Writing 

At Ditton C of E Junior School we believe that all children should be given the opportunity to confidently communicate their knowledge, express their ideas and understanding through their writing. As a team we want children to widen their vocabulary, and develop a solid understanding of grammar and be able to spell new words by effectively applying the spelling patterns and rules they learn throughout their time with us. We want to encourage them to write fluently, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences. We believe that all children should strive to take pride in the presentation of their writing, developing a clear, joined, handwriting style by the time they move to secondary school. We know that all good writers refine and edit their writing over time, so we want children to develop independence in being able to identify their own areas for improvement in all pieces of writing, editing their work effectively during and after the writing process.

We as the teachers at Ditton C of E Junior School will achieve this by selecting a wide range of quality texts, including poetry, novels, plays and non-fiction. This may be linked to topics studied in class to enrich and enhance understanding and enjoyment. Teachers plan their writing activities with care, including specific skills sessions alongside spelling and creative writing tasks. Every aspect of the writing process, from planning, through writing, to editing, is modelled by the adults in the classroom to enable every learner to develop their skills in this area.

Grammar is taught both discretely and incidentally as a part of every writing session, developing the children’s understanding of terminology, correct use and the impact on a piece of writing, as well as being able to apply this in their writing. Teachers do not put any limitations on what children can achieve in writing and expect every child to be able to make progress, no matter what their starting point is.

You as parents and carers are hugely important in supporting your children to develop both their grammar, spelling and composition skills and encourage this through a home-school partnership to help parents and carers to understand how to enhance the skills being taught in school.