English - Writing

Intent

At St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, we are committed to ensuring every child becomes a fluent, confident, and purposeful writer. Writing is not just a skill; it is a gateway to opportunity, enabling children to think critically, express themselves creatively, and communicate with clarity.

Our curriculum intent is informed by the latest research and national guidance:

• EEF Guidance: Writing develops most effectively when pupils are explicitly taught transcription and composition skills, have opportunities for practice, and apply them in purposeful contexts.

• Ofsted English Subject Review: Effective writing depends on secure foundations in transcription, sentence-level fluency, and extended composition. Sequencing practice ensures children can embed and apply skills.

• EYFS Statutory Framework (2025): Early writing success rests on secure foundations in oral language, handwriting, and spelling. By the end of Reception, children are expected to form recognisable letters, spell words by representing sounds with letters, and write simple phrases and sentences.

• DfE Writing Framework (2025): Highlights the importance of automatic transcription skills, managing cognitive load, teaching grammar in context, and ensuring pupils write for authentic purposes and audiences.

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will:

• Write fluently, adapting style and tone for a wide range of audiences and purposes.

• Apply spelling, grammar, and punctuation accurately and automatically.

• Demonstrate control and creativity in sentence construction and text organisation.

• Edit, proofread, and redraft their work independently.

• See themselves as writers who communicate ideas powerfully and purposefully.

Implementation

Our curriculum is delivered through three complementary strands: Transcription, Talk for Writing, and Fluency of Punctuation and Grammar.

EYFS and Reception

• Transcription: Children are explicitly taught to form recognisable letters correctly and to spell words by segmenting sounds and representing them with letters. Handwriting is taught systematically, supported by fine- and gross-motor activities.

• Talk for Writing: Pupils rehearse sentences orally before writing them, often through storytelling, role play, and drama. Meaningful mark-making and emergent writing are embedded across continuous provision.

• Fluency of Punctuation and Grammar: Early exposure to sentence structure and punctuation is woven into modelled writing and shared talk.

• Early Learning Goal for Writing: By the end of Reception, children write recognisable letters (most correctly formed), spell words using phonics, and write simple phrases and sentences that others can read.

Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2

Transcription

• Handwriting: Taught daily through our systematic approach, drawing from First Class Phonics and the Nelson Handwriting Scheme, developing consistency in letter formation, joins, spacing, and posture. Pupils progress from print to cursive as fluency grows.

• Spelling: We are moving towards a spelling approach rooted in morphology and orthographic patterns:

  • Morphology is the study of word parts — roots, prefixes, and suffixes — and how they combine to create meaning (e.g., play, played, playing).

  • Orthographic patterns describe the visual and structural rules governing how letters and letter combinations represent sounds in English (e.g., -tion in action or station).
    This approach enables pupils to recognise word relationships, apply consistent patterns, and make informed spelling choices.

• Automatisation: Fluent handwriting and accurate spelling free working memory for composition.

• Presentation: Pupils are taught to take pride in their writing and see it as a craft.

Talk for Writing

• Imitation: Pupils engage with high-quality texts, exploring vocabulary, grammar, and structure through oral rehearsal, shared reading, and drama.

• Innovation: Pupils adapt and reshape model texts, experimenting with authorial choices, style, and cohesion. Sentence instruction is developed from first looking at model sentences in the text map.

• Independent Application: Pupils plan, draft, edit, and publish writing, drawing on internalised structures and language.

• Purpose and Audience: Every unit has a meaningful writing outcome so pupils understand why they are writing and for whom.

Fluency of Punctuation and Grammar

• Progressive Grammar Curriculum: Objectives are sequenced from Year 1 to Year 6 to ensure depth and retention.

• Grammar in Context: Grammar is taught within Talk for Writing units, helping pupils understand how choices affect meaning and reader impact.

• Fluency Focus: Frequent practice and modelling enable automatic, accurate application in independent writing.

• Editing for Effect: Pupils revise sentences to improve clarity, cohesion, and impact.

Supporting Pupils Needing More Help

• Gaps are identified quickly through formative assessment.

• Additional support in handwriting, spelling, sentence construction, and grammar is provided through small-group or one-to-one interventions.

• Exemplification from the DfE Writing Framework (2025) and EYFS materials guides teacher judgements and ensures ambitious expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND.

Assessment and Moderation

• Ongoing formative assessment informs teaching.

• Moderation takes place internally, across the trust, and externally with the local authority.

• Diagnostic assessments supplement teacher assessment in Years 2–6.

• Writing Lead updates knowledge yearly as Local Authority moderator and informs school’s assessment practices.

Impact

The impact of our writing curriculum is evident in the following ways:

• Fluent Transcription: Pupils demonstrate automaticity in handwriting, spelling, and basic punctuation, enabling sustained, confident writing.

• Talk for Writing Success: Pupils internalise sentence structures and vocabulary through oral rehearsal, supporting high-quality independent composition.

• Grammar and Punctuation Fluency: Pupils apply grammar and punctuation accurately and creatively, improving clarity, cohesion, and effect in their writing.

• High-Quality Composition: Pupils plan, draft, edit, and publish writing across genres for authentic audiences and purposes.

• Progressive Development: Clear progression is evident across year groups in transcription, oral rehearsal, grammar, and composition.

• Reception Readiness: Children meet the Early Learning Goal for Writing, prepared for Key Stage 1.

• Confident Writers: Pupils see themselves as writers and take pride in their achievements.

• Preparation for Secondary School: Pupils leave St Paul’s equipped with technical skill, confidence, and creativity to communicate effectively in all areas of life.

For more detailed information about the curriculum in each year group, please visit our Curriculum at St. Paul's page.