and non-fiction, pupils learn to create, invent and express their ideas. We give children opportunities to explore different genres and develop their own unique author’s voice.

Respect
Writing teaches respect for language and for others’ ideas. Children learn to listen to feedback, value different viewpoints, and appreciate the power of words to inform, inspire and connect communities.
Encourage
We encourage pupils to see themselves as writers beyond the classroom. From keeping journals to writing letters, poems or stories at home, children are inspired to enjoy writing as a lifelong skill for learning, creativity and communication.

Our Intent

At Joseph Hood, we aim for every child to:

• Enjoy a wide range of texts including fiction, non-fiction and poetry and be inspired to write.

• Develop their ideas and enrich the content of their own writing.

• Confidently use the essential skills of grammar, punctuation and spelling, understanding how these elements work together to create impact.

• Meet high expectations and take pride in the presentation and quality of their work.

• Learn the importance of reviewing and editing to improve and develop their writing.

• Leave primary school as confident writers who can express their ideas clearly, creatively and accurately for a range of purposes.

Our Implementation

Early writing and mark making: 
In Early Years, we prioritise the three prime areas and firmly believe that communication and language vitally underpins all areas of learning.  We strive to create a ‘language-rich’ environment by immersing children in songs, nursery rhymes and stories, and by ensuring they have plenty of opportunities for meaningful conversations with both adults and peers.  By strengthening children’s ability to listen, talk and share ideas, we lay the groundwork for early writing, as these skills directly support mark-making, sentence building and storytelling in line with the EYFS Literacy goals.

Writing Lessons: 
From Year 1 to Year 6, writing lessons are planned as a journey that help children build their ideas, practise new skills, and create a final piece of writing they can be proud of. 

 At our school, children are taught how to write in a wide range of genres including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. 

 Each unit of work begins with an engaging text that inspires the children’s thinking. Together, we talk about what happens in the story, explore the characters and themes through drama and role-play, and share our own ideas and experiences.  This helps them to develop a deep understanding of the text and inspires ideas for their own writing.

 Next, we look closely at a good example of the type of writing we’re working towards – for example, a letter, a story, or a newspaper report. We discuss who the writing is for and why it was written, and we identify the key features that make it effective.  This analysis supports pupils in understanding how writers make choices about language, structure, and style.

 Children then have the opportunity to practise using these key features and develop new skills through shorter writing tasks.  They learn how to use vocabulary, grammar and sentence structures that suit the style of writing they are learning about.

 Finally, pupils bring all their learning together to plan, draft and edit their own extended piece of writing. This final piece showcases their understanding of the genre and their growing confidence as writers.

 Throughout the process of the writing journey, teachers model writing, provide regular feedback and opportunities for reflection so that every child can make progress and take pride in their final piece.

 As part of our ongoing commitment to excellence in the teaching of writing, we regularly review our approaches to ensure they meet the needs of all learners.  Most recently, we have introduced The Writing Revolution, an approach which offers effective strategies for teaching specific components of writing. This approach provides carefully structured scaffolds that support children in developing their ideas and expressing themselves with clarity. It is highly adaptable and can be tailored to meet the needs of every child, enabling all pupils to make progress and achieve success in their writing.

The Curriculum:
To support writing, writing skills are taught in line with National Curriculum objectives.

Our writing curriculum is carefully planned so that children build their skills step by step — both throughout each school year and as they move up the school. This clear progression helps pupils to develop a strong foundation in writing and prepares them well for the next stage of their learning.

Our writing overviews for each year group are designed to:

• Provide children with excellent models of writing to inspire and guide their own work.

• Suggest engaging and purposeful writing outcomes that give pupils exciting reasons to write.

• Outline the specific curriculum objectives for each unit, reflecting the core skills required for the genre while aligning with the assessment criteria for that term.

• Support teachers with suggested steps for learning, enabling lessons to be carefully sequenced so that children are well equipped with the skills they need for their final written outcome.

Cross-Curricular Writing:
Our texts for each unit of work are carefully chosen to link meaningfully with year group topics.  Our aim is for writing to be embedded across the curriculum with opportunities for children to explore a wide variety of text types linked to other subjects.

Writing at home:
Children are provided with weekly tasks which involve them practising key vocabulary, grammar and sentence structures that they have been learning about that week in school.  The weekly homework task will always be linked to the key text and the writing skills that the children are currently learning.

Each term, every year group is given ‘Home Learning tasks’ linked to their Topic which the children can choose to complete across the term.  The ideas for writing tasks mean that children can take ownership of their independent writing and focus on being creative.  Parents and carers play a vital role in encouraging their children to engage with these tasks and offering ideas and guidance.

Support and Challenge:
Through high quality first teaching, teachers strive to make the learning and writing tasks accessible for all children whilst providing suitable challenge to ensure that every pupil makes good or better progress in writing.  In writing, teachers do this by:

• Recognising where some pupils need specific help with their English skills

• Providing resources such as phonics mats, vocabulary banks and writing frames to scaffold pupils’ learning

• Identifying pupils who would benefit from further support in an area of their learning, and organising small intervention groups for targeted support to aid their progress and attainment. 

• Making sure pupils who need it are extended through the use of additional, more-demanding and open-ended tasks and planned challenges within a sequence of lessons

What our children say about what helps them with their writing:

‘What helps me with my writing is having vocabulary banks because they give me lots of powerful words to use.  I also like using the lessons we learn in class that help us write good sentences.  Looking back at my planning really helps too, because it reminds me of the steps I need to follow to make a great story!’ - Year 5 pupil

‘We like when our teacher models writing for us, because it shows us how to make our own!’ - Year 5 pupils

‘I like it when I can keep my own ideas but still make them even better with their (the teacher’s) help. That’s why we really enjoy our one-to-one conferences where we can work together, or even if our teacher asks ‘what do you mean by that?’  - Year 5 pupil

‘Verbal feedback is useful because we can make the right changes.’ - Year 5 pupil

‘Combining reading and writing helps us improve our writing.’ - Year 3 pupils
 

Our Impact

The impact of our writing curriculum is that children at Joseph Hood Primary School:

• Make good or better progress in writing from their individual starting points.

• Leave Year 6 as confident, skilled writers who can communicate effectively and creatively for a range of purposes and audiences.

• Develop a life-long enjoyment of writing and see it as a powerful tool for self-expression, communication, and learning.

• Are able to discuss their writing, reflect on feedback, and make thoughtful choices about vocabulary, structure, and style.

• Have the transcriptional accuracy, grammatical understanding, and authorial voice needed to thrive in secondary education and beyond.