Writing
At TBHGS we follow the talk for writing approach and each term pupils will study fiction, non-fiction and poetry units of work, following the long-term writing map.
Writing focuses on both transcription: handwriting, spelling and grammar, and composition. Pupils are taught all of the components required for writing as part of the literacy timetable of 2 x handwriting sessions and 3 x SPAG sessions per week, prior to their literacy focus.
Each pupil has access to scaffold supports and technology for writing such as song of sounds phonics mats, talking tin lids, colourful semantics for sentence building, word banks, ipad dictionaries/thesauruses and laptops to support with the physicality of transcription.
Teachers will plan a sequence of learning based on the needs of the pupils and a clear focus on the aim of the lesson. It is essential that teachers have flexibility in their planning to allow for pupils to securely grasp an objective/skill before moving on.
Teachers are expected to plan to meet the needs of their pupils, based on individual writing assessments. Once assessments are analysed, teachers will then adapt planning to support ‘keep up’ and ‘catch up’ of all pupils through small group targeted teaching led by the teacher and teaching assistant support. Focus will be on consolidation and mastery of a skill, through dictation and application.
Therefore, pupils’ writing books will reflect the gap in knowledge that they need to master before progressing to the next objective. Pupils writing is assessed at the end of every unit of work against the statutory requirements, in their STAR writing book. Pupils writing assessment grid will reflect the current level of the child, so that optimum progress can be made