Implementation of Writing at Repton Primary School

Writing is taught through carefully planned learning sequences, typically lasting between two and three weeks.

Each sequence begins with a high-quality stimulus designed to engage pupils and provide a meaningful context for writing.

Stimuli may include:

• Quality texts
• Picture books
• Film clips
• Educational visits
• Artefacts
• Historical sources
• Visitors
• Real-life experiences
• Current events

The writing process follows a clear sequence:

1. Stimulus and Immersion

Children engage with a high-quality stimulus which provides knowledge, inspiration and purpose.

2. Oracy and Discussion

Pupils discuss ideas, explore vocabulary, rehearse language and articulate their thinking before writing.

3. Reading as Writers

Children analyse high-quality model texts to understand how authors achieve specific effects for particular audiences and purposes.

4. Vocabulary and Language Development

Children are explicitly taught ambitious vocabulary, language structures and subject-specific terminology.

5. Shared and Guided Writing

Teachers model the writing process through shared and guided writing, making the thinking of expert writers visible.

6. Planning and Drafting

Pupils generate, organise and develop ideas before composing their own writing.

7. Revising and Editing

Children evaluate their work against its intended purpose and audience, making improvements to content, organisation and accuracy.

8. Publishing

Where possible, pupils publish and share their writing with an authentic audience.

This process is designed to ensure that children understand writing as a craft that develops over time through planning, reflection and improvement.

EYFS: Building the Foundations for Writing

We recognise that children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are at a different stage of development to pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Before children are expected to produce extended pieces of writing, they need time to develop the fundamental skills that underpin successful communication and composition.

In EYFS, our priority is to develop confident communicators, enthusiastic readers and emerging writers. Writing development begins long before children are asked to record ideas independently and is built upon a strong foundation of language, play, storytelling and early literacy experiences.

Children are immersed in high-quality texts, songs, rhymes and stories which help them develop vocabulary, imagination and an understanding of narrative structures. Through repeated storytelling, retelling and role play, children learn to sequence ideas, develop language patterns and begin to understand how stories and texts are constructed.

Oracy plays a central role within the EYFS curriculum. Children are provided with extensive opportunities to talk, explore ideas, ask questions, explain their thinking and participate in meaningful conversations with adults and their peers. These experiences support the development of language, vocabulary and sentence construction, which are essential precursors to successful writing.

Writing opportunities are embedded throughout continuous provision and play-based learning. Children are encouraged to engage in purposeful mark-making and early writing activities both indoors and outdoors. These opportunities allow them to apply developing skills in meaningful and motivating contexts, helping them to understand that writing has a purpose and can be used as a tool for communication.

Alongside this, children participate in daily phonics teaching through the Monster Phonics programme. Through systematic phonics instruction, they develop the knowledge and skills needed to decode, segment and spell words. Reading and writing develop alongside one another, with children's growing phonics knowledge increasingly supporting their ability to communicate ideas through writing.

As children become more secure in their phonics knowledge and letter formation, they begin to apply these skills within independent writing opportunities. Teachers carefully model the writing process, provide opportunities for shared and guided writing and support children to develop confidence in recording their ideas.

Whilst the principles of purpose, audience, vocabulary development and oral rehearsal remain important in EYFS, writing outcomes are appropriately matched to children's developmental stage. The emphasis is on developing strong foundations in communication, language, phonics, reading, handwriting and early composition so that children are well prepared for the more structured writing sequences they will encounter in Key Stage 1 and beyond.

By the end of EYFS, children have developed the confidence, knowledge and skills required to begin their journey as independent writers, providing a secure foundation for future success throughout the writing curriculum.