Writing
At St Michael’s C of E Primary School and Nursery, we believe that every child can become a confident, successful writer. Writing is taught through a carefully sequenced curriculum that develops creativity, communication and technical accuracy, enabling pupils to express their ideas with confidence and purpose.
Our vision is for all children to flourish in the love of God, developing the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to communicate effectively throughout their lives. We inspire pupils to see themselves as writers by providing rich, meaningful opportunities to write for a range of audiences and purposes. This is achieved through high-quality texts, ambitious vocabulary, explicit teaching and high expectations for all.
At St Michael’s, reading, writing, spelling and handwriting are closely connected. By developing strong transcription skills alongside rich language experiences and high-quality texts, we equip children with the tools they need to become articulate communicators, confident writers and successful lifelong learners.
“Courage to Flourish in the Love of God” underpins everything we do, including our ambition for every child to flourish as a writer.
Writing
Writing is taught through Ready Steady Write, a text-based curriculum that immerses children in high-quality literature. Each writing unit follows a clear sequence:
Immerse
Children explore and enjoy quality texts, develop vocabulary and build background knowledge through reading, discussion and drama.
Analyse
Pupils investigate how authors craft their writing, identifying language features, structure and techniques.
Plan
Children generate ideas, rehearse sentences and organise their thoughts before writing.
Write
Pupils draft, edit, refine and publish their work, applying the knowledge and skills they have learned throughout the unit.
What Makes Writing Successful at St Michael’s?
Across the school, pupils benefit from:
- High-quality, vocabulary-rich texts
- Daily opportunities to develop sentence accuracy
- Explicit modelling by teachers
- High-quality discussion and oracy activities
- Regular editing and improving of writing
- Strong links between reading, spelling, handwriting and writing
- Progressive assessment and clear expectations for every year group
Spelling
We believe that spelling is a fundamental skill which underpins successful communication and enables children to become confident, independent writers. Accurate spelling allows pupils to express their ideas clearly whilst developing confidence and fluency across the curriculum.
How We Teach Spelling
Our spelling curriculum follows a structured progression from Nursery to Year 6.
Nursery
Children develop early phonological awareness through oral blending games, nursery rhymes and language-rich experiences.
Reception and Key Stage 1
Children learn through the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised programme. Phonics and spelling are closely linked, helping pupils apply their knowledge confidently in reading and writing.
Year 2
Pupils follow the Little Wandle Spelling programme, bridging the gap between phonics and independent spelling through carefully sequenced lessons.
Key Stage 2
Children follow Ready Steady Spell, which provides systematic teaching of spelling patterns, rules, morphology and vocabulary as outlined in the National Curriculum.
Through regular practice, assessment and application across the curriculum, children develop the confidence and knowledge needed to become accurate spellers in their independent writing.
Handwriting
At St Michael’s, we believe that handwriting is a vital life skill that enables children to communicate clearly and effectively. We aim for all pupils to develop fluent, legible and efficient handwriting that allows them to focus on the content of their writing rather than the mechanics of recording. Handwriting is taught progressively from Nursery through to Year 6.
Nursery
Children develop the physical foundations needed for writing through gross motor activities, fine motor development, mark making and pencil control.
Reception and Year 1
Children follow the Little Wandle Handwriting programme, which teaches correct posture, pencil grip and letter formation alongside phonics learning.
Year 2
Pupils begin using Letter-join, learning how to join letters correctly and develop greater fluency.
Years 3-6
Children continue to develop a fluent, joined handwriting style through Letter-join, focusing on automaticity, presentation and writing stamina.
Throughout the school, we promote pride in presentation and encourage children to apply high handwriting standards across all areas of the curriculum. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are expected to produce fluent, legible and efficient handwriting suitable for a range of purposes and audiences.