English Writing
Intent
At our school, we are committed to nurturing confident, fluent and motivated writers by building strong foundations in spoken language, transcription and composition from the earliest stages. Guided by the 2025 DfE Writing Framework, our curriculum prioritises high quality teaching of handwriting and spelling to secure automaticity, freeing pupils’ working memory so they can focus on crafting meaningful and well-structured writing. We place emphasis on oral rehearsal, structured talk and sentence-level instruction, recognising that speaking underpins effective writing development across the primary years. By focusing on quality over quantity, providing carefully sequenced model texts, and supporting pupils to review and refine their work, we aim to develop writers who can express themselves clearly, purposefully and creatively. Through early intervention, inclusive practice and a positive writing culture, we ensure every child—regardless of starting point—can progress towards becoming a skilled, enthusiastic and independent writer prepared for the demands beyond primary school.
Implementation
Our English curriculum is delivered through a consistent, research informed approach aligned with the 2025 DfE Writing Framework, ensuring that pupils develop strong foundations in transcription, composition, and spoken language. We prioritise early automaticity in spelling and handwriting, reflecting the framework’s emphasis on securing high quality transcription skills from the start to free up cognitive capacity for effective composition. To support this, we use Spelling Shed to deliver structured, systematic spelling instruction and follow a school-crafted handwriting progression map, both taught through a consistent lesson sequence across year groups to strengthen routines and ensure continuity. This aligns with the framework’s guidance on developing fluent, accurate transcription through explicit and regular practice.
For writing, we use Literacy Shed Plus, providing rich, carefully chosen model texts and opportunities for oral rehearsal, scaffolded sentence construction, and structured composition—an approach that reflects the framework’s recommendation to teach grammar and sentences in context and prioritise talk before writing. We embed regular opportunities for planning, revising, and editing, mirroring the framework’s guidance on improving writing quality through deliberate reworking rather than focusing on volume. Through this cohesive and consistent implementation, we ensure every child develops the fluency, confidence, and creativity needed to thrive as a writer and reader.
Impact
As a result of our carefully sequenced and research informed English curriculum, pupils develop the fluency, confidence and independence needed to meet the expectations of the national curriculum and transition successfully into Key Stage 3. The 2025 DfE Writing Framework emphasises that by the end of Year 6, pupils’ writing should be sufficiently fluent and effortless to manage the wider demands of the curriculum, and this underpins our approach. Because we prioritise secure transcription skills, oral language development and high quality composition from EYFS onwards, pupils are able to communicate their ideas clearly, apply accurate spelling and handwriting automatically, and produce well-structured writing for a range of purposes and audiences. Through consistent exposure to rich texts, explicit instruction and opportunities to revise and refine their work, pupils grow into motivated writers who understand the writing process and can craft thoughtful, coherent pieces with increasing independence. Our ongoing assessment approach ensures that gaps are identified early and support is targeted effectively, enabling all pupils—including those who need additional help—to make strong progress and achieve well. Ultimately, our English curriculum equips pupils with the literacy skills, resilience and enthusiasm needed to thrive academically and express themselves with confidence.