Writing Curriculum
In the early years, our tailored English curriculum uses Nick Hart’s Part Sentences strategy to build strong foundations in writing while supporting speaking and listening development. Teaching in Reception is centred around carefully chosen, high-quality vehicle texts that reinforce oral language structures and inspire early literacy.
From Year 2 onwards, our curriculum is underpinned by Literacy Counts: Read to Write, an evidence-based approach that empowers teachers to deliver high-quality writing instruction through rich, engaging literature. Each unit is built around a vocabulary-rich vehicle text and aligned with the National Curriculum, offering a wealth of incidental writing opportunities across subjects.
By the end of their primary journey, we aim for all children to:
- Develop a genuine love of writing and the confidence to express ideas clearly and creatively.
- Write with accuracy, using essential grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills.
- Re-read, edit, and improve their work independently.
- Take pride in presentation, demonstrating fluent, consistent cursive handwriting.
- Flourish as imaginative, articulate writers who can adapt their style for different purposes and audiences.
Through using high-quality vehicle texts, immersion in vocabulary rich learning environments and ensuring new curriculum expectations and the progression of skills are met, our children will be exposed to a language rich, creative and progressive English curriculum which will not only enable them to become primary literate but will also develop and nurture a love of reading, creative writing and purposeful speaking and listening. In writing we cultivate a reading culture by exposing children to a variety of genres through carefully planned activities. From EYFS to Year 6 pupils are exposed to high-quality vehicle texts that explore a variety of genres and themes. Through immersion and analysis, pupils investigate the authors intent and are encouraged to adapt to their own writing. All pupils are encouraged to adapt ideas to their own writing.
Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. To promote oracy pupils are immersed into vehicle texts through the use of drama where speaking and listening is a main focus. Pupils articulate what they believe might happen in their focus text and will use their inference skills to form their prediction. The retelling of the texts and the WAGOLLs help pupils to consolidate their understanding of the themes of the text. All pupils are encouraged to adapt ideas to their own writing. All pupils are encouraged to edit and publish sections of their work to create effective pieces which are then able to be read aloud. By teaching our pupils to become more effective speakers and listeners we aim to empower them to have a better understanding of themselves, each other and the features and vocabulary that they have chosen to be included in their writing.
At Oyster Park Primary Academy, all children are given the opportunity to work with support appropriate to their SEN learning barriers. Children are encouraged and supported to ask their own questions as well as complete teacher led enquiries. Pre-teaching of key ideas in short bursts shall help increase confidence and topics are revisited regularly. For our SEND pupils, writing is closely assessed following the Wakefield Progression Steps. Pupils are encouraged work with their support packs to enable them to achieve their personalised success criteria and learning objective.