Halsnead Writes

 

Halsnead Writes

Using the ‘Pathways to Write’ scheme as a structured basis, our aim is to unlock the complexities of this core element of the curriculum and equip our pupils with lifelong skills, so that they may become masters of writing. From Reception, our children are exposed to high-quality focus texts – fiction and non-fiction, film, and poetry as central stimuli for their writing. We encourage our children to write as readers and develop their appreciation of audience and purpose right from the start of their journey as writers.

Units of work are divided into three stages ‘The Gateway’ – otherwise known as ‘the hook’ – igniting children’s awe and wonder of the new unit of work. We then move to ‘The Pathway’, where we teach and repeat key skills. These key skills are practised and applied in a range of contexts through daily writing opportunities. Finally, ‘The Writeaway’. This concluding part of the unit is when children complete their final written outcome showcasing the skills they have developed through the unit. 

Mastery keys denote the year group objectives. Mastery keys are planned for each unit and our progression document illustrates the building blocks in the teaching of writing skills across the school. The teaching of grammar, punctuation and vocabulary is woven into each sequence of work and is enhanced, when appropriate, by pre- / post-teaching and rapid response sessions to ensure successful outcomes.

 

Handwriting

At Halsnead 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 and Lesson Planners 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.

Spelling

In Key Stage 2, we proudly follow the 'Pathways to Spell' programme. The programme is designed to deliver the statutory content of the Primary National Curriculum for spelling. Through weekly teaching of spelling objectives and development of a whole school approach to word transcription, vocabulary development and proofreading, the programme aims to:

• Ensure that pupils become confident and competent spellers

• Enthuse and fascinate pupils about words and language

• Develop pupils spoken language skills

• Promote collaborative learning in the classroom

• Develop an engaging spelling environment across school

• Effectively reduce teacher workload with a highly detailed, progressive and engaging planning for the delivery of spelling teaching