THE GRANGE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Giving Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day
Headteacher: Francesca Mawson

Writing

Writing Policy

Capital Letters Formation

Writing at The Grange Primary School

At The Grange, we believe that confident, purposeful writing begins with strong foundations. Our approach to writing is carefully sequenced, inclusive and rooted in evidence-based practice, ensuring every child develops the skills they need to express themselves clearly and creatively.

Strong Foundations from the Start

In Early Years and Key Stage 1, we prioritise the physical and linguistic foundations of writing. Pre-writing skills are developed through a strong focus on gross and fine motor development, embedded not only within EYFS but through provision and planning that thoughtfully transitions with children into Key Stage 1. Motor skills are further strengthened through continuous provision and active playtimes, with specifically tailored activities, ensuring children are physically ready to write.

We follow Little Wandle for early reading and phonics, alongside Nelson Handwriting, which provides a clear, consistent approach to letter formation and handwriting. Handwriting is taught explicitly throughout EYFS and Key Stage 1 and is continued into Key Stage 2 to support fluency, presentation and stamina. Handwriting is championed across the school by a nominated member of staff trained in occupational therapy and physical development, ensuring a consistent, inclusive and well-informed approach for all pupils.

Spelling: Building from Secure Foundations

The foundations of spelling are taught through the Little Wandle phonics programme, ensuring children develop a secure understanding of the relationship between sounds and spellings from the earliest stages. As children progress, spelling instruction is built upon through Spelling Shed, which has been carefully adapted to ensure clear progression from Little Wandle. This approach supports pupils to apply phonics knowledge, develop spelling patterns and rules, and become confident, accurate spellers as they move through the school.

Vocabulary, Language and Early Composition

Vocabulary development and oral language sit at the heart of our writing curriculum. In EYFS and early Year 1, children develop ideas, language and sentence structures through The Drawing Club approach, supporting imagination, storytelling and purposeful talk as the foundations of writing. This approach ensures children have something meaningful to say before putting pencil to paper.

Sentence Mastery and Developing Writers

In Key Stage 1, we place a strong emphasis on basic grammar, sentence structure and transcription skills so that writing becomes increasingly fluent and automatic. Children are supported to master the building blocks of writing before moving on to longer pieces.

In Key Stage 2, the focus broadens to composition. Pupils develop stamina, organisation and authorial voice through a tailored approach to The Write Stuff, adapted to meet the needs and context of The Grange Primary. Across the school, children access writing at the stage of development appropriate to them, with targeted and timely support to ensure all pupils make progress.

Writing Inspired by Reading

Writing across the school is inspired by high-quality texts. From Drawing Club in EYFS and early Year 1, to a foundations-first approach in Years 1 and 2, and rich, purposeful writing in Key Stage 2, children learn to write through exposure to engaging literature that models ambitious vocabulary, sentence structures and effective composition.

Writing Beyond the English Lesson

We promote writing across the curriculum where it enhances learning and deepens understanding. Writing is celebrated widely through events such as World Book Day, participation in local arts initiatives such as No Limits, and by entering writing competitions. Children also benefit from visits by authors from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, providing positive role models and showing that writing is a real and achievable career aspiration. These experiences encourage pupils to aim high and see themselves as authors.

Inclusive, Celebratory and Community-Focused

We value the diversity of our school community and actively encourage children to write in their home languages. This writing is celebrated and displayed across the school, reflecting our belief that every language and every voice matters.

At The Grange, writing is not just a subject – it is a tool for thinking, creativity and connection, nurtured carefully from the earliest stages through to confident, independent authorship.

How Parents Can Support

  • Read and discuss a range of fiction and non-fiction texts with your child at home to expose them to different sentence structures, text layouts and vocabulary.  Please see https://www.booksfortopics.com/ and https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/reading-spine for further guidance on appropriate key texts.
  • Use the free library service to access a range of resources to support your child with writing.
  • Support your child in practising their set spellings for homework. Use letter sounds rather than letter names with their children at home. This will avoid confusion for the children and will reinforce the learning being done at school.
  • Offer your child the opportunity to write for pleasure with different writing tools for a range of purposes (e.g. write own party invitations, write a bedtime story).