St Gregory & St Patrick's Catholic Infant School

A little bit of background as to how writing works in Nursery and Reception

• Writing is included in lots of different provision around the classroom
• Children have many opportunities to write in and outside of school
• The children enjoy lots of fantastic experiences to help with their writing
• Teachers find using actions and speaking stories helps the children write at a better standard
• The children record their handwriting, weekend news and story writing in books once a week
• The children practise their letter formation on a daily basis
• Before every half term children write in their purple progress books. We all celebrate all that they have achieved throughout the term

As well as in our Phonics lessons we strive to keep the same handwriting phrases and punctuation mimes throughout our writing sessions. Below are documents that will help you understand what the looks like!

Writing

A writing journey from Pre-Nursery to Year 2 begins here... 

Writing is is highly valued at St Gregory and St Patrick's Catholic Infant School and is closely linked to our phonics and reading throughout the school. Our staff aim for the same endpoint - children who write clearly, accurately and coherently for a wide range of purposes.  We aim for our children to develop good handwriting using accurate spelling.  Our choice of high quality texts and opportunities for first hand experiences is designed to inspire our cohort of children to want to compose stories and ideas, both orally and in writing.

Our curriculum map shows how our writing has progression from Nursery up until Year 2 and how it links closely to the EYFS and National Curriculum 

Curriculum

Intent

At St Gregory and St Patrick's Catholic Infant School, we want all children to access experiences to enrich our writing curriculum. 

Our aim is to...

• Guide and nurture each individual on their own personal journeys to becoming successful writers.
• Provide exciting writing opportunities and experiences that engage and enhance all pupils.
•  We want all children to acquire a wide vocabulary and to be able to spell new words by effectively applying their phonetic knowledge and spelling patterns they have been taught
• We want all children to have a solid understanding of grammar and apply it effectively to their writing.
• We want them to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.
•  We believe that all children should be encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their writing, in part by developing a secure letter formation down in Reception up to cursive formation in Year 2

Implementation

At St Gregory and St Patrick's, writing is taught 4x per week in KS1. Children in Reception make a strong start with their letter formation and recognition from September it progressively builds up throughout the year. However, the children to log 1x piece of writing a week in their books. Each class studies or book or has a first hand experience that lasts for 2 weeks at a time. The children build up throughout the 9 days and write on the 10th day. 

Our curriculum map allows us to build up progression right from Nursery all the way up to KS1 and our medium term plans break down small steps to ensure we get the best out our children.

Impact

Teachers use purple progress books as an integral part of the teaching and learning process. Before every half term the children write in their purple progress books and celebrate progress with teachers. 

The purple progress books are used to...

• Track progression from Nursery up to Year 2 
• Identify areas for development
• Children to 'be proud' of their learning
• Highlight that what has been taught has been retained by the children

A little bit of background as to how writing works in Year 1 and Year 2 

• Writing is included in provision in Year 1 and Year 2
• Children have lots of opportunities to write in other subjects in Year 2 such as RE, Topic, etc
• Children write 4 times a week in both Year 1 and Year 2
• The children in KS1 have a 2 week build up to their writing pieces
• The children enjoy lots of exciting experiences to aid their writing 
• The teachers in Year 1 and Year 2 teach handwriting separately from writing lessons 
• Before every half term children write in their purple progress books. We all celebrate all that they have achieved throughout the term.

The children learn spellings week by week. These spellings are linked to our RWI programme and National Curriculum. The children learn to read and write their spellings. Want to help at home? Find your year and take a look!