Ash Hill Primary School

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Writing Curriculum

Handwriting at Ash Hill Primary School

Intent

At Ash Hill, we recognise that the ability to write legibly and fluently is vital for academic achievement and lifelong learning. We strive to equip all pupils with the skills to express their thoughts clearly through the written word. Using the Letter-Join handwriting programme, we encourage children to take pride in their handwriting and ensure that every child develops a strong foundation in letter formation, pencil grip, and handwriting posture.

We intend to:

  • Promote fluent and legible handwriting across the curriculum.
  • Cultivate gross and fine motor skills that contribute to overall physical development and coordination in every pupil, thereby enhancing their handwriting proficiency.
  • Encourage personal expression and creativity through writing, facilitating students to develop their individual style.
  • Provide differentiated support to meet the varying needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), enabling all children to develop their handwriting.

Implementation

The implementation of our handwriting programme includes:

  • Structured Lessons: Handwriting is taught explicitly and systematically through a series of progressive, age-appropriate lessons that align with the National Curriculum requirements. Lessons are designed to be engaging, combining focused practice with interactive activities.
  • Progression: basic letter formation, including upper and lower case, is introduced in Early Years with printed letter fonts as below. A joined, cursive style is developed through formal teaching instruction from Year 1 to 5 to meet the National Curriculum expectations.
  • Resources: Letter-Join provides an array of printed and digital resources, including animations, worksheets, and interactive games, that make handwriting practice enjoyable for pupils. Teachers use these resources to motivate students and respond to the needs of all learners.


  • Teacher Training: All staff receive training in the use of Letter-Join and effective handwriting teaching. This equips them with the knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality handwriting instruction consistently across the school.
  • Children have opportunities to celebrate their handwriting in assemblies, publishing books and boards around the school.
  • Regular Assessment: Pupils' handwriting is regularly assessed. We have high expectations at Ash Hill and believe all children can develop and maintain fluent, legible handwriting with practice. Feedback is provided to support individual progress and target interventions where necessary. Parents are kept informed of this and guided in supporting their children’s handwriting.
  • Children at Ash Hill take pride in their handwriting and are able to fulfil their potential at school and communicate effectively in their future lives.

 

Writing at Ash Hill Primary School

Intent

“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” Martin Luther King

The intent of our Talk for Writing programme is to develop competent, confident, and creative young writers who are equipped with the skills necessary to express their thoughts and ideas effectively. We want to give children at Ash Hill the tools to make sense of their world - both real and imaginary – and encourage them to write for pleasure as well as for purpose.

Our aim is to ensure that children enjoy writing and relish the creative process and find it enriching and fulfilling. They read widely, and are read to passionately, so as to recognise and value good writing and understand what makes it good.

Implementation

Through our Talk for Writing programme, children are immersed in a variety of high-quality written texts and develop a keen sense of the key features of different genres. By learning these model texts off-by-heart through actions and story maps, they absorb the expert techniques and language to use and adapt in their own independent writing.

Through scaffolding and modelling, we encourage children to take ownership of their writing journey, enabling them to experiment with their narratives and develop a unique voice. Writing is founded on talk so we encourage discussion and peer feedback to develop collaborative skills.

Our curriculum covers a broad range of fiction and non-fiction writing styles and purposes which are taught in rotation. Children return to these text types building on prior learning and extending their range of techniques to suit the purpose as they progress through the school. We use engaging texts that reflect diverse voices and experiences. Quality books generate discussion and creativity, helping children to appreciate and mirror the craft of a diverse range of expert writers.

A target audience (e.g another year group, library showcase or local MP) and clear purpose provide motivation and focus for our writers. Children are encouraged to make informed choices about vocabulary, grammar and structure as well as harnessing the freedoms of selecting different narratives or prioritising certain information in non-fiction.

We take pride in our presentation and emphasis is placed on the editing process to correct and improve our writing based on peer and teacher feedback. Being able to reflect upon and respond to this is a vital skill for life. Following this, children publish their best work each term which forms a cherished record of their writing journey at Ash Hill.

Talk for Writing

The following are key elements of the Talk for Writing sequence which lead up to children becoming great writers:

Storytelling and story making

This involves the learning and repeating of oral stories, building children’s confidence to develop them through telling and then extending that development into writing; later creating ‘new’ stories orally as a preparation and rehearsal for writing. The sequence is imitation, innovation and independent application and is built on the idea that there is no

Model text

The teacher selects, adapts or writes a model text which provides an excellent model for memorising key sentence patterns. Specific vocabulary, grammatical devices and writing tools are taught explicitly through the text. The class ‘map’ the story in a text map consisting of pictures and symbols to represent the words and phrases. This is rehearsed and children internalise the text ready to use it in their own writing. Some writers are supported in learning a shortened or modified version of this text to reflect additional needs but without losing its ‘essence’.

Short burst writing

Short burst writing activities are planned to teach children key elements of the writing curriculum relevant to the text type and to build vocabulary around subject matter. These may be inspired by drama or group storytelling activities aimed at bringing the text to life including hot-seating and freeze-frame.

Reading as a reader and Reading as a writer

These sessions support children in understanding the effects of language and author choices on the reader. Children are also taught how to analyse texts to identify the underlying story structure and patterns so that this can inform their own writing.

Shared writing (Innovate stage)

Shared writing involves the teacher modelling and articulating how they would approach the writing process to the whole class as an expert writer. Children will contribute to this individually or with partners which creates a collaborate writing environment.

Independent Writing

The third phase of Talk for Writing gives children an opportunity for children to demonstrate their writing skills from the unit and allows teachers to assess their learning and progress. It is a chance for children to explore their learned techniques, choose how they will craft their writing and really develop their voice.

Regular training is provided for teachers and support staff in ongoing professional development on the Talk for Writing approach. This includes workshops, peer observations, and collaboration on planning and assessment to ensure consistent and high-quality delivery.

 

Impact

Writing is assessed throughout the Talk for Writing process with individual, peer and whole class feedback used to guide pupils’ in editing and improving their work.

A ‘Cold Write’ is carried out to establish where children’s understanding of the text type and skills are before any teaching. This is used to inform the short burst writing activities and modify the model text to address the needs of the children.

Following the teaching and writing sequence, an independent ‘Hot Write’ is set which is used to assess children’s learning and progress in applying the particular skills of the text type since the Cold Write. Teacher and peer feedback supports editing and ways to improve at the next opportunity. Across the wider curriculum, the Talk for Writing approach is used to support scientific, geographical and historical writing.

Teacher assessment is carried out on an ongoing basis with termly updates with a final assessment at the end of the year. Moderation sessions are held regularly both internally and externally with other schools to ensure that teacher assessments align with DfE guidelines.

Writers at Ash Hill thrive in a supportive and engaging environment, enjoying their writing and taking pride in their achievements. They leave the school with the skills and confidence to express their thoughts and ideas in writing.