Writing

The Intent of Writing at Kirkburton CE First School

At Kirkburton First School, our intent is to develop confident, creative, and effective writers through a rich, engaging, and carefully planned writing curriculum. We aim to ensure that all pupils leave our school with the ability to express themselves clearly and imaginatively, alongside having a secure understanding of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Our writing curriculum is broad and ambitious, designed around a wide variety of high-quality and engaging texts. These carefully selected books provide a meaningful context for writing, expose pupils to a range of genres and authors and inspire children to write with purpose and enjoyment. Through these texts, we aim to develop a love of language and creativity, whilst also building the technical skills needed to write with accuracy and confidence.

We aim to create sequences of learning that allows our children to see themselves as confident writers, and a develop an understanding that writing is a powerful tool for expression, creativity, and communication. Across the school, children are given regular opportunities to draft, edit, and publish their work, developing their resilience and pride in the writing process. At Kirkburton, our main goal is to ensure that every child becomes a capable, independent writer and feels empowered to use writing as a lifelong skill.

The national curriculum for writing aims to ensure that all pupils:

Key Stage 1 Objectives

Transcription- Spelling

Spell words containing each of the 40+ phonemes already taught.
Spell common exception words.
Spell the days of the week.
Name the letters of the alphabet in order.
Use letter names to distinguish between alternative spellings of the same sound.
Add prefixes and suffixes using the spelling rule for adding -s or -es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs.
Use the prefix un– and suffixes –ing, –ed, –er and –est where no change is needed in the spelling of root words.
Apply simple spelling rules and guidance, as listed in English Appendix 1.
Write from memory simple sentences dictated by the teacher that include words using the GPCs and common exception words taught so far.

Handwriting

Sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly.
Begin to form lower-case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place.
Form capital letters.
Form digits 0-9.
Understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ and practice these.

Composition

Write sentences by saying out loud what they are going to write about.
Compose a sentence orally before writing it.
Sequence sentences to form short narratives.
Re-read what they have written to check it makes sense.
Discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils.
Read aloud their writing clearly enough to be heard by their peers and the teacher.

Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation

Leave spaces between words.
Join words and join clauses using 'and'.
Begin to punctuate sentences using a capital letter and a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark.
Use a capital letter for names of people, places, the days of the week, and the personal pronoun ‘I’.
Use grammatical terminology in discussing their writing (e.g. noun, verb, adjective).

Key Stage 2 Objectives

Transcription- Spelling

Use further prefixes and suffixes and understand how to add them.
Spell further homophones.
Spell words that are often misspelt.
Place the possessive apostrophe accurately in words with regular plurals and in words with irregular plurals.
Use the first two or three letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary.
Write from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far.

Handwriting

Use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters.
Increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting.
Ensure that downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant, and that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch.

Composition

Plan writing by discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write.
Plan writing by discussing and recording ideas.
Draft and write by composing and rehearsing sentences orally.
Organise paragraphs around a theme.
In narratives, create settings, characters and plot.
In non-narrative material, use simple organisational devices.
Evaluate and edit by assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing.
Propose changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency.
Proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors.
Read aloud their own writing using appropriate intonation and controlling the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear.

Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation

Develop understanding of the grammar and punctuation concepts set out in English Appendix 2.
Use expanded noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely.
Use fronted adverbials.
Use commas after fronted adverbials.
Use and punctuate direct speech.
Use a wide range of conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time, cause and place.
Use modal verbs or adverbs to indicate degrees of possibility.
Use relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that, or with an implied (i.e., omitted) relative pronoun.
Use passive and active voice appropriately.
Use the perfect form of verbs to mark relationships of time and causes.

The Implementation of English at Kirkburton CE First School

EYFS Writing and SPaG Long Term Plan Year 1 Writing and SPaG Long Term Plan Year 2 Writing and SPaG Long Term Plan Year 3 Writing and SPaG Long Term Plan Year 4 Writing and SPaG Long Term Plan Year 5 Writing and SPaG Long Term Plan

Implementation

At Kirkburton First School, writing is taught daily. Lessons begin with whole-class input, where skills are modelled and introduced, followed by structured group or independent tasks tailored to pupils’ needs. This consistent structure balances modelling, guided practice, and independent writing.

Our refreshed curriculum is built around high-quality, engaging texts chosen to inspire writing and align with wider class topics. These include a wide range of genres—fiction, non-fiction, poetry, playscripts, film, visual stories, traditional and contemporary tales.

Writing opportunities are also embedded across the curriculum, such as report writing in science or historical comparisons in topic work, giving pupils real purpose for writing.

Children’s work is celebrated throughout the school, with displays that reflect high expectations and the creativity of our young writers.

How are writing lessons planned and structured?

Our writing curriculum is planned around a four-phase model that underpins all units of work. This phased approach supports pupils’ development as confident, reflective, and skilled writers.

A Typical Writing Structure Includes:

Phase 1: Immersion- The first phase of each writing unit is immersion. High-quality, age-appropriate texts are selected and mapped out in our long-term plans for each year group. Immersion activities are designed to bring the text to life and deepen comprehension. These may include sensory, dramatic, or practical experiences that act as a ‘hook’ to build enthusiasm and emotional connection with the content. This approach focuses on vocabulary development, understanding, and creative thinking.

Phase 2: Sharing the WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like)- In the second phase, pupils are introduced to the intended writing outcome through a teacher-created WAGOLL. This exemplar models the high expectations and features of the final written piece. Teachers use colour-coding to make the grammar, vocabulary, and structural features of the writing explicit. Through careful discussion and analysis, pupils develop a clear understanding of what they are working towards and the techniques required to achieve it.

Phase 3: Skills Teaching- During the third phase, specific writing skills and techniques are explicitly taught and practised. These may include grammar, punctuation, stylistic devices, or structural elements, depending on the genre. These skills-based sessions may be standalone (e.g., teaching the use of fronted adverbials), or directly linked to the core text or the WAGOLL. Children are encouraged to rehearse and embed these skills through oral practice, sentence-level work, and scaffolded writing tasks that feed forward into the final piece.

Phase 4: Independent Writing- In the final phase, pupils are guided through the process of creating their own extended piece of writing. Using the WAGOLL as a reference point, and drawing on the skills developed throughout the unit, children write with increasing independence. Teachers continue to offer support through editing opportunities, modelling, and feedback. The expectation is that pupils apply the taught techniques to produce a coherent, purposeful, and well-structured piece of writing that reflects their growing confidence as writers.

This consistent approach to writing ensures that children at Kirkburton First School are given the tools, support, and inspiration they need to flourish as effective writers. Our planning ensures clear progression, rich learning experiences, and regular opportunities to practise, reflect, and improve.

The Impact of Writing at Kirkburton CE First School

Assessment

At Kirkburton, writing is assessed using criteria agreed across our pyramid of schools. These criteria define three key attainment levels:

Working Towards the Expected Standard
Working at the Expected Standard
Working at Greater Depth within the Expected Standard

These attainment levels are used to assess writing for each academic year.

KFS Writing Knowledge Assessment Grids Years R-6

Each of these stages has tailored statements that align with the three attainment levels, ensuring consistency and progression in assessment throughout each child’s writing journey.

The objectives from these criteria are embedded within planning to support a range of outcomes and enable balanced, reliable judgements of children’s attainment. Each year group maintains a writing file containing teacher judgements for each planned piece of writing within a unit. Incidental writing is also included to provide a fuller picture of each child’s writing ability. Writing attainment is teacher-assessed and recorded on SONAR each term, enabling us to track progress across the academic year and inform future planning.

Children are also assessed against their discrete Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar knowledge through termly Testbase assessments.

Pupil voice

A pupil voice sample is regularly undertaken across KS1 and KS2 by gathering children’s own feedback on their writing skills, progression and enjoyment. This helps teachers tailor support and track progress effectively in writing, and ensures our writing curriculum stays creative and engaging.

Book looks and Lesson Drop- ins

Book looks and lesson drops are conducted regularly to ensure the expectations in this document are met. Book looks review pupils’ writing for progress and consistency, while lesson drops provide insight into teaching practice, pupil engagement, and the overall quality of our writing provision.