Writing
Writing at Sandfield – Inspiring Confident Communicators
From the moment children join Sandfield, they are immersed in a curriculum built around high-quality, rich texts. These texts are carefully chosen and linked to our Geography and History topics, which are the key drivers of our curriculum. We believe that children write best when they understand and connect with the subject matter—so we provide first-hand, experiential learning opportunities that inspire meaningful writing.
Our Aims for Writing
At Sandfield, we aim for every child to:
- Write with enjoyment, enthusiasm and stamina
- Understand that writing has a purpose
- Become independent writers, using key skills taught explicitly
- Write confidently across a range of genres
- Plan, draft and edit their work with growing independence
- Write with fluency and accuracy across all subjects—not just in English lessons
- Present their work to the highest standards, knowing that presentation matters
Writing in the School Day
- From Year 1 onwards, children have a dedicated hour of English each day to develop their writing skills.
- They explore a wide range of writing purposes, genres and audiences, using increasingly rich vocabulary and sentence structures.
- In Early Years, children are immersed in writing from day one. They write throughout the day through play and exploration, and also take part in a daily adult-supported writing group.
- In Early Years, we use a programme called Drawing Club
All writing objectives are taken from the 2014 National Curriculum, and children are regularly assessed to ensure progress.
Sharing Writing with Families
We use Seesaw, our online learning platform, to share children’s independent writing with parents. After each extended piece of writing, teachers provide personalised feedback in the form of a short audio recording, reading the child’s work and offering suggestions for improvement. This helps children understand their progress and feel proud of their achievements.
Writing Across the Curriculum
Children write regularly in all subjects, not just English. Each phase group outlines writing opportunities in their termly curriculum overview. Every child completes:
- At least one extended piece of writing in English each half term
- At least one extended piece of writing in another subject (e.g. History, Science)
Handwriting at Sandfield – Pride in Presentation
We take great pride in our pupils’ handwriting and presentation. At Sandfield, we teach a continuous cursive handwriting style, supported by Letter-join, an online resource that meets all National Curriculum requirements.
Our Handwriting Aims
By the end of Key Stage 2, all pupils will:
- Produce fluent, legible and speedy joined-up handwriting
- Understand how different styles (cursive, printed, capital letters) help communicate meaning
- Present their work neatly and consistently across all subjects
Expectations and Consistency
- All staff model the cursive style in their own writing—on whiteboards, displays and in books.
- Pupils experience coherence and continuity in handwriting teaching from Early Years to Year 6.
- We encourage children to take pride in their presentation and enjoy the process of improving their handwriting.
Handwriting in the School Day
Handwriting is taught regularly and systematically, and is embedded across the curriculum. It’s not just a skill—it’s a tool that supports clear thinking and confident communication.
