Writing
Writing at Sandfield – Inspiring Confident Communicators
At Sandfield, we want every child to become a confident, independent and enthusiastic writer.
From the moment children join us, they are immersed in high-quality, rich texts linked to our History and Geography topics. We believe children write best when they understand and connect with what they are learning, so we provide first-hand experiences to inspire meaningful writing.
Our Aims
We want every child to:
- Enjoy writing and develop confidence, enthusiasm and stamina
- Understand that writing has a purpose and audience
- Become independent writers, using the skills they have been taught
- Write confidently across a range of genres
- Plan, draft and edit their work with increasing independence
- Write fluently and accurately across all subjects
- Take pride in their work and understand the importance of high-quality presentation
Writing in School
Early Years
Children are immersed in writing from the very beginning. They write through play and exploration, as well as taking part in a daily adult-supported writing group. We also use Drawing Club to develop children’s language, imagination and writing.
Year 1–Year 6
Children have a dedicated English lesson every day, where they explore different purposes, genres and audiences. They develop their vocabulary, sentence structures and writing skills as they progress through school. All writing objectives are based on the 2014 National Curriculum and children’s progress is regularly assessed.
Writing Across the Curriculum
Writing is not just part of English. Children regularly use their writing skills in subjects such as History, Geography and Science.
Each child completes:
- At least two extended pieces of writing in English each half term
- At least one extended piece of writing in another subject each half term
Sharing Writing with Families
We use Seesaw to share children’s independent writing with families.
After each extended piece of writing, teachers provide personalised feedback, celebrating children’s achievements and identifying areas for improvement.
We also share our year-group writing checklists, which reflect the key knowledge and skills children are expected to develop in writing at each stage. The checklists clearly highlight children’s strengths and areas to focus on. Children use these checklists regularly when writing independently, helping them to check their own work, recognise their progress and identify their next steps. This supports children to take greater ownership of their writing and feel proud of their achievements.
Handwriting & Presentation
We take great pride in our children’s handwriting and presentation.
We teach a continuous cursive handwriting style, supported by Letter-join. Handwriting is taught regularly and systematically and is practised across the curriculum.
By the end of Key Stage 2, we want children to have:
- Fluent, legible and speedy joined-up handwriting
- An understanding of how different handwriting styles can be used
- The confidence to present their work neatly and consistently
- Pride in the presentation of everything they do
At Sandfield, we believe that good handwriting and presentation help children communicate their ideas clearly and take pride in their learning.
