Writing

It is our intent that writing across the curriculum will inspire, engage and challenge all pupils, enabling them to develop the skills to effectively communicate their thoughts, ideas and emotions to others.

We aim to build the pupils’ stamina for writing, vocabulary knowledge and understanding of grammar, by creating a positive approach to an increasingly wide range of text types (including areas of fiction, non-fiction and poetry).

We recognise the importance of fostering a culture where pupils take pride in their writing; write clearly and accurately; and modify their structure and language choices to suit a variety of audiences, purposes and contexts.

To support pupils in moving towards independent writing at the age-related standard, we provide a wide range of writing stimuli, including the use of film and imagery; modelled, shared and guided writing; peer conferencing; and group discussion.

These rich and varied sets of learning opportunities support pupils in becoming confident and enthusiastic learners across all areas of the curriculum.

At Salmestone Primary School, we want writing to equip our pupils with the necessary tools to communicate effectively and to provide them with the skills to become lifelong creative writers

Spoken Language

In our curriculum, we promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word. We ensure that all pupils acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language.

Children need to use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas.

We aim for our children to be competent in the art of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

Spelling

Spelling is taught throughout the school. Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 complete this as part of their daily phonics sessions and years 2 to year 6 follow the Emile Spelling scheme. The programme is easy to use, flexible and comprehensive, providing sufficient guidance to implement an effective spelling teaching programme.

The programme of study consists of termly overviews, breaking down the requirements of the National Curriculum into strands with individual lesson plans and resources. Children also have the opportunity to learn their spellings at home on the Emile App, providing a fun and interactive resource for learning their spellings.

Handwriting 

At Salmestone Primary School we are very proud of our pupil’s handwriting and take particular care in our handwriting style.
We use Letter-join’s on-line handwriting resource as the basis of our handwriting policy as it covers all the requirements of the National Curriculum.  Handwriting is a basic skill that influences the quality of work throughout the curriculum.

By the end of Key Stage 2 all pupils should have the ability to produce fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy joined-up handwriting, and to understand the different forms of handwriting used for different purposes. 

Our intention is to make handwriting an automatic process that does not interfere with creative and mental thinking. Handwriting is a cross-curricular task and will be taken into consideration during all lessons. Formal teaching of handwriting will be carried out regularly and systematically to ensure Key Stage targets are met.