Writing
At Kells Lane, we want every child to discover the power of their own voice on the page. Writing is one of the most creative and expressive things a child can do — and we work hard to make sure that every pupil, from Nursery right through to Year 6, sees themselves as a writer. Our writing curriculum is carefully sequenced so that skills, knowledge and understanding build progressively year on year — from early mark-making and storytelling in the Early Years, through to crafting complex, multi-genre pieces of writing in upper Key Stage 2. Every stage of this journey is planned with purpose, ensuring that what children learn in Year 2 lays the foundation for what they will achieve in Year 4, and beyond. Writing sits at the heart of our Communication curriculum driver, and we believe that a child who can express themselves well in writing has a tool for life.
We are committed to ensuring that every child can access and enjoy writing, regardless of their starting point. Children who find writing challenging receive targeted support, adapted resources and carefully scaffolded tasks to build their confidence and skills. We believe that with the right support, every child at Kells Lane can become a writer — and we want every child to leave us knowing that their words matter. That is what it means to Find Your Remarkable.
Writing Curriculum
Our writing curriculum is rooted in high-quality texts and literature, giving children a rich source of inspiration, language and ideas for their own work. Children write across a carefully planned range of genres — from persuasive writing and poetry to narrative and non-fiction — always with a clear purpose and a real audience in mind. For each new type of writing, children develop their understanding of:
- why they are writing and who they are writing for
- how grammar and writing techniques can be used deliberately to create an effect
- how vocabulary choices shape the way a reader thinks and feels
- how to bring all of these skills together to write with confidence and impact
Handwriting is taught across school using the Letter-join programme, ensuring children develop a clear, consistent and fluent joined style that builds progressively from early letter formation in the Early Years through to confident, flowing handwriting by Key Stage 2.
Writing Curriculum Yearly Overview Y1-Y6
Oracy
Oracy is central to our approach to writing at Kells Lane. Through our partnership with Voice 21, children are taught to talk before they write — using structured discussion, debate and collaborative talk to develop and organise their ideas before committing them to the page. We know that when children can articulate their thinking clearly out loud, their writing becomes richer, more ambitious and more confident.
Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
Our teaching follows the National Curriculum expectations for each year group to ensure progression of skills and knowledge.
From Year 2 upwards, we use Grammarsaurus to support the teaching of grammar and punctuation, and Spelling Shed to develop confident, accurate spellers.