Writing
Success in any curriculum area depends upon good basic writing skills. It provides pupils with an important form of self-expression and creativity as well as making available to them the power of the written word. At Easterside Academy, our pupils participate in a wide variety of writing experiences. They draw from real life experiences, cross curricular enrichment opportunities and factual or creative pieces inspired by high quality books or events.
Punctuation and Grammar
The purpose of our ‘Place Value of Punctuation and Grammar’ units is to home in on the fundamentals of spelling, punctuation and grammar. These units complement our writing approach in school and emphasise the ‘place value’ of language. By mastering these essential building blocks in the first four weeks of each academic year, our children are well-prepared for applying their skills within a variety of writing experiences. We aim to improve writing outcomes through empowering the children to become confident writers who have a secure knowledge of spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Spelling
Once children have completed the Little Wandle programme they move on to our spelling programme Scode in Key Stage 2. Scode is a phonics based system which teaches the advanced code. Children study the etymology of words, providing them with the background knowledge, giving spelling meaning. Through continuous practice, daily recaps and embracing the scientific research on memory, we ensure that children develop the skills they need to be competent spellers.
Composition
We believe that children need to develop a secure knowledge base in writing, following a clear pathway of progression as they advance through the primary curriculum. Our writing curriculum has been carefully sequenced so that each child experiences a wide variety of genre and is systematically taught a range of sentence level skills. We engage children in the writing process through exciting stimuli and engaging writing units to draw out their skills and flair for writing. We recognise the importance of nurturing a culture where children take pride in their writing, can write clearly and accurately and adapt their language and style for a range of contexts. We want to inspire children to be confident writers who take pleasure in the writing process.
Handwriting
We are very proud of our pupil’s handwriting and take particular care in our cursive handwriting style. In addition to the handwriting focus within Little Wandle sessions we also use Letter-join’s on-line handwriting resource and progression as the basis of our handwriting policy as it covers all the requirements of the Early Years Framework and the National Curriculum and builds fluency and stamina for writing. The children can access Letter-join both in school and at home which reinforces letter and number formations taught at each phase and the phonics and the statutory spellings and grammar for all year groups.
Scode
Writing in Early Years