Our Curriculum

Writing

At Sulivan, writing is a crucial part of our curriculum with very strong links to our reading curriculum. It is our expectation that every child will leave our school with the skills of a proficient writer who is able to express their thoughts and ideas confidently and creatively thorough the use of the written word. Throughout their time at Sulivan, children develop their skills by exploring a range of different genres, with a focus on exploring various models of excellence and using these to guide the drafting and editing process. 

We want every child to leave us with the skills of an excellent writer who: 

  • has the ability to write with fluency and has an author’s voice 
  • can write for a particular purpose and intended audience 
  • can think about the impact they want their writing to have on the reader and knows how they will achieve this 
  • has a bank of vocabulary and a knowledge of writing techniques to extend details or description 
  • can structure and organise their writing to suit the genre and include a variety of sentence structures 
  • displays excellent transcription skills which ensure their writing is well presented, neat, punctuated and spelled correctly 
  • re-reads, edits and improves their writing so every piece they produce the best they can do and better than the last. 

How we teach writing

At Sulivan Primary School we follow the United Learning Writing Curriculum for each year group, which is purposefully sequenced so that knowledge and skills for writing are built upon term by term and year by year. We ensure that knowledge, skills and concepts are secure before moving on and that pupils have regular opportunities to revisit prior learning to apply their understanding in new contexts. Writing lessons are delivered daily in each year group including the EYFS who also access Literacy on a daily basis.  

In Years 1-6, the structure of our writing units is as follows:  

  1. Immersion: We begin each unit delving into the core text: enabling our pupils to become fully engaged with what we are writing. At this stage, pupils will explore vocabulary, structures and conventions of the core text and the intended outcome for the genre in which the children will be expected to write in. To ensure children have an awareness of the purpose and audience for their written outcome, it is planned and shared at this point in the journey.
  2. Adding detail: During this stage of our writing journey, pupils will develop their word and sentence-level skills. At this point, teachers will explicitly revise and teach core skills and GPS appropriate to that year group and the intended outcome. The purpose of this phase is to generate ideas, practise writing and linking sentences. This phase will integrate multiple GPS skills where teachers will authentically model manipulating techniques to ensure the writing is having the desired impact on the audience.
  3. Planning: Pupils will be taught to discuss and plan for writing using a range of structures dependent on the genre. This will enable them to understand and select appropriate vocabulary, grammar skills and content in preparation for extended, purposeful writing. Pupils are taught to record using age-appropriate methods, including visuals and note form. 
  4. Drafting & Revising: At this point in the journey, pupils review the learning from the unit so far, creating a shared success criteria. Pupils then draft and revise their written outcome, supported by their plans, the success criteria, and any words, phrases and ideas collated on the working wall over the course of the unit. As pupils write, teachers provide feedback and personalised support through 1:1, group and whole class feedback, as appropriate to the needs of the class. Pupils will be reminded to regularly pause to proof-read for misspelt words, omissions and punctuation errors. They will also consider the impact and atmosphere they have created for the reader, revising their choices as they write.
  5. Proof-reading, Evaluating & Editing: Upon completion of their first draft, teachers model the skills of proof-reading for errors in spelling and punctuation, focusing on the accurate use of intended GPS skills for the unit delivered. The whole class will evaluate and edit their writing, highlighting examples within the text of where they, as a writer, have met each element of the shared success criteria and suggesting any improvements or changes to grammar and vocabulary. Pupils share their own completed stories with a collaborative partner, proof-reading for errors and evaluating and editing the writing.
  6. Publishing, Presenting & Performing: To finish, pupils create a final and polished published piece to share with their intended audience. Additionally, pupils will seek feedback from their intended audience to feedforward into their next piece of writing. 

Please look at our EYFS page for information on how we teach prewriting skills in the early years.