Writing 

We know that children do not simply ‘become’ writers - fluent and accurate, writing for purpose and pleasure is the result of careful and consistent teaching and frequent practice.

At Little Mead, each element of writing (transcription and composition) is explicitly taught, using our agreed approach to teaching and learning, so that they can become proficient in the skills they will need to independently apply. 

Handwriting

Handwriting is taught discretely using the LetterJoin approach and is applied in writing sessions

EYFS & Year 1

In EYFS and Year 1, we follow the Unlocking Letters and Sounds phonics scheme to support our children in applying their phonics skills and knowledge to their writing, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and spelling are taught within our writing lessons and complemented by our Rising Stars scheme.

EYFS - Reception

Reception follows a simplified approach to the three phases of writing:

Phase 1: Text immersion

Phase 2: Author’s style and voice

Phase 3: Writing their own

Children are taught to write words, captions and sentences using phonics. A high-quality text is covered over two weeks and children produce writing based on this. In their continuous provision, children are provided with prompts for independent writing. Daily fine motor activities, and areas of provision enable children to develop their writing skills too.

Year 1 to Year 6

From year 1-6, composition is taught through well-planned units of work which are broken down into three phases:

Phase 1: Text immersion

Phase 2: Author’s style and voice

Phase 3: Writing their own

Each term every class study one high-quality picture book. These texts are supplemented with other high-quality books shared during reading lessons and story time

Children will produce a narrative and non-fiction outcome, following the three phased approach for each piece. 

Text selection: All books have been selected to provide children with a rich, diverse literary diet throughout their time at Little Mead. The books have been carefully selected to provide the children access to a range of authors and a rich range of characters and settings, to reflect the diverse world we live in. Each year group has at least one book which explores themes of migration and refugees. This theme ensures that children from years 1-6 can make links between texts and build upon their previous knowledge and understanding.