Writing

At Shirley Heath, we want children to become competent in transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing.) Writing is an essential skill in both further education and later life. It is primarily taught through Literacy lessons and the skills are also applied across the curriculum through extended writing opportunities. Writing is taught in half termly units, which vary in length and focus upon different genres and skills. Within the genre, the children are taught: spelling; handwriting; vocabulary; punctuation; grammar and sentence structure, through a modelled approach. Writing lessons are based on high quality texts and author models. Children are taught how to plan, revise and evaluate their writing. Lessons use a range of stimuli, such as I.C.T., art, drama, music and media to inspire the children. There is also a discrete grammar and spelling lesson once a week to focus on key skills and answering a range of question types. Assessment is continuous throughout the year and parents and pupils are regularly kept informed of the children’s targets.