Writing

Intent

At St Barnabas Nursery and Primary, we believe that every child is a writer. We want our children to develop the confidence, knowledge and skill to communicate their ideas clearly, creatively and purposefully. Writing is taught as a powerful tool for self expression, for learning about the world and for building connections with others.

Our ambition is for pupils to leave St Barnabas as articulate, thoughtful and resilient writers who can adapt their writing for different audiences and purposes. We place a strong emphasis on fundamental skills, including spoken language, sentence construction, handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation, alongside rich vocabulary development and an understanding of how language choices shape meaning.

From the very earliest stages in Nursery, we nurture a love of language through talk, storytelling, mark making and early writing experiences. Our Nursery Strong Foundations approach ensures that children build the oral language, fine motor control and early sentence awareness needed to succeed as writers as they move into Reception and beyond.

Implementation

Writing is taught through a carefully structured and progressive curriculum that builds knowledge and skills over time. Children learn how writing works by:

• Exploring high quality texts that act as models for different forms of writing

• Being explicitly taught fundamental writing skills such as grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting within meaningful contexts

• Practising sentence construction before moving towards extended pieces of writing

• Planning, drafting, editing and improving their work with increasing independence

Lessons follow a clear teaching sequence which connects new learning to prior knowledge, explains and models new concepts, provides guided practice and then allows pupils to apply their learning independently. Teachers regularly revisit key concepts and fundamental skills so that learning is embedded securely in long term memory.

We recognise that strong writing grows from strong sentences. Where needed, we use targeted Strong Start style approaches to strengthen sentence construction, transcription skills and oral rehearsal. This ensures that all pupils, including those who find writing more challenging, receive the support they need to succeed.

In Nursery and Reception, writing is rooted in purposeful play, talk rich environments and adult modelling. Children are encouraged to communicate their ideas through drawings, marks, early letter formation and emerging sentences, building the foundations for confident writing in Key Stage 1.

Across the school, writing is linked meaningfully to learning in other subjects so that pupils write for real purposes and authentic audiences.

Impact

By the time pupils leave St Barnabas, they are confident writers who:

• Have secure fundamental writing skills that support accuracy and fluency

• Write clearly and coherently for a range of purposes and audiences

• Use grammar, punctuation and spelling with increasing accuracy

• Select vocabulary thoughtfully to create meaning and effect

• Plan, edit and improve their work independently

• Take pride in their writing and see themselves as capable authors

Our pupils develop a strong sense of belonging as writers whose voices matter. They leave us with the aspiration to use writing as a tool for learning, creativity and self expression throughout their education and beyond.