Intent -

At Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, writing is a crucial part of our curriculum. All children from Foundation Stage to Year 6 are provided with many opportunities to develop and apply their writing skills across the curriculum. 

Our intention is for pupils to be able to plan, revise and evaluate their writing. To be able to do this effectively, pupils will focus on developing effective transcription and effective composition. They will also develop an awareness of the audience, purpose and context, and an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. We also intend for pupils to leave school being able to use fluent, legible and speedy handwriting.

Implementation -

•              At, we use  a whole class text approach to teach reading and writing skills.  This is to ensure a consistent and systematic approach to teaching the skills of writing across all cohorts.  This also means that children know what to expect when they change classes. 

•              Early writing is taught through early mark making, then when the children begin RWI phonics they are taught the letter formations. This begins with writing (whether with a writing tool or in the air) cvc words, moving onto short sentences using the sounds they have been taught.  The children also learn to remember and write stories through their English lessons.  They are encouraged to write independently across the curriculum.

•              This process continues into Year 1, where children are encouraged to use the sounds they have been taught.   They have opportunities to develop spelling, handwriting and word building when they are writing in daily phonics lessons.

•              Writing from year 1 to year 6. Teachers plan a build up of skills through a whole class text approach which develops through exploration of the text and the genre, identification of key features of the genre, modelling of the text type, adapting the text type, innovating, feedback, editing and redrafting.

•              After the teaching of a unit, teachers assess the independent writing at the end of the unit and interventions on specific areas of weakness, happens during feedback in lessons.   

•              Teachers use the Target Tracker materials to assess writing.  It is expected that teachers will moderate across phase groups and across the Trust and local Authority in time for data drops during the year.

•              We are developing our use of the ‘Power of Reading’ during the academic year of 2020-2021 to embed the whole text approach.

•              Grammar and spelling are taught discreetly and this is embedded throughout English lessons and within the model text. 

•              Handwriting is taught discreetly through ….. and all handwriting within all lessons follow the expectations in handwriting lessons

•              Writing across the curriculum is taught by showing the children what a good one looks like, before then identifying the features in the specific text type that is needed e.g. an information text about their learning in history.  The children then use this knowledge as a scaffold to write about their learning, as they are familiar with the text type and style of writing needed for that genre.

Impact -

Reading, Writing and Maths Combined – EXS or better

Headlines

Key stage 1 results have seen a decrease in reading, writing and maths at EXS from last year, with the biggest drop in reading, impacting on the combined score dropping by 9%, however we are still above Thurrock and national averages. The GDS has improved in all areas, apart from writing.

Writing –

4% drop since 2018 for EXS and 4.1% points rise since 2018 for GDS

Key Stage 2

GPS

Reading, writing and maths (combined)

Progress Measures

Headlines

Achievement at GDS increased in all areas (reading 2.5%, writing 6% and maths 12%) resulting in a combined increase of 9% at GDS.

First language English pupils outperformed children with a first language other than English by 23% in combined at EXS.  Our white pupils outperformed our clack Caribbean pupils by 13% and our black African by 10% in combined EXS.

Writing -

7.5% points drop since 2018 for EXS and 5.8% points rise since 2018 for GDS

GPS –

12.2% points rise since 2018 for EXS and 7.5% points rise since 2018 for GDS

Reading writing and maths – combined –

18.3% points rise since 2018 for EXS and 3.9% points rise since 2018 for GDS

Subject Overview – End of Year Actual Data