Our children are taught all aspects of Writing in class groups. As with all grouping at The Python Hill Academy children can move between groups. Any child who has achieved year group expectations in class is then given the opportunity to work on these objectives in greater depth.
National curriculum objectives are taught throughout the year and are in the teacher’s planning to ensure coverage. Content is determined by the National Curriculum, and by our gap analysis, based on half termly summative assessments. Individual curriculum targets can be found in the front of every child’s topic book, and these are monitored by the children and teacher. Targets are signed off when there is sufficient evidence. Evidence is gathered via observation, marking and feedback and assessment data.
Our children benefit from a structured writing process, which includes 3 phrases:
Handwriting is taught in whole class groups throughout the academy. Children are given the opportunity to apply their skills independently throughout all lessons.
There are very high expectations from all teaching staff that handwriting and presentation is consistently high in all books across the curriculum. Children who find handwriting a challenge are provided with targeted support in the classroom.
Writing skills are used in other areas of the curriculum at The Python Hill Academy. Applying in this way encourages learning at greater depth. For example, during science and history topics, children may be asked to write a report on a science experiment they have done, or a paragraph on the clothes that the Egyptians wore. In D.T. children may write a set of instructions as to how they made their pop-up Christmas card. Cross-curricular writing is displayed across school and opportunities are identified in Year group Curriculum Plans.
The Forge Trust provide the children with Key Word Lists for the children to learn. The lists are a mixture of words pupils frequently use in their writing and those which they often misspell.
Teacher’s plan spelling in a weekly format that includes a spelling test in addition to a day where dictation is included to check the progress of a child’s learning with certain key words.
Each term the children complete a spelling test that gives the teacher an idea of the child’s spelling age. This is repeated throughout the year to ensure progress for each child.
On a daily basis, children are encouraged to use dictionaries in class to support their spelling in independent work. If a child misspells a word that the teacher considers they should be able to spell, then they are asked to correct it.
Our aims in all of the writing we teach in school are to: acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language, and to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting language and style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.
We teach by firstly immersing the children in the text type and all its features and following this, we model the whole thought process from gathering ideas to forming, editing and improving sentences/paragraphs or writing.
Differentiation can be seen in all writing sessions through the use of a process led success criteria as invented by Shirley Clarke. These are differentiated further for the group that a child is working in.
Flexible interventions aim to ensure progress for any children who have not understood an element of writing being taught that day/ week. The aim is to ensure at least good progress is made. After school booster sessions are provided for year six children, to prepare them for their Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation SATs tests in May.
Writing at The West Park Academy is constantly evolving, as we face the challenges of new assessment procedures and the new curriculum.
Our academy monitoring schedule is designed to ensure standards are maintained across academies. Formal and informal monitoring (lesson visits/TMVs) incorporate book and planning scrutinises, pupil voice and quality assurance visits.
English subject leaders from all academies meet half-termly to share good practise, develop new initiatives and shape future developments across The Trust. Books are standardised across academies. Children’s achievements against national curriculum objectives are tracked across all academies on, Age Related Expectation Grids.
The methods and strategies used to teach Writing are having a positive impact on learning. At the end of the summer term 2019, 80% of our Year 6 children met the expected standard, which was above the national average figure (78%).
Writing at The Forest View Academy is constantly evolving, as we face the challenges of new assessment procedures and the new curriculum.
The expectation is that marking and feedback moves learning on. This will provide next steps for the children, or provide consolidation/questioning asking them to address misconceptions based on the day’s work.
The Python Hill Academy
Kirklington Road
Rainworth
NG21 0JZ
Telephone: 01623 464 164
Email: office@pythonhill.co.uk
