At Straits Primary School, we intend for all of our children develop a love of language and writing. Vocabulary is at the core of what we do in writing lessons; we strive to ensure our children can ‘talk it’ before they ‘write it’ and develop a wide repertoire of words which they can apply to different contexts to add detail and description to their work. We inspire our children to write through the use of high-quality literature and a range of stimuli and ‘hooks’.

Careful links are made across curriculum areas to allow our children to write for a purpose/audience, explore a wide range of genres, see themselves as ‘real writers’ and be able to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and creatively. We also intend to create writers who can re-read, edit and improve their own writing; this is supported through our use of adult and peer feedback during the writing process. Handwriting and spelling are taught in a structured and consistent way throughout school to ensure our children have good quality transcription skills.

National curriculum in England

The overarching aim for English as outlined in the ‘National curriculum in England: English programmes of study’ (2014) is to promote high standards of language and literacy by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment. The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:

• read easily, fluently and with good understanding
• develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information
• acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
• appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
• write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
• use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and explain clearly their understanding and ideas
• are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.