Our approach to writing:
Create a school environment where reading is the breathing in, and writing is the breathing out.
‘Fluency in the English language is an essential foundation for success in all subjects. Through studying literature, pupils’ eyes are opened to the human experience; they explore meaning and ambiguity as well as the beauty and power of language. English also has a strong creative and expressive dimension.’ Ofsted 2022
The Holsworthy Writing Pathway
At Holsworthy Primary, we’re dedicated to helping every student develop strong writing skills, which are key to success in all areas of learning. To support our students, we follow the Holsworthy Writing Pathway. Our Pathway is based on The National Curriculum, Drawing Club and The Writing Revolution.
Our Approach to Writing in the Early Years: Drawing Club
In our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), we base our approach to writing on Drawing Club, an engaging and creative method that builds foundational skills through drawing and storytelling. Drawing Club encourages young children to express their ideas and develop early writing skills by first exploring their thoughts through pictures. As children draw, they learn to add details, think about characters, settings, and actions, and start using descriptive language. This fun and imaginative approach helps them build confidence in expressing ideas, laying the groundwork for early literacy and the transition to formal writing. Through Drawing Club, children feel inspired to tell stories, ask questions, and share their drawings, fostering a love for writing from the very start.
Our Approach to Writing from Year 1 to Year 6: The Writing Revolution
As children progress into Year 1 and through school until they leave us in Year 6, we base our Pathway on The Writing Revolution. This research-backed method focuses on teaching children the building blocks of writing, from crafting clear sentences to organising thoughts into coherent paragraphs and structured essays. We believe that learning to write is a process, and our approach helps students gain confidence at each step. By breaking down writing tasks into manageable parts, students can practice and improve gradually. They learn how to think critically, develop their vocabulary, and express ideas clearly, helping them succeed in every subject.
The Writing Revolution (TWR) is a structured, step-by-step approach to writing that starts with foundational skills and gradually builds towards more complex writing tasks. It emphasises the importance of clear and effective writing in every subject, not just English. By integrating writing across the curriculum, students learn to express their ideas confidently, whether they’re describing a science experiment, explaining a historical event, or sharing their thoughts in creative writing.
How It Works:
In each lesson, students focus on specific writing skills that build on each other, including:
- Sentence-Level Skills: Learning how to write complete sentences, expand sentences with details, and use linking words.
- Paragraph Writing: Organizing sentences into clear paragraphs, understanding topic sentences, and including supporting details.
- Planning and Revising: Developing skills to plan and structure ideas before writing, then reviewing and improving drafts.
Our approach to spelling and handwriting: Read Write Inc.
Through Read, Write Inc, our younger children learn the alphabetic code for spelling (encoding), as well as for reading (decoding). Fundamental transcription skills (handwriting and spelling) are a critical focus for the early years and key stage 1 to develop fluency in order to reduce the demand on the cognitive load and enable a greater focus on composition as they move through the school. Read Write Inc, handwriting and spelling sessions are discretely delivered, alongside high expectations of presentation and editing, to ensure children’s written work is of a high standard. In early years and KS1, children spend more time practising composition through oral activities before their transcription becomes fluent. Scaffolding such as spelling journals, word banks and phonic sound mats are provided at both whole class and individual level to ensure spelling is prioritised within each lesson.
Our Approach to Grammar
Across the school, the function and application of grammar is taught within the context of writing: Teaching pupils grammar as part of writing lessons, emphasises the connections between linguistic features and the effects they can produce. As a result, children develop a secure knowledge of English grammar for composition. This enables them to express themselves clearly and creatively through writing showing conscious control. For expertise to develop, pupils benefit from direct instruction and modelling, followed by extensive, deliberate practice until they are fluent. Colourful semantics is used as a tool to support the teaching of grammar for all children.
Our Approach to Vocabulary
Since we know, “Vocabulary is a strong indicator of student success.” (Baker, Simmons, & Kame’enui, 1997), across our school, practitioners actively develop vocabulary – building systematically on pupils’ current knowledge – to increase pupils’ store of words. Pupils’ acquisition and command of vocabulary are key to their learning and progress across the whole curriculum. Within all writing, children will be explicitly taught how the tier 1, 2 and 3 vocabulary fits with their current text. They will be encouraged to not only recognise the tiered vocabulary they are immersed in, but will be given the opportunity to expand their knowledge through the use of synonyms and antonyms. Children and practitioners take time to develop a broad and deep vocabulary, which then leads to better writing across all subjects. Practitioners make links between known and new vocabulary and discuss the shades of meaning in similar words. Children are exposed to word spelling, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, examples, non-examples and visual links. This helps to embed vocabulary into the children’s long-term memory and schemata. This will expand the vocabulary choices that are available to them when they write.