Intent
At Ladysmith Junior School, we believe that a high-quality writing education equips pupils with the knowledge and skills to communicate effectively, think critically and express themselves with clarity, confidence and creativity. Writing is both a fundamental life skill and a powerful tool for learning across the curriculum.
Building on the foundations established in the Infant School, our curriculum reflects the expectations of the DfE Writing Framework. We prioritise the continued development of secure transcriptional skills alongside increasingly sophisticated compositional skills, enabling pupils to write with fluency, accuracy and purpose.
Through our curriculum we:
Inspire children to see themselves as writers, nurturing confidence, creativity and pride in their written work.
Teach writing through a clearly structured and progressive approach rooted in high-quality literature, ensuring pupils are exposed to rich vocabulary and strong models.
Secure the foundational skills of writing, including spelling, handwriting and sentence construction, recognising that automaticity in these areas is essential for successful composition.
Develop pupils’ understanding of vocabulary, grammar and text structures, enabling them to make deliberate authorial choices for different purposes and audiences.
Provide opportunities for pupils to write across a wide range of contexts, applying their knowledge with increasing independence.
Enable all pupils to move from supported to independent writing through carefully sequenced teaching and practice, developing their identity as writers.
What do writing lessons look like at Ladysmith Juniors?
Our school’s approach to writing follows a carefully structured three-part sequence that is always rooted in high-quality literature, ensuring that pupils develop as confident, purposeful writers. We use the Book Writes approach to support this process, as it places rich texts at the centre of teaching and provides a clear progression from dependence to independence. The three part stages are:
The beginning of the sequence focuses on immersion. Pupils share and explore a high-quality model text through reading and responding, engaging in book talk to develop understanding and enjoyment, and writer talk to consider the author’s choices. Vocabulary and grammar are taught explicitly in context, allowing pupils to see how language works within real writing. Children’s emerging writerly knowledge is captured and built upon, with close attention paid to text structure and organisation.
The second stage, Practising Writing, supports pupils in applying what they have learned. Teachers model the use of key elements from the text, and pupils practise writing whole texts or specific sections, gradually gaining confidence while still being guided.
The final stage, Independent Writing, allows pupils to write with greater autonomy. Drawing on their learning across the sequence to produce a purposeful piece of writing for an audience, demonstrating independence and creativity.
Throughout the sequence, teachers carefully consider how the model text works, pupils’ starting points, and the intended outcomes. Assessment for Learning is used continuously to adapt teaching and ensure all pupils are supported to make strong progress as writers.
Each lesson follows a consistent structure, including retrieval practice, explicit teaching, guided and independent application, and opportunities to proofread, edit and respond to feedback.
Oracy remains central to this process. Pupils regularly rehearse ideas orally, discuss vocabulary and sentence structures, and refine their thinking before writing, ensuring strong links between spoken and written language.
Foundational Skills
Securing the foundational elements of writing is central to our curriculum. We recognise that when transcriptional skills become automatic, pupils are able to focus more fully on composition, meaning and creativity.
Spelling is taught explicitly through a structured programme, enabling pupils to apply patterns and rules independently.
Handwriting is taught consistently through direct instruction and practice, ensuring fluency, legibility and pride in presentation.
Grammar and sentence construction are taught explicitly and in context, enabling pupils to craft increasingly complex and effective sentences.
These skills are carefully revisited and embedded throughout the curriculum, ensuring pupils develop the automaticity required to write with clarity and confidence.
How do we make sure that every child succeeds?
Our writing curriculum is designed to be inclusive, ambitious and accessible for all learners.
Lessons are adapted with clear scaffolds to support all pupils, particularly those working below age-related expectations.
Teachers use ongoing assessment for learning to identify pupils’ starting points, address misconceptions and adapt teaching throughout each sequence.
Feedback is prioritised to support pupils’ progress, and all children are given opportunities to reflect on and improve their work.
Pupils work towards personalised targets, allowing them to focus on small, achievable steps in their development as writers.
Through this carefully structured approach, we ensure that all pupils build on their early writing experiences, develop secure foundational skills and leave Ladysmith Junior School as confident, capable and independent writers, ready for the next stage of their education.