Writing

Vision

At Cayley, our vision is to nurture confident, creative, and articulate writers who can communicate their thoughts, ideas, and emotions effectively. We aim to foster a genuine love of writing, inspiring children to see writing as a source of imagination, expression, and enjoyment. Our curriculum encourages risk-taking, celebrates individuality, and ensures that pupils develop the skills to write for a wide range of purposes and audiences.

Intent

The writing curriculum is designed to develop both skill and enthusiasm for writing. Pupils learn to:

• write clearly and coherently for different purposes and audiences
• develop creativity, imagination, and a personal voice in their writing
• apply grammar, punctuation, and spelling accurately
• plan, draft, edit, and publish their work effectively
• reflect on their writing and celebrate progress

Through writing, pupils build confidence, independence, and resilience, developing a lifelong love of expressing themselves through the written word.

Implementation

English lessons are taught daily, lasting approximately 45 minutes in Key Stage 1 and 60 minutes in Key Stage 2. Read, Write, Inc Spelling is taught for 15 minutes at least four times each week using workbooks and the online portal. Each half term, pupils complete at least two extended writing outcomes alongside shorter pieces as part of their learning sequence. All writing is recorded in English books, with drafts and final pieces kept to show progression. Pupils are encouraged to present work neatly and take pride in their writing.

Planning follows the English long-term plan for writing to ensure a coherent, progressive, and engaging curriculum. Units are based on THEP resources where possible; where no unit plan exists, teachers complete planning using the English medium-term plan proforma. Units follow a clear sequence: textual analysis, vocabulary development, sentence building, planning, writing, editing, and publishing. Each unit includes a cover page with learning objectives, learning slides, success criteria, key questions, differentiated activities, and assessment opportunities.

Writing lessons typically follow this structure: introduction of learning objective and key vocabulary, grammar starter, revisit of prior learning, think-together-talk-partner discussions, shared reading, shared writing, independent writing, and review and reflection. Opportunities are provided for pupils to share work, celebrate good examples, peer- or self-assess, and identify next steps.

Adaptations ensure inclusivity for all learners, including pre-teaching vocabulary, sentence stems, word banks, writing frames, visual aids, and model texts of varying complexity to inspire and support pupils.

Impact

Pupils develop strong writing skills, creativity, and the confidence to express themselves across genres and purposes. They learn to plan, draft, edit, and publish work independently and collaboratively, while building a genuine love for writing.

Progress is assessed through:

• continuous formative assessment during lessons via observation, questioning, and conferencing
• termly summative assessment using THEP writing assessment grids and moderation materials

Feedback is provided to guide improvement, celebrate achievements, and support pupils before publishing final pieces, in line with the school’s feedback and marking policy.

Monitoring includes termly learning walks, book looks, pupil voice, teacher discussions, planning reviews, and moderation to ensure high-quality teaching, consistent provision, and that every pupil is supported to develop both skills and a lifelong love of writing.